American Wine Project, driven by the passion and vision of Winemaker Erin Rasmussen — a Wisconsin native with winemaking experience from California to New Zealand — began in an experimental vineyard block at a large California winery. Confronted with the potential of the Upper Midwest hybrid grapes she was tasting — grapes she knew could be grown in her homeland — she asked herself a bold question: What if the overlooked and often frowned-upon grape varieties of the Upper Midwest could produce truly beautiful, complex wines? Prompted by this experience, Erin returned home to Wisconsin determined to prove they could.

Working with cold-hardy varieties developed in northwest Wisconsin and Minnesota, American Wine Project embraces low-intervention, traditional techniques while prioritizing biodiversity and minimal vineyard inputs.

Sound of Memory Red Blend 2021
Foch doesn't play by any rules in my cellar. It's mercurial and odd. It won't be bottled every year, and sometimes needs a foil to play against - an additional variety blended in. For me, for now, this variety is Petite Pearl. A Tom Plocher variety, Petite Pearl is one of the newest hybrids available to us. Similarly tight-clustered as Foch is, its flavors skew darker, but are quite light. 55% Petite Pearl from Three Branches Vineyard and Thomas Vines, 43% Maréchal Foch from Haugen Vineyard, 2% Frontenac from Haugen Vineyard. Whole cluster fermented and aged in barrel for 2 years.