Bellangelo Winery Exhibits Foreword Thinking

Bellangelo, ideally located on the west side of Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes, has had a remarkable year of achievement.  From being recognized as a Top 100 producer in the world in 2018 by Wine and Spirits Magazine, to new plantings of Riesling, Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, to growing its sister brand Can Do, which most recently earned Gold for its Patriot blend at the First Annual Canned Wine Competition. The winery even recently collaborated with the historical Genesee Brew House in Rochester, New York for the release of a rosé infused hybrid beer called Blushing Blonde.  The varied projects at the winery have kept the team busy and motivated.

Against this backdrop, Bellangelo launches one of its most ambitious plans to date – Foreword.  Conceptualized as a new brand within the Bellangelo portfolio, Foreword seeks to turn the idea of hybrid grape varietals into a new platform for sustainable grape growing and beautiful fruit-driven wines at attractive price points.

“So many great books capture the reader with a foreword that sets the stage, that hints at the excitement and the tone of the story arc that is about to play out,” says Christopher Missick, winemaker at Bellangelo.  “Hybrids were the foreword to the story of vinifera wine in the Finger Lakes, and Foreword casts hybrids as the series’ protagonist,” he adds.

Foreword will be officially released August 6, 2019, with three wines: a dark red blend, a dry rosé, and a medium-dry white blend, though a pre-release sale has started in its tasting rooms.  All three wines are exclusively crafted around hybrid varietals and emphasize freshness and deliciousness.

In crafting the wines, Chris notes, “We spent a lot of time tasting individual hybrid varietals, and reviewing vineyard sites.  For the dark red blend, we sourced Foch, Chambourcin, De Chaunac and Marquette, and employed submerged cap fermentations to ensure smooth silky tannins and build longer tannin chains to maximize color.”  With a long history of hybrid varietals in the Finger Lakes, many of these vineyards are 40-60 years old. “The age of the vines adds to the concentration we find in the finished product. This really is a rich, dark Finger Lakes red wine, with explosive fruit and none of the drawbacks usually associated with hybrids,” he adds.

In discussing the dry rosé and white blend, Chris notes that, “[t]he Foreword Rosé is a blend of direct press and saignée of the red varietals used in the Foreword Dark Red Blend, and the white blend consists of Seyval Blanc, Traminette, and Cayuga.”  Despite being thought of as varietals that don’t belong to the family of noble grapes, Bellangelo emphasizes these wines receive the same focus and attention as its premium vinifera.  The wines are unfined (no chemical additives were used), save a marginal treatment with bentonite for protein stability on the rosé and white blend, and offer a perfect counterpart to summer grilling and winter stews.

Although Bellangelo notes that the majority of its production and vineyard holdings are vinifera, the winemaking staff has enjoyed this foray into working with new varietals.  Many of the white varietals are used in its Can Do brand of canned wines, and working with so many new red varietals has opened the window to the possibility that a canned red blend could be coming soon.

About Bellangelo Winery

Villa Bellangelo is a premium family owned Finger Lakes winery located on the sloping hillsides of Seneca Lake in New York’s Finger Lakes AVA. A producer of Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, and Sparkling Wines, the winery is situated at the base of the oldest remaining vineyard in Yates County, planted in 1866. The winery is located at 150 Poplar Point Rd., Dundee, NY 14837, and operates a satellite tasting room at 226 Turk Rd., Geneva, NY 14456, and can be found on the web at https://www.Bellangelo.com. Bellangelo also produces the brand Can Do, the first canned wine produced in the Finger Lakes.a line of canned wines. As a fun fact, winemaker Chris Missick is the only full-time winemaker in the U.S. that is also admitted to practice law before the Supreme Court of the United States.