THE ITALIAN JOB

At the 45th parallel north, Nebbiolo flourishes at Mari Vineyards

by Erin Marie Miller

Mari Vineyards Photo by Two Twisted Trees Photography

With an ancient heritage reaching back to at least the 13th century, Nebbiolo has long been regarded by wine lovers as one of Italy’s esteemed treasures. Grown predominantly in the sandy soil and continental climate of the grape’s viticultural home in the European country’s northwest Piedmont region, Nebbiolo’s presence in the U.S. has been spotty, though consistent, since it was introduced stateside by Italian immigrants in 19th century California. Over the century that followed, the prestigious red grape found its way to other parts of the country including Washington, Oregon, Virginia and, more recently, northern Michigan — a region rarely associated with the Piedmontese native. “When people think of northern Michigan, they think that somehow we’re like Fargo, North Dakota, or something like that. We’re not. We’re on the 45th parallel,” says Sean O’Keefe, winemaker at Mari Vineyards in Traverse City, where Nebbiolo has flourished for the last 15 years. For O’Keefe, the challenge of growing the Italian grape in a place like Michigan is part of its allure, representing an opportunity to test the boundaries of the Old Mission Peninsula and move beyond the region’s perceived limitations.

“I like to see where people push the envelope a little bit, and that's what we try to do at Mari all the time. Not making things just for the sake of making them, but trying to see if we can get a little more nuanced and a little more interesting things out of [the region] than has been historical,” O’Keefe says.

A rough translation

At Mari Vineyards, Nebbiolo was first planted in 2007, about two years before O’Keefe started making wine there; at the time, it was only a couple of experimental rows. Since then, the grape has taken on a more prominent role as part of O’Keefe's deliberate focus on growing varieties honoring owner Marty Lagina’s Italian heritage — an ambitious endeavor that has been

largely successful.

With the right geography and sandy, well-drained soil rich in calcium and crushed limestone — conditions similar to the regions of Italy from which Nebbiolo hails — northern Michigan has proven to be a supportive environment for the finicky grape. Still, O’Keefe acknowledges growing conditions in Traverse City differ from regions like Piedmont in important ways.

“When I mention I’m growing Nebbiolo in northern Michigan, people just do a double-take, because Nebbiolo is one of the grapes that takes the longest time to ripen,” O’Keefe says.

Because of the grape’s early November harvest, colder temperatures in late fall can lead to problems for Nebbiolo. To mitigate those risks, a unique growing system was installed at

Mari Vineyards utilizing hoop houses (a form of shelter similar to a tunnel greenhouse) designed to emulate the conditions of the grape’s native home.

“Terroir are the factors that you cannot easily change and that you have to come to some kind of terms with. Sometimes they’re not good or bad — they’re just what’s there,” O’Keefe says, explaining that the hoop houses are a way of working around northern Michigan’s natural limitations.

Dubbed Nella Serra (Italian for “in the greenhouse”), the hoop houses are the result of observations Lagina made while living

Photo by Two Twisted Trees Photography

in England, where he noticed fruit trees and grapevines growing under similar structures. Covered in semi-opaque plastic sheets with built-in irrigation, the system helps boost the growing temperature of the vines underneath while allowing for the free flow of air, producing flavor qualities similar to European grapes grown in more temperate regions.

In addition to offering more control over temperature, the semi-opaque plastic coverings on the Nella Serra are thought to mimic the diffused sunlight created by the nebia (the thick fog from which Nebbiolo derives its name) that permeates the regions of Italy where the grape is traditionally grown.

“We actually think that’s a positive thing, because the light’s not just hitting [the vines] in one spot. It’s being bounced around and it’s hitting all the surfaces of the leaves,” O’Keefe says.

Working with nature

Around six acres of reds (roughly 6% of the vineyard's total acreage) are grown under the hoop houses at Mari Vineyards, including Nebbiolo. Although the system works “on a limited scale,” O’Keefe acknowledges that some wine growers might have reservations about growing the grape under controlled conditions.

“The one question that wine geeks would typically raise is that it’s unnatural — if you can’t grow it normally, why grow it at all? Because that’s a very European way of looking at things, and I have a lot of sympathy in that direction,” O’Keefe says.

No stranger to European winemaking philosophies, O’Keefe grew up helping at Chateau Grand Traverse, the family business he co-owns, before studying winemaking formally at Hochschule Geisenheim University in Germany. Drawing on those experiences, he points out that growers in Europe spent centuries developing methods for working around environmental challenges. While other varieties might be a more natural fit for northern Michigan, O’Keefe stands by the

hoop houses when it comes to grapes that might not thrive under traditional growing conditions.

“We’re going to have really good years. We’re going to have really hot years, and we’ll have some cool years — and we need to able to take some of the edge off those ups and downs by being crafty,” O’Keefe says. Despite those tricks, like his European counterparts, O’Keefe remains dedicated to growing his wine grapes naturally as often as possible, reserving the hoop houses only for more unique varieties like Nebbiolo.

“We don't grow anything that we can grow traditionally in these hoop houses,” O’Keefe says.

Trusting the process

Beyond viticulture, O’Keefe’s winemaking process has also been influenced by Europe. On a recent trip to Piedmont, he learned to adjust Nebbiolo’s fermentation temperatures after observing winemakers there using a technique to extract color and tannins early in the process.

“I saw they were doing some things where they were getting very sophisticated,” O’Keefe says, explaining that he recently adopted the technique of raising the temperature of the grapes for around eight hours before letting the must cool down and ferment for several more weeks. O’Keefe also moves the wine into larger barrels during the aging process.

“Nebbiolo needs time. The interesting thing with Nebbiolo is that it’s probably more like Pinot noir than it’s like Cabernet Sauvignon. It doesn’t have a lot of natural color, but it has a lot of aromatics and lots of tannins and acid — things that aren’t normally associated with Bordeaux reds or Burgundy reds. So they really need a long time aging in older neutral barrels,” O’Keefe says, adding that he typically waits three to four years to allow time for the wine to mature before bottling it.

In addition to a blend of Malbec, Nebbiolo, and Syrah called Asa Nisi Masa, O’Keefe has also produced blends for Mari Vineyards featuring Nebbiolo, Schioppettino and Cabernet Sauvignon in the past (both grapes are also grown under the hoop houses). The winery’s Ultima Thule, which is currently majority Nebbiolo, will eventually be produced entirely from the grape.

For O’Keefe, the secret ingredient when it comes to making a good wine from Nebbiolo lies in the process of allowing the grape’s natural qualities to shine on their own — advice other winemakers can benefit from.

“All those things that people fuss about with Pinot Noir or other [wines] are pretty absent with Nebbiolo. The idea is, the wine has enough acid, tannins and flavor to balance itself. It doesn’t need any new wood or over-tinkering by the winemaker. You just have to trust it, you know, and that’s kind of where people get in trouble sometimes,” O’Keefe says.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Erin Marie Miller is a freelance journalist based in Metro Detroit. A lover of all things independent, she has written about small businesses, restaurants, nonprofits, the arts and more for publications in Michigan and California Since 2014.