harkness
The vineyard industry and vitaculture (the science, production and study of grapes, which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard) in Kentucky continues to grow and develop with the addition of more and more new players.
One interesting vineyard and winery that has been “under the radar,” so to speak, because it is not open to the public yet, is the Harkness Edwards Vineyards (www.harknessedwardsvineyards.com) in Clark County, located at 5199 Combs Ferry Road. This vineyard is owned by Harkness (“Harkey”) and Cathy Edwards and is located on 300 beautiful rolling green acres. The actual vineyard is only about 20 acres, with the first planting of the vines occurring in 2003 and actual wine production not beginning until three to four years later.
One of the motivations for getting into the vineyard business was to find an agricultural alternative to tobacco that they could be passionate about and use to build a business. Harkey Edwards had previous business experience in real estate, construction and development, and this served him well in their new venture. They also benefited from outside expertise from resources such as the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.
This enterprise is very much a family affair, with each of their three daughters being involved and having their own role: Nini is involved in sales and marketing, Beth in graphic design and Kate is involved in farm operations.
When you walk the property with the Edwardses, it is clear they love the land, and they love working it and making it productive.
The Harkness Edwards Vineyards produce several carefully selected cultivars of grape, one of which is the Norton. The Norton has an interesting history and was introduced by Dr. Daniel Norborne Norton of Richmond, Va., from what is believed to be seeds from an extinct variety. This grape became commercially available circa 1830, and due to its disease-resistant traits and its suitability for certain climates, it began to dominate wine production in the Midwest and eastern states. It is a grape that is particularly well-suited for making dry wine. In 2009, Riedel designed stemware specifically for wine made from the Norton grape. Other grapes grown include Vidal Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Viognier and a hybrid grape called Crimson Cabernet.
The winery produces a few carefully thought-out wines. One of these is called Fling! and is a white wine blend with an excellent body and clean finish. It is a versatile wine that should have wide appeal. Another one is Taste the Sun, which is clean, crisp, has a hint of citrus and is crafted from handpicked Vidal Blanc grapes. A third white wine produced at the vineyard is Voignier Vat 32, which has interesting aromatics, solid build and a hint of fruit. Their Big Red table wine is a red wine made from concord grapes that is rich, fruity, semi-sweet and perfect for sipping with any food from appetizer to dessert.
All these wines are produced from grapes grown on their Clark County soil and nurtured by Kentucky sun. On one of their bottles is the Galileo quote: “Wine is sunlight, held together by water.” This is a great example of “Bluegrass Terroir,” where “place is taste,” and what makes food grown in the Bluegrass region unique in the world.
One new product development endeavor planned for the winter of 2012/2013 is a limited production of Ice Wine, a type of dessert wine that is produced from frozen grapes. This dessert wine is an extremely rich, super-sweet dessert wine that, due to the freezing of the grapes, has the impact of concentrating the sugars and intensifying the flavor. Ice Wine (or German Eiswein) has a history dating back to 1794 in Germany and even further back to Roman times, when Pliny the Elder (A.D. 23-79) wrote about it.
In addition to the vineyard and winery operation, the Edwardses have been developing additional infrastructure. The winery is housed in a large building called the Yellow Barn, which eventually will be available for special events. Inside the Yellow Barn is a beautiful and spacious tasting room with a large circular tasting bar set in the middle. This room can easily accommodate 100 people and would be well suited for a variety of events.
However, like everything else they do, each progression in their growth is not rushed. They are building a high-quality enterprise for the long term. As you visit stores or restaurants that carry Kentucky wines, I encourage you to try one or more from Harkness Edwards.