Pop a bottle of sparkling and rejoice, wine lovers, because our popular Q & A series is back! And this time, we’re featuring our very own vintner and founder of M Cellars, Matt Meineke. He took a break from overseeing the production process to answer some community questions about the art and science of winemaking, growing grapes in the Grand River Valley, and everything M Cellars.
Q. What inspired you to get into the art of winemaking?
A. Years ago, my wife Tara and I were given a bottle of wine as a thank you gift. It was local, homemade, and quite good. It got us interested in the process of turning grapes into wine and the prospect of trying it ourselves. This interest grew, leading to home winemaking, wine-based travel, and, ultimately, to the idea of creating M Cellars.
Q. When did you start making wine?
A. We began making wine professionally in the fall of 2011. We made wine at home for around four years before that.
Q. What or who are your influences when making wine?
A. I LOVE Champagne! It drives everything we do with our sparkling program. We are obsessed with Niagara-on-the-Lake in Canada — the job they do, the commitment they have, the way they farm, and, of course, the beautiful examples of cool-climate wines that set the bar for us.
Q. Can you tell us a little about the different vineyards that you farm and the difference in the wines?
A. First, there’s our winery vineyard. Its heavy clay soils, elevation, relative resistance to frost and winter temperatures, drainage tile, layout, and VSP (Vertical Shoot Position) training system have produced some of our finest wines. This is where we farm our single vineyard wine such as Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Meritage and Riesling. We also grow Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Gruner Veltliner grapes here.
Our newest vineyard is across from the winery on Stoltz Road. South sloping and very warm, it’s now home to our core Bordeaux varieties, plus Gewurztraminer and two new Saperavi and Furmint that we’re excited about. The layout and training system are the same as our winery vineyard.
We custom farm a site on Rt 307, about a mile from the winery, owned by Giancarlo Calicchia. It has all same land improvements as our winery sites, plus frost fans for added protection. This is the coolest site that we farm, and it’s where we source our Rkatsiteli, Glera, and Champagne clones of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Finally, Vineyard Woods on SR 534 is another premium site, with gorgeous lodging options for out-of-town visitors. It’s densely spaced, high in elevation and VERY hilly. We custom farm Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay, and some small amounts of Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris at this site, enjoying the same land improvements and training system as all the others.
Q. What’s your favorite varietal to grow and why
A. At this point, I would have to say Cabernet Franc. It produces a varietally correct wine that is bold yet refined and showcases the winemaking and grape growing potential of the M Cellars team. The results have been quite stunning.
Q. Which wine is your most popular?
A. Meritage is our best seller.
Q. You make the best Gewürztraminer! I look forward to it every year. Do you have any left?
A. Thank you! And yes, we currently have about 20 cases left.
Q. What’s the story with the Rkatsiteli? It’s sooo good and seems like something you guys have down! Is there a good back story?
A. We love Rkatsiteli. I can’t take the credit for bringing it to the region, but I’m thrilled we were the first commercial producer of it. We farm it on the 307 site that is owned by Giancarlo Calicchia. He’s an incredible artist by trade, and he had a vision for it. He sourced the vines from Dr. Frank in the Finger Lakes years ago, I believe. It’s a super cool grape to grow. The vines grow nearly straight up on their own, ripen in late October, and have a gorgeous oblong berry that turns gold in color. The resulting wines are brilliant, aromatic and completely distinct.
Q. How do you at M cellars keep your vinifera vines healthy through the cold Ohio winters?
A. It starts and ends with really good and well-timed cultural practices in the vineyards such as weed control, nutrition, soil health, spraying, training, harvesting, subsoiling and hilling up. The hilling up portion is what protects the grafts from winter injury. We use a small disc to plow up soil along the vine, and this insulates the vine from extreme temperatures, at least to the soil line. This is key to saving our farm during any extreme winter weather event.
Q. My husband and I will be planting grapes on our property in Shaker Heights this year. We’d like eating grapes, but also something that could be pressed into wine. We usually drink Cab Franc, Chardonnay, Riesling. Basically NEO varieties. Is there a wine grape suited to this terroir that also is a good eating grape?
A. As far as the wine grapes go, check out a variety called Regent. It’s a German red variety that’s relatively easy to care for. We don’t have the experience in table grapes to be able to advise on that, but you could consult OSU Extension Research Station in Ashtabula.
Q. Are there any exciting announcements, updates, or plans regarding M Cellars wine that we should know about?
A. Yes! We are starting to produce even more small-lot, one-off projects with our Wine Club and consumers in mind, such as our new amphora-aged Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. We’re excited about our vineyard expansion and the new varietals we’re growing. And, we’re always seeking opportunities to expand our business and product line moving forward.
Have another question, or just want to learn more about winemaking and M Cellars? Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. Or, even better, stop into the winery for a chat over a glass of your favorite varietal.
