Matthew Spaccarelli and Casey Erdmann of Fjord Vineyards.
Fjord Vineyards
A few weeks ago, I judged the New York Wine Classic run by the The New York Wine & Grape Foundation. It had been a few years since I’d tasted such a broad overview of New York state’s wines in a mere two days. The exercise was informative. From hybrids to Vitis vinifera, made in a range of whites, reds, sparkling, dessert, and fortified styles, the state proved it can make a broad array of wines, though to varying success. However, not every producer submits to the competition, and tasting wine in a sterile, blind setting provides only a glimpse at what’s transpiring in a particular region. So, in a nod to support the state’s intrepid producers by hearing from people on the ground in each appellation, I contacted winemakers in Long Island, the Finger Lakes, and the Hudson Valley for interviews.
I discovered Fjord at the Kaatskill Wine Summit held at Emerson Resort near Phoenicia two weeks ago. Their peach-scented, juicy Albariño took me back to a rainy afternoon eating shellfish in Rias Baixas. Coincidentally, one of my favorite wines from the NY Classic was an Albariño. Turns out, it was the same wine. Interested to learn more about the producer, their work with the grape, and their perspective on the Hudson Valley wine industry, I contacted Matthew Spaccarelli and Casey Erdmann, husband-and-wife duo behind the Fjord label.
What’s the story behind the name Fjord?
Stretching between Mt. Beacon and storm King Mountain lies the Hudson Fjord. This geological wonder serves as a gateway to the Hudson Highlands, our home. The contour of the Fjord in the river valley acts as a corridor for temperate maritime air to flow north. This temporary affect allows us to grow high quality wines in what otherwise would be too cold.
How did you decide which varieties to work with?
Being in a cool climate, the varieties that we plant are somewhat limited. Winter lows can get as cold as -12°F. That spells disaster for a lot of varieties. However, if it’s grown on the right vineyard sites, we can squeak by with Cabernet Franc, Albariño , Chardonnay, and Riesling as well as more cold hardy hybrid cultivars. The decision to plant Cabernet Franc was a no brainer. We wanted a variety that we could embrace vintage variation with. Depending on the growing season, we can go from rose to robust without sacrificing quality.
Your Albariño is delicious. What’s the story behind this wine?
Albariño was a bit of a gamble, though a gamble that paid off. Although it does not produce the same tonnage as Cab Franc, it is consistent. Most people don’t think of Albariño as cold hardy because of where it is typically grown in Portugal and Spain. I’m not saying that it does not take a beating at -10°F, because it does. But the wines it produces make all of the replanting worth it. Another big factor in planting Albariño is disease resistance. The north west region of Spain called Rias Bixas is well known for its high quality Albariño. It’s also known to be one of the wettest growing regions of the world.
Share a little about your winemaking ethos. Are you considered natural? Minimal intervention? And why are you taking that path?
We try not to be dogmatic about any of our growing or winemaking practices; rather, we look at each decision we have to make individually. Whether it’s a fungicide application, or cover cropping in the vineyard, adding sulfites or filtration in the cellar. That being said, we start by asking ourselves If any action is necessary to achieve our desired outcome. Is there an alternative action that will have less negative impacts? What level of action is necessary? It’s a cheesy analogy, but we treat our vineyards and our wines the same way we treat our children. We want them to be happy and healthy. We give them space to express themselves as well as guidance to keep them on the right path. We feed them good food to keep them healthy, but we are not afraid to give them medicine when they are sick. I think you get where I’m going with this!
Do you think wines in the Hudson Valley have improved over the last few years? Why or why not?
I am in my 14th vintage here in the Hudson Valley and have seen considerable increases in the quality of wines being produced. We are a small community who, for the most part, believe a rising tide lifts all boats. There are a handful of producers, Benmarl Winery, Millbrook, White Cliff, and Glorie to name a few, that have been pushing the envelope both in the vineyard and the cellar. I don’t think that the Hudson river region will ever be a household AVA … and perhaps that’s the beauty of it. We can remain small while still growing world class wines.
Discuss some of the difficulties in working with Hudson Valley fruit and vineyards.
Growing grapes in the Hudson river region is no cup of tea. We deal with a lot of extremes. Winter lows that dip into the -10°F, summer heat that can push 100°F. We deal with high humidity, plenty of rain, and an occasional hurricane. All of this makes vineyard site selection extremely important. Water drainage, air drainage, soil structure, prevailing winds, etc. all play into the health of the vines. Add a sustainable vineyard program to this and you can’t skip a beat. You really need to be in tune to each vineyard and what’s going on around it.
Discuss some of the difficulties with consumer perception of Hudson Valley wines.
Consumer perception is changing. The demographics of who is drinking wine is changing. Both are in our favor. The entire market is changing. Look at how many bottles with screwtop you see now compared to 10 years ago. Heck, look at all the cans! That doesn’t mean that selling Hudson river region Cabernet Franc or Albariño now compared to 10 years ago is easy, but it’s getting easier.
As of now, you don’t work with hybrids, correct? Some are saying they are the future of New York given the looming climate change crisis. Any thoughts on this?
Although the face of our business is the bottles, we manage other vineyards- From planting and trellis installation to consultation and vineyard management. We grow Labrusca varieties like Concord and Niagara, hybrid varieties like Traminette and Seyval blanc. The vinifera we grow includes Chardonnay, Cab Franc, Albariño, and Pinot noir…the list goes on! In the vineyard, hybrids can be a bit easier to grow. They have been bred to be cold-hardy and disease resistant. They can handle the extremes that climate change is throwing at us a bit better than vinifera. You can also crop them much higher than vinifera. All of these factors help address sustainability. However, in the cellar, hybrids often act different from traditional varieties. Our number one focus in making wine is finding balance and hybrids can make that very challenging. Their flavor profiles and chemistry can be much different than what we are used to. That being said, if we approach hybrids with an open mind, we can make delicious, dynamic, interesting complex wines. Also, grape breeding is nothing new to the wine world. Think Cabernet Sauvignon! So, as time goes on, I think that more vinifera-like wines will be made from hybrid grapes.
What regions of the world do you enjoy wine from when not drinking NY state wines?
We really like the wines of the Loire valley. Earthy Cab Franc; crisp Sancerre and Quincy. We rarely drink wine without food so we are always looking for something complementary!