Messina Hof Winery
On April 6th I had the opportunity to visit Messina Hof Winery. Messina Hof is located in Bryan, Texas and boasts 42 acres of vineyard on site where they grow the Lenoir variety for their port.in a word, the site is picturesque. Upon entering the front gates you are immediately in front of their tasting room, which resides in the original winery building. Immediately to the left of the tasting room is the Bed and Breakfast, which holds the distinction of being the only four star accommodation in a one hundred mile radius. To the right of the tasting room is the Vintage House Restaurant, which uses wines produced by Messina Hof in each of their delectable dishes. Needless to say that my lovely assistants and I were very impressed by Messina Hof's drive up appeal.
On this particular wine adventure, I was accompanied by John (center), A senior mechanical engineer, Jacque (left), an environmental consultant, and Josh (right), a senior Chemical engineer. These are the generous souls which offered to be my winery guinea pigs:
Upon arrival, we immediately took off on Messina Hof's comprehensive winery tour. The tour was excellent and covered cultural practices regarding the cultivation of the grapes, the fermentation process, bottling procedures, and marketing and tasting.
First, our tour guide walked us through the vineyard itself. Messina Hof's on-site vineyard is used to produce only the Lenoir variety, which they use in the production of their port. Their other varieties are produced in Fredericksburg and in West Texas near Lubbock. Messina Hof utilizes the drip irrigation system, which was originally pioneered at Texas A&M and is a perfect option for grape production because it allows the plant to receive enough water to grow, but stresses the plant at an appropriate level to induce the development of quality fruit. In addition to this mechanized irrigation method, Messina Hof also uses several old and natural techniques in the upkeep of their vineyard. One of these techniques is the use of roses as an indicator plant. Roses make a fantastic indicator because they are more susceptible to disease, pests, and soil changes than grape vines. They serve as an indicator by displaying signs and symptoms which denote an issue about two weeks before the vines will be affected. This timing difference allows the vineyard manager to make adjustments and applications to protect the vines before issues arise. The roses also serve to add an element of romance to the scenery, which never hurts in the wine business.
Another natural device upon which Messina Hof attributes the success of its vines is the aeration of the soil by a very unlikely ally, the Fire Ant. While this particular member of the Hymenoptera order is often considered a pest to be destroyed (especially if you've ever experienced the agony caused by their bite), Messina Hof has taken advantage of their high concentration in the soil, which has about a 6 inch topsoil layer followed by clay which desperately needs aeration. They have come to rely upon the ants as their chief source of soil aeration, which allows the roots to gain the oxygen and nutrients they need to grow quality grapes.
In spite of their cooperation for the production of delicious wine, these ants did not agree to abstain from biting, so visitors are encouraged to embrace the closed-toed shoe option if they plan to stroll the vineyard.
Strolling the vineyard is definitely encouraged at Messina Hof! Nestled among the rows of vines is a walking trail, which is lit with glittering Christmas lights and low lamps at night and paved with gravel to avoid ant injury. This path will take the adventurer through the rows as well as past a large pond that is home to over two hundred turtles. The trail also leads to an outdoor event area which, in addition to the B&B, was being used during our visit to host a wedding.
Messina Hof definitely has a sense of humor when describing their scenery.
The gang at the event patio.
Josh and I in the rose arbor.
Josh, John, and I enjoying the trail.
The turtle pond. Note: don't feed the turtles, apparently they get vicious.
Next on the tour was a walk through of the fermentation process after harvesting. Grapes are first run through a large crusher destemmer which removes the stems and begins the crush process. The juice and grapes are then moved to a bladder press that uses 130 psi of pressure to crush the grapes and free the juices. This is enough pressure to squeeze the grapes without breaking the seeds, which is very important as crushed seeds will compromise the quality of the wine by causing it to take on a bitter taste.
From the bladder press, the grape juice is moved to the fermentation tanks where it will ferment into wine for about two weeks for a white, and six to eight weeks for a red. These tanks are protected from the hot Texas temperatures by an eco-friendly insulation layer, which will not harm the environment or any animals who may be tempted to take a bite. The wine stays between 42 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit in the tanks.
