VinoDuo is Lisa & Gary. Engaged in Sonoma. Honeymooned in Napa. Vacationed in
Temecula (CA), Woodinville (WA), and other off the beaten path wine regions. We’ve married our love of wine with our passion for travel, visiting lesser-known wine regions throughout the United
States. We’ve got strong opinions about the pros and cons of each wine region and this is our forum for airing and sharing them.
Crush! Punch! Press! Violence in Winemaking
Southern New England is blessed with many fine winemakers, scratching out an existence in these cold climes, often—but not always—with grapes imported from warmer regions. Since VinoDuo always champions local winemakers, we were game to check out the goods from Zoll Cellars, in that charming Massachusetts village of...Shrewsbury. Yes, Boston readers, Shrewsbury as in Spags, the gone but not forgotten discount mecca. Shrewsbury, as in Route 9 retail heaven; gateway to Worcester. That's where Frank Zoll set up his small winery, and where VinoDuo spent a gorgeous Saturday in October helping with the winemaking process of grapes from California, New York, and southeastern Mass.
We won the opportunity to get hands-on with the crush at the Newport Wine & Food Festival's silent auction; paying, in fact, to get deliciously dirty, hands and clothing stained purple with Alicante and Cabernet Franc grapes. We loved every minute of it of it.
About Zoll Cellars
Frank Zoll is a relative newbie to winemaking. He started his career as a pastry chef, eventually landing a sweet spot at the Ritz in Boston and the Marriott Marquis in New York. In 2001 he was bitten by the wine bug and started making wine in his parents' kitchen. Ten years and a lot of trial and error later, he's quit his day job and devoted himself full-time to Zoll Cellars. While he hopes to use his own Traminette vines, planted on his Shrewsbury homestead, that vineyard has a ways to go. Right now, the vines are more for show than crush.
The Crush
We paid to engage in repetitive manual labor, and by God we did. First up, dump 1200 pounds of Alicante grapes from Lodi into the crusher. Grown largely as a blending grape these days, Alicante is itself a hybrid of Grenache and Petit Bouschet. Fortunately, Frank Zoll had plenty of farm hands on board—friends from Long Island—to help VinoDuo with the crush. After an hour or so, all of the plump, perky Alicante grapes lay smashed at the bottom of the crusher, stems cruelly ripped from their bodies, awaiting fermentation.
The Punch Down
The Alicante dispatched with, we turned our grubby little purple fingers to the already-crushed 1500 pounds of Cab Franc from Jamesport Vineyards on Long Island. The grapeskin "cap" of the Cab Franc was bobbing happily in a huge red vat, going through fermentation. The grapes needed to be "punched down" three times a day for 10-12 days. Insert your Lucy and Ethel joke here about stomping the grapes...that's the old-fashioned way to punch down.
The Press
Last chore on the winemaking to-do list was putting an already-fermented 50-50 blend of Merlot and Zinfandel through the press. Pressing is the act of applying pressure to grapes (skins, seeds, and whatever) to separate juice or wine. Based on the photos you might think the press was manly-man work only. No way. Lisa did her share of heavy-duty pressing, but no photos of that miracle act exist.
Finally, the tasting
After a day of hard labor, the reward...tasting Frank Zoll's current vintages, paired with Frank's own luscious pastries. First up, Northern Whites. Then Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc, each barrel aged for 6 months in American or Hungarian oak. Finally, Local Blend dessert wine. All of Zoll Cellar's wines retail for $14.99.
Northern Whites
A 100% Massachusetts white wine blend of Traminette and Vidal Blanc, hand harvested from Westport and Dartmouth Vineyards. We loved the floral nose, accompanied by honey and apricot aromas. Pleasant flavors with a sharp, mineral finish.
Pinot Noir
90% Pinot, 10% Cab Franc grapes, all from Westport Rivers Vineyard in southeastern Mass. Not our favorite; we noted its thin mouth-feel with abundant minerality.
Cabernet Franc — Bought 1 bottle
A winner! Our favorite was a 100% Cab Franc (grapes sourced from Jamesport Vineyard in NY). Peppery nose, well structured with deep fruit flavors. We're laying it down for 6 months or so and look forward to a delicious unveiling.
