Gravity
by
Kathy Sullivan
Summary: Gravity winery is a relatively recent winery located in Southwest Michigan. A visit to Gravity will be remembered for its special wine flights and the wine bottle labels.
Visitors to Gravity winery will traverse a long winding driveway to reach the modern deep blue with white trim building. At the time of our visit in June 2012, some of the fields next to the driveway were being prepared for planting soybeans and then vineyards. The tasting room is large with many windows to view the countryside including Gravity’s vineyards.
Rockie and Allison Rick are the owners and Rockie is also the winemaker. They chose the name Gravity because of the wine industry’s commonly used gravity flow process. They also believe that “gravity” refers to the draw of visitors to the winery.
Tasting Room
The tasting room is spacious with blue walls. The owners like blue and find it a calming color. Adjacent to the tasting room is a small patio with tables and chairs. Take time to savor a glass of wine. Every Friday night live music is played from five to eight pm. Allison designs the wine labels. These labels are unique, bright and unforgettable.
Background
Rockie and Allison Rick originally started a tour company, Fruitful Vine Tours, designed to take wine travelers to area wineries. Rockie was also making wine as a home winemaker and Allison motivated him to turn his winemaking skills into a commercial business.
Vineyards
Currently Gravity has 3.5 acres of grapes onsite. They also have vineyards on other properties. In total they have 30 acres of grapes. The onsite vineyards include Cabernet Sauvignon, Lemberger and Zweigelt.
Wine Tasting Flights
The emphasis on wine tastings is with wine tasting flights. Each flight consists of four wines. Visitors can select how the flight is put together such as a red flight, white flight, sweet flight or any flight done “your way.” The wines are paired with cheeses or chocolates. White wines are matched with cheeses while red wines are paired with chocolates.
Small O-shaped glasses and small paper “cups” are placed in handcrafted square trays. Rick created these black wood trays. They are a handy way to serve the wines paired with cheeses or chocolates.
White Wines
Peaceful White 2009, a Riesling, was a light straw to clear color. The aroma was floral with a touch of peach. The taste offered yellow stone fruit notes. The crisp finish was fruity. This wine was paired with Colby-Monterey Jack. The slight saltiness of the cheese cut the perceived sweetness of the wine. Pinot Gris 2009 was a light straw color. The aroma and taste offered some apple with hints of citrus. The taste was creamy. The finish was crisp and fruity. This wine was paired with mild cheddar. The wine tended to make the mild cheddar even milder. The number one selling wine is Ollie’s White 2011, produced with Vignoles. It was a very pale straw to clear color. The aroma was very floral while the taste was sweet with roses and yellow stone fruit notes. The finish was crisp and fruity. This wine was paired with Havarti. A faint smokiness of the cheese is tamed by the sweetness and peach of the wine. Dyno White 2009, a Seyval Blanc, was a very light straw to clear color. The aroma was floral and the taste was smooth with sweet yellow stone fruit. Paired with Gouda, the salt and sweet go well together.
Red Wines
Red wines are paired with various handcrafted chocolates. The chocolates are also available for sale in the tasting room.
The Theory, a Cabernet Franc, paired well with the dark chocolate with almonds and sea salt. The Theory was a light reddish color, with a light aroma. The wine was dry light bodied and had pepper notes. The finish was crisp and dry, lingering with pepper nuances. Pinot Noir, a light pretty purple, was paired with milk chocolate with almonds. The aroma was earthy and the taste was crisp and dry with typical Pinot Noir notes and mild tannins. The finish was fruity. Shiraz, a best seller, was reddish and paired with dark chocolate with cherries and pecans. This wine was aromatic with spices. The taste was fruity and the taste lingers. Irresistible Red matched with milk chocolate toffee had some sweetness on the aroma. The taste was not over sweet but enough to be very pleasant without food. This is a good 3P (patio, pool, picnic) wine.
When visiting Gravity, save time to savor a glass of wine on the patio. Ask about the Fruitful Vine Tours.
June 2012
Gravity
10220 Lauer Rd.
Baroda, Michigan 49101
GPS: N41º 56.061’ W86º 26.441’
