People keep asking me why I moved to Chicago. Here, let me show you. My husband got a job as the winemaker of City Winery Chicago. He was the assistant winemaker of their first location in Manhattan. They asked him to be the winemaker for the new Chicago facility. Midwest Wine Press did a feature on the new winery and it includes an interview with Rob.
The winemaker for City Winery is Robert Kowal. Kowal left a television production career in Hawaii in 1995 and moved to Oregon where he worked as an assistant winemaker at Bethel Heights Winery. While in Oregon, he also developed his own label.
Kowal said that most of the wine produced at City Winery will be served on-location via a custom system and kegs, hoses, and taps. Estimated production in the first year is around 10,000 gallons. Not having to bottle certain wines has a direct influence on Kowal’s winemaking approach at City Winery.
“We will makes wines that are clear and fresh with as little manipulation as possible,” he said. “Bottling can batter wine, so bottling should only be for wines that are going to be shipped or aged.” Kowal also said that because most his wines will be consumed on site in a controlled temperature environment, he also does not have to be as concerned with fining or filtering.
You can read the full article: City Winery Set to Be Downtown Chicago’s First Winery – Midwest Wine Press.
It’s great to hear wine is being made and served like this in America. I spent 2010-11 in Northern Italy and learned to enjoy the fresh-tasting local wine (vini sfusi) that people pump into their own containers from a huge vat, through a gas pump nozzle. This is the closest thing to that I’ve seen over here. Too bad I don’t live in Chicago!