The Daily Sauce :: A Daily Sip of Hip

May 7th, 2008 edition of The Daily Sauce: Food and Wine. Visit Our Food and Wine Archive.

Aging Nortons

According to Wikipedia, the Norton grape (aka Cynthianna) was first cultivated in Richmond, Va., making it a true North American grape. Wiki also states that it was a Norton wine from Hermann that won the gold medal at the 1873 Vienna World Exposition. No wonder the dark purple Petit Sirah-ish varietal is also Missouri’s official grape. And if you tasted a Norton produced by Hermann’s Stone Hill Winery, it’s no surprise that it was their wine that won the gold medal 135 years ago – not to mention a gold medal in 1875 at a Philadelphia competition.

A good Norton, like a good Cabernet Sauvignon, needs years of careful bottle rest before its true character can be revealed – which is why each April Stone Hill holds a 10-year vertical tasting of their Norton. It’s never advertised and it’s always sold out, but that doesn’t stop the rest of us from wanting to taste the effects of gentle aging on the big grape. Thankfully, the winery offers limited quantities of its older Nortons, ranging from 1999 to 2003, each one a gold medal winner.
Now that’s aging successfully.

Sauce pick: Stone Hill Winery’s Vintage Nortons
Where to get it: Order online
Price: Prices range from $39.99 for the 1999 vintage to $29.99 for the 2003 vintage.
Info: 800.909.9463 or www.stonehillwinery.com

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