Local Blend Dessert Wine
An ambitious blend of Long Island Merlot (aged 4 years in French Oak), Nantucket Brandy from Triple Eight Distillery, and grape concentrate. Good for folks with a sweet tooth, especially when served with Chef Frank's spectacular Chocolate Mousse Torte made with Ghiradelli chocolate.
We won the opportunity to get hands-on with the crush at the Newport Wine & Food Festival's silent auction; paying, in fact, to get deliciously dirty, hands and clothing stained purple with Alicante and Cabernet Franc grapes. We loved every minute of it of it.
About Zoll Cellars
Frank Zoll is a relative newbie to winemaking. He started his career as a pastry chef, eventually landing a sweet spot at the Ritz in Boston and the Marriott Marquis in New York. In 2001 he was bitten by the wine bug and started making wine in his parents' kitchen. Ten years and a lot of trial and error later, he's quit his day job and devoted himself full-time to Zoll Cellars. While he hopes to use his own Traminette vines, planted on his Shrewsbury homestead, that vineyard has a ways to go. Right now, the vines are more for show than crush.
The Crush
We paid to engage in repetitive manual labor, and by God we did. First up, dump 1200 pounds of Alicante grapes from Lodi into the crusher. Grown largely as a blending grape these days, Alicante is itself a hybrid of Grenache and Petit Bouschet. Fortunately, Frank Zoll had plenty of farm hands on board—friends from Long Island—to help VinoDuo with the crush. After an hour or so, all of the plump, perky Alicante grapes lay smashed at the bottom of the crusher, stems cruelly ripped from their bodies, awaiting fermentation.
The Punch Down
The Alicante dispatched with, we turned our grubby little purple fingers to the already-crushed 1500 pounds of Cab Franc from Jamesport Vineyards on Long Island. The grapeskin "cap" of the Cab Franc was bobbing happily in a huge red vat, going through fermentation. The grapes needed to be "punched down" three times a day for 10-12 days. Insert your Lucy and Ethel joke here about stomping the grapes...that's the old-fashioned way to punch down.
The Press
Last chore on the winemaking to-do list was putting an already-fermented 50-50 blend of Merlot and Zinfandel through the press. Pressing is the act of applying pressure to grapes (skins, seeds, and whatever) to separate juice or wine. Based on the photos you might think the press was manly-man work only. No way. Lisa did her share of heavy-duty pressing, but no photos of that miracle act exist.
After a day of hard labor, the reward...tasting Frank Zoll's current vintages, paired with Frank's own luscious pastries. First up, Northern Whites. Then Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc, each barrel aged for 6 months in American or Hungarian oak. Finally, Local Blend dessert wine. All of Zoll Cellar's wines retail for $14.99.
Northern Whites
A 100% Massachusetts white wine blend of Traminette and Vidal Blanc, hand harvested from Westport and Dartmouth Vineyards. We loved the floral nose, accompanied by honey and apricot aromas. Pleasant flavors with a sharp, mineral finish.
Pinot Noir
90% Pinot, 10% Cab Franc grapes, all from Westport Rivers Vineyard in southeastern Mass. Not our favorite; we noted its thin mouth-feel with abundant minerality.
Cabernet Franc — Bought 1 bottle
A winner! Our favorite was a 100% Cab Franc (grapes sourced from Jamesport Vineyard in NY). Peppery nose, well structured with deep fruit flavors. We're laying it down for 6 months or so and look forward to a delicious unveiling.
Local Blend Dessert Wine
An ambitious blend of Long Island Merlot (aged 4 years in French Oak), Nantucket Brandy from Triple Eight Distillery, and grape concentrate. Good for folks with a sweet tooth, especially when served with Chef Frank's spectacular Chocolate Mousse Torte made with Ghiradelli chocolate.
We left Zoll Vineyards happy, filthy, and well-fed. Thanks to Frank Zoll for his hospitality and for not making us come back for more crushing, punching, and pressing. Way too much work for this couple of wine lovers.
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