Season 18 of the Glass in Session® Winecast focused on wine from regions where lakes play a role in the grape growing and winemaking.
Why Lakes?
Lakes are nature’s climate moderators, acting as thermal buffers to stabilize temperatures in surrounding vineyards for nearly year-round moderation, countering the continental climate extremes in the winter and summer. This way if the vines bud later in the year, there’s less chance of them being subjected to those evil late spring frosts that can devastate a vineyard.
Deeper lakes act as more of a heat sink where the heat of the day is stored and warmth is radiated at night, similar to the way storage heaters operate. Lake effects are also integral to extending the growing season a little, and are important to the meso-climates and can determine what kind of grapes can grow successfully. Keep in mind that as climate change becomes a harsh reality, extreme weather events are starting to counter the benefits of lake effects, and a mean late frost after an early bud break can be dangerous to vinifera vines.
The Voyage to the Wine Regions’ Lakes (in a glass)
Finger Lakes Wine Fun!
We began our voyage in New York way back in the Cenezoic Era, post dinosaurs, circa, somewhere between 2.6 million and 10K years ago. It’s not odd to begin wine history during the last ice age, as this is the most recent major geology-changing event for New York. The deep, glacial Finger Lakes launch our exploration of the surrounding wine regions, the ideal conditions for growing Riesling and other cool-climate and hybrid grapes, as well as the history and wine styles of these appellations.
Michigan Wine
Episode 2 hustled us over to Michigan as we dove deeper into the Great Lakes terroir, singing the praises (OK, I wasn’t singing, and you’re welcome) of the lake effects that enables grape-growing in challenging northern climates. Not only did we work our way around the mitten state to see what there was to sip, we learned what Detroit, the motor city, and the Cadillac actually has to do with Michigan’s viticultural history!
Wine From Lake Neuseidl, Austria
For the next installment of our lake adventures, we journeyed to Austria’s Neusiederslee, Lake Neusiedl, a UNESCO heritage site. The lake affords a certain amount of temperature moderation by storing heat from the warm Pannonian days and releasing it at night. Furthermore, the more humid autumn conditions – along with mist and fog – are perfect for the development of botrytis cinerea – or noble rot which are behind some of Austria’s iconic sweet wine styles from this region.
Lake Constance: One Lake, Wine From Three Countries
But wait, there’s more to explore as we find out what other crazy things happen around (and in) Lake Constance. Episode 4 takes us to Europe’s second largest lake in terms of water volume, and third largest if we’re talking surface area. Lake Constance, or Bodensee, at the foot of the alps, is at an altitude of almost 250 feet where the Alpine Rhine flows where once upon a time, in an ice age long long ago, the Rhine Glacier did what glaciers do: carved out this honking body of water. Around the lake are German, Austrian, and Swiss wine regions, some of which benefit from the heat sink I mentioned earlier. Another advantage, however, is the reflection of sunlight back onto the vines in some aspects. Some of the more fascinating tidbits from this episode involve vineyards you can only get to by boat, vines on an island, and wines aged right in the freaking lake!
Lake Garda, Italy: Surrounded by Wine Regions
While each episode of my carefully crafted seasons is not meant to “one up” each other, Episode 5 takes us to Lago di Garda or Lake Garda, Italy’s largest lake. We’re not at the confluence of three countries as we were last episode in Lake Constance, but three of Italy’s larger wine regions come together around Lake Garda’s 143 square miles of surface area: Veneto (east and southeast), Lombardy (southwest and west), and Trentino-Alto Adige in the north. The episode blends history, scenery, and diverse wine styles—perfect for armchair sommeliers craving a taste of la dolce vita. OK, except for that part about this area once bing a hotbed of Fascist activity (like the US today). Anywho, we learned about a few new grapes and offered a taste of these regions that may not jump off the shelf of your local wine purveyor into your basket. These selections are what the trade refers to as “hand sells” meaning your wine store owner or employees – or sometimes distributor reps trolling the aisles – may have to guide you to these shelves & introduce you to the bitchen juice that’s in this particular bottle & why it’s dope AF and it should be in your cart.
Nagambie Lakes, Australia: Wines, History, and Some Grape Geekery
Finally, we traipsed into Southeastern Australia in Victoria where the lake starring in this region’s own episode was not born of a glacier plowing the earth’s crust, but was man made. A small lake, it provides interesting history that earned it a place in this season’s ode to wine from lake-adjacent regions. Nagambie also gifted us with a small but fascinatingly unique wine-growing conditions contrasting other lake regions sampled to this point. Enjoy this short yet insightful episode packed with #corkdorkalicions grape geekery.
What a Trip
This past season we’ve traveled from the Fingerlakes of New York to the Great Lakes, and then some of the largest lakes in Europe, where glaciers and previous ice ages left their marks, literally their claw marks on the earth. OK, so, we ended at a manmade lake, not even two centuries old, but – BUT – wasn’t it cool to learn about these vastly different wine regions? How cool to explore the different grapes and wine styles made possible JUST BECAUSE OF A FREAKING LAKE?!
YES! Yes it was!
I hope you enjoyed this season and learned something Interesting to amaze – or bore – your friends with at your next wine gathering. Season 19 of Glass in Session® launches in May 2025 for some more #corkdorkaliscious fun.
One More Thing
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