Norton - Wine of the Week

by Gretchen Roberts, Posted Mar 8th 2009 @ 2:01PM

We talk about Zinfandel being the ultimate American wine, but as I've mentioned on here before, Zin is actually a cousin to grapes from Croatia and Italy, and it probably came from Croatia. Today's Wine of the Week showcases a truly American grape varietal: Norton.

Unlike most wine grapes, which are from the Vitis vinifera species, Norton (also called Cynthiana) is part of the Vitis aestivalis family. Many winemakers think it's the best indigenous American grape for making wine that's rich, full-bodied, and flavorful. Because it's a hardy grape, Norton thrives in growing regions all over the U.S., most notably Missouri but also Illinois, Virginia, and other states. And since it's so dark, Norton has more of those magic compounds in the skin, resveratrol, than other red grapes, according to researchers.

Still, I admit I was skeptical, at least a little bit, before actually trying the wine. I mean, don't all wine snobs have just a bit of an attitude about American wine that doesn't come from the West Coast? And now I'm here to officially eat my words, because Norton blew me away.

Tasting notes for Norton - Wine of the Week after the jump.

I tried three Norton wines from Missouri, and the very first taste was absolutely astounding. The wine is deeply dark (hence all the extra resveratrols), dry, and fruity, a cross between a well-made Merlot and an almost-sweet Zinfandel.

At first I thought maybe my expectations were too low, because I was prepared to taste a sweet, cloying middle-America wine that's way too expensive for the actual quality, but then my husband came in and started tasting the wine without even bothering to look at the labels. "What is this stuff? It's amazing," he raved. OK then, it's not just me. And best of all? You just can't beat the prices.

My favorites:

1. Augusta Winery Norton 2004 ($16), a dark, dry, fruity wine with a wonderful finish. At just 13 percent alcohol, it tastes much richer because of the grape's heavy body.

2. St. James Winery Norton Reserve ($10), another well-made Norton that's fruity and deep. The alcohol is higher (15.1) but it's well balanced.

Some of these wineries ship their stuff out, but a lot of it is drunk right in Missouri. (Guess they know what a good wine is when they drink it.) Have you had Norton? Is it as good as I think it is?

Filed Under: Wine of the Week, Drink Recipes, Drinks
Tags: cynthiana, midwest rural, missouri, norton, wine

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

3-08-2009 @4:03PM Fran said... I've been to both of these wineries, the people are amazing, the wine is raved over, and the scenery is beautiful. I urge you to try more Missouri wines. Wine doesn't have to come from the west coast to be good. If you can find them I'd recommend the Adam Puchta or Stone Hill Wineries, both near Herman MO
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3-08-2009 @6:46PM Rich said... Minor nit: Norton is a variety not a varietal. A varietal is a wine made from a single grape variety.
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3-08-2009 @7:49PM ann lemons said... Yes, Norton can be wonderful. It also makes a great port - Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon has played around with it, and several Missouri wineries make it.

But the great secret is how well Norton - not vinified as port, but just as table wine - goes with CHOCOLATE!. Barbara Ensrud, the wine writer, pointed it out a number of years ago, and it's true. Far better than any red grape I've ever tried, and I used to hold tastings of red wine and chocolate for a local wine store.
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3-08-2009 @8:13PM Nicole said... I would echo Puchta and Stone HIll, both are quite good.

Stone Hill makes a cream sherry that is out of this world. Seriously - a great dessert wine to have with a cheese course!

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3-08-2009 @10:03PM tbassford said... I just had Norton for the first time a few months while wine tasting in Virginia. I was so surprised as well! The one I had was slightly sweet, which I usually don't like, so I was surprised at how well-balanced it is. The people at the vineyard said that the color comes from the grape itself and not just the skin, which differs it from other red grapes. Either way, it was delicious and inexpensive.
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3-09-2009 @1:54PM S.B. said... How about reviewing some Virginia wines, where Norton grapes were first planted by Thomas Jefferson?
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3-09-2009 @5:44PM Erica said... Durso Hills Winery produces award-winning dry Norton. http://www.americanwinery.com/wine/2039/2003-Durso_Hills_Winery-Norton_dry

Sugar Clay in Iowa produces the wine as well. http://www.americanwinery.com/wine/2321/2007-Sugar_Clay_Winery_and_Vineyards-Cynthiana

For a sweet treat, try the Pheasant Ridge Vineyards "Les Deux Fréres" New York dessert wine, made from Norton grapes.

http://www.americanwinery.com/wine/5550/NV-Pheasant_Ridge_Vineyards-Les_Deux_Freres

I'm so glad you're giving Norton its due!
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3-09-2009 @10:52PM Gretchen Roberts said... S.B., I did write about a Virginia sparkling wine (and some VA wine history) a few weeks ago: http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/08/virgina-wine-wine-of-the-week/. Didn't mention Norton, but thanks for pointing out that Jefferson was the first enthusiast.
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3-10-2009 @3:22PM rhodies said... Glad to see another positive reference to Norton wines. I sent into "Wannabe Wino Wine Blog" a write up on our Virginia & Missouri Norton wine travels which can be read at: http://wannabewino.com/2009/01/09/on-all-things-norton/ From these travels came our favorites:

Lots of unusual Norton wines coming out of Missouri, Chandler Hill's "Savage" (http://chandlerhillvineyards.com/) being our favorite. At this time, Virginia's Cooper Vineyards Norton (http://www.coopervineyards.com/) is our favorite east of the Mississippi.

So many new Norton wines coming online and so little time to try 'em all. Norton wines can also be found in Georgia, Alabama, Illinois, Arkansas, North Carolina, Oklahoma (ain't that wild), Texas, Iowa, Kansas (even wilder), Kentucky, Pennsylvania's Stone Mountain Winery makes a great Norton (http://www.jerseyacresfarms.com/?page_id=4), and other places I'm sure that I missed.

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3-10-2009 @7:03PM Bob said... The absolute best Nortons in Missouri, in my opinion, are Adam Puchta and Hermanhoff.
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3-11-2009 @11:40AM Gretchen Roberts said... Rich--my bad. I'm in good company for the grammatical error, however:

http://thepour.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/make-time-for-grammar/

http://dat.erobertparker.com/bboard/showthread.php?t=176578&page=1
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3-11-2009 @12:24PM Droversguy said... Ann is right. Norton makes a fantastic port-style wine.If you like Norton and you like Port, check out Jowler Creek's premium desert wine called "Nort."
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3-11-2009 @12:26PM Gretchen Roberts said... "Nort" --now there's a good alternative name for Port. I'll have to look for some--it sounds delicious.
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3-17-2009 @7:14PM Nicole said... Last time we were at Hermanoff, they were doing their tastings in plastic shot glasses, so I'm not sure I could get much out of a Norton served that way.

As far as reviewing Virginia wines goes, they'd have to send someone here because a lot of the great stuff never makes it out of state.

Generally, Nortons are more common on the Piedmont (Cooper, for instance). We live up in the northern mountains where we get more crisp whites (Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Seyval) and reds based on Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot grapes.

We've also begun seeing some *wonderful* local Viognier.

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