Harbor Ridge Field Blend 2022
Harbor Ridge Winery in Egg Harbor, Wisconsin, was established in 2010, making it a relatively recent addition to Door County’s wine scene. Its original releases were Knockin’ Heads Red and Mademoiselle, and the winery has subsequently built a portfolio of more than 20 wines ranging from dry barrel-aged reds to Riesling, rosé, cherry wine and sweeter blends. The sweeter selections are largely aimed at the tourist trade.
But, there’s more serious winemaking going on there than the humorous wine names and laid-back log-cabin tasting room might suggest.
In 2012, Harbor Ridge built a separate winemaking facility that allowed it to expand into barrel-aged wines. The winery says it uses traditional hand-coopered Garbellotto barrels from Italy, with some wines spending more than two years in wood. Production and warehouse capacity were doubled in 2017. Harbor Ridge says the winery holds about 70 barrels and two stainless-steel tanks.
Harbor Ridge Field Blend 2022
This red is a blend of 52% Petite Sirah and 48% Barbera from California’s Central Coast. It is then produced and bottled in Door County.
Traditionally, field blend has a fairly specific meaning. Different grape varieties are planted together in the same vineyard, harvested together and usually fermented together. Historic California Zinfandel vineyards are classic examples. Simply blending Petite Sirah and Barbera wines after fermentation doesn’t technically make something a traditional field blend. Harbor Ridge may indeed have sourced these grapes from a mixed planting and co-fermented them. But I can’t find anything from Harbor Ridge confirming that, so I’m considering Field Blend the wine’s name/style rather than asserting that the grapes were literally interplanted.
The wine pours a nice transparent garnet. The nose features dark fruits: blackberry, black cherry, blackberry and plum, On the palate, the cherry and blackberry dominate. There is balanced acidity and plenty of tannins, but those are polished by just enough sweetness. Overall, a really tasty and surprising find from Door County. Perhaps unfortunately, it is sold only in Wisconsin, but it can be shipped to 38 states. ABV is 14.5%.
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