Cincinnati Nature Center

For the next fundraising event the Director wanted to select wines that match the principles of the organization which include sustainability and locality. Unfortunately, we are hard pressed in Cincinnati to offer local organic wines, but I offered to review other organic wines from the United States. Here are my first reviews for Badger Mountain:

• Badger Mountain "Vintner Estate Series" Rose of Cabernet 2003 ($8) -- Columbia Valley, Washington. Certified organic. 100% Cabernet Franc. Pale strawberry colors; not much nose; full fruit flavors with noticeable residual sugar; good structure, balance with some meat on it. This is a big Rose for $8. Perfect for Spring or Summer. And although I am not a fan of White Zin, lovers of that "varietal" will also enjoy this wine, even if it is a dry wine. The guy who delivered the hay today for Cody, the pony (it rhymes), who never drinks wine, said he liked it. (He and Polly were my guinea pigs tonight.) Of course, Polly loved it! I liked it too.
• Badger Mountain Chardonnay 2003 ($11) -- Columbia Valley, Washington. Estate grown. Certified organic, No Sulfites Added. Contains naturally occurring sulfites, which are a product of fermentation. No additional preservatives are used. I tasted at room temperature at first and on first opening got an almost foxey aroma and flavor. (I like to taste whites wines warm at first to see what kind of suff they have.) When properly chilled after 20 minutes in a bath of iced water, I got clean, crisp, refreshing flavors that, I am guessing, saw little or no wood. No luxurious butter here, but I am told that the butter flavor profile is a tough order for organic wines that have no sulfites. Serve well chilled with food.

The mission of Cincinnati Nature Center is to inspire passion for nature and promote environmentally responsible choices through experience and education.