Wine-Making Thrives in Southern Utah
– By Patrick Hayes –
Zion Vineyards in July, it is HOT, HOT, HOT!!! The grapes are ripening beautifully, and we are looking at some high-quality fruit. Our irrigation system is a drip system allotting a gallon and a half of water per plant per day, with little evaporation. Grapes are like Humans, struggle breeds’ character so we don’t want to over water. In July though, we give our grapes plenty of water and then dial it back as Harvest approaches, this will allow the sugar concentration to rise. The higher the sugar concentration the higher the alcohol content. Here at Zion Vineyards, Harvest starts mid to late August and runs until mid-October.
In July come out and join us for a Wine Tasting and ask for a Tour. We will take you out into the vineyard, and ripeness permitting, you may taste many of our different grapes, hanging on the vine.
We will have new wines and new vintages for you to try. These include our Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. Tempranillo is a Spanish varietal, it is medium-bodied to full-bodied with red fruit characters and is similar Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese. It has contrasting flavors of leather and cherries, and with a nice balance between earth and fruit. The finish is smooth and lingers with the taste of tannin on both sides of your mouth.
The Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is aged in both French and American Oak providing notes from both. American oak provides a greater number of aromas, including tropical or exotic notes such as coconut, as well as roasted aromas such as coffee, smoke, tobacco and cocoa. French oak, on the other hand, offers more delicate and subtle aromas: vanilla, honey, nuts and sweet and herbaceous spices (balsamic aromas). The wines were aged separately in both the American and French Oak barrels for a year. We then did a bench test to determine the ratio we would use of each barrel, and we agreed on a 50/50 blend.
Please come on out and join us for a fun time and taste some of our award-winning wines. Visit us at 5 Hidden Valley Road in Leeds. We are just 12 miles north of St George and just off the I-15 in beautiful Leeds Utah. Reservations are not needed We are Open Seven Days a Week, noon til 6pm. Online at www.zionvines.com or call 435-216-1340