From the tanks, the wine moves into the barrels. Most will spend six to eight months or a year in an American Oak barrel that has been used once before, however, a Private Reserve wine will spend the initial period in a new American Oak barrel and will then be moved to a charred French Oak barrel to finish its maturation period. Throughout the time the wine spends in the barrel, it will need to be topped off to account for evaporation through the wood, which can reach levels as high as one to two gallons lost.
American (right) and French (left) Oak barrels.
From the barrels, the wine is ready to be bottled. Messina Hof uses an automated bottling system to achieve this feat. First, the wine is poured into the bottles. A nitrate is then pumped into the bottle in order to replace oxygen and help to keep the wine fresh as long as it is in the sealed bottle. The bottle is then corked and sealed with beeswax, which is not only an Italian tradition and nod to Messina Hof's heritage, but also does an excellent job of helping the wine to keep for longer periods. This whole process is achieved at a rate of approximately 45-60 bottles per minute.
Corking and Sealing
Wine and Nitrate
At this point in the tour, we were invited to sample some of Messina Hof's offerings in their lovely tasting room. Each of us was presented with a Messina Hof wine glass, which we got to keep afterwards. As the tasting proceeded we were invited to sample four different wines. The first was a dry white wine, the Private Reserve Chardonnay. With this sample, we were taught the technique of Trilling, which involves essentially slurping the wine in order to aerate it in the mouth. Don't worry though, it was classy. If you're looking to try this technique at home, it should be used to try white wines. One should take a small sip, trill, then take another small sip. You should see a change in flavors and the wine should take on a smoother texture on the tongue. The next wine we tried was a semi-dry semi-sweet, Gewurztraminer, which was excellent and very smooth.
From there we moved into the red territory with a dry red, Cabernet Franc. Tasting this wine involved the red wine equivalent of the Trill, the Cluck. This technique involved taking a sip of the wine, tilting the head back, and clucking your tongue, similar to a chicken, while holding the wine in the mouth. Again, if you plan on attempting this at home remember to sip on either side of your Cluck. Also, utilizing this skill in public will make you look like a pro, guaranteed.
Finally, we sampled the Port, their desert wine, Midnight Yell. The name of this particular wine is a nod to a Texas A&M tradition and the Former Student Association. Note: no fancy technique is required when tasting Port, which is 18% alcohol by volume and is extremely sweet due to its being made from the late harvest grapes, which have the highest concentration of sugars.
Jacque and I with (a cutout of) the owner, Mr. Bonnerigo in the tasting room.
Upon completing the tasting, I asked each of my lovely assistants to write down how they had felt about their experience thus far. Below are their responses.
"The sweet elixir transported me from the confines of the Messina Hof tasting room to a lush meadow nestled beside a rippling stream. Each sip seemed to trigger a chorus of trilling song birds and spontaneous bursts of newly grown flowers to carpet the mossy turf surrounding me as a soft fragrant breeze caressed my face...it's pretty good."
-Jacque
"The atmosphere is very welcoming and the staff very friendly. I almost feel like I'm stealing from them for what a good deal the tour is. The wines were very good and well presented, as were the tips on tasting."
-John
"Messina Hof winery, located just north of Bryan, TX, could quickly become a favorite way to spend Saturdays. For a very affordable price, tours are offered that appeal to both wine amateur and connoisseur alike. The tour included a very informative walk through of production followed by a wonderful tasting of Messina Hof varieties. I see myself returning soon."
-Josh
As you can tell, they were very impressed with the experience and the product. (Note: tour and tasting is $10)
To reward my minions and to experience the culinary uses for the Messina Hof vintages, we grabbed appetizers and a glass of wine at the Vintage House Restaurant. The food was excellent and we personally suggest the Brie.
Overall, the experience at Messina Hof was superb, with an excellent tour, marvelous tasting, and beautiful landscape to explore. We left not only in a fantastic mood and stuffed with vineyard delicacies, but also much more knowledgeable on wine production in general and specific practices at Messina Hof.
