Maine’s fledgling wine industry is finally up and running.  How in the name of Pinot Noir can wine grapes survive the Maine climate?  The answer is as complex as a fine wine.  First of all, there is the percentage of Maine wine which, by pure snobbery definition, is not “real” wine; the non-grape fruit wines.  Blueberry, pear, apple, elderberry, cranberry  and even rhubarb contribute to Maine’s fermentable fruits. An excellent producer of this type of wine is the Bartlett Winery in Gouldsboro, 25 miles east of Acadia.  Second, many wineries actually get most of their grapes from elsewhere.  This is the case (pardon the pun) with Cellardoor Winery near Camden, about 70 miles west of Acadia. Their grapes come from California, New York and other states. Right here on Acadia we have Bar Harbor Cellars at 854 Rt. 3. Owner Doug Maffucci gets most of his grapes from family back in Italy.  Finally, and most importantly, most Maine wineries including the two just mentioned, are trying hard to grow Maine tolerant grape varieties locally, some of which have made it into their products.

It must be said that the above discussion is somewhat sensitive to the extent that 1) wine tourists usually shun fruit wines, 2) wine tourists abhor non-locality for their grapes, believing that they can “taste the soil” at the winery location and that, 3) wine tourists believe non-traditional grape varieties adapted to extreme climates produce inferior wines.  I come from Michigan, where on the Leelanau  penninsula I witnessed the birth and flowering of northern Michigan’s wine industry. There the climate is just barely able to produce a few “traditional” (pure vinifera, or European) varieties which are made into familiar wine types like Riesling,  Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc.  Here in Maine, these varieties are even harder if not impossible to grow. Our “growing degree days” are fewer, rainfall is too abundant and the season is short.   What that leaves us with are the so-called hybrid varieties.  The newest ones like Marquette and Vignoles grow robustly, require fewer applications of fungicides, have higher yields and produce fine wines. Unfortunately, they can’t go into wines called Pinot or Zinfandel.  They don’t fit into the categories at the wine shop, and they’re often rejected by wine tourists.  This is a shame. It is a shame that earlier hybrids and native American varieties produced unarguably inferior wines.  It is also a shame that Maine wineries sometimes hide the fact that they import most of their grapes, or produce wines from local hybrid grapes with variety-hiding names like “Maine Red”.

I’m optimistic about the future of the Maine wine industry.  The University of Minnesota is producing ever better hybrids, often backcrossed so many times with vinifera varieties that true wine snobs can’t tell the difference.  It may take another few years, but your next wine tour in Maine may feature fine wines so local you can taste the soil.  In the mean time, check out the pear wine and imported/hybrid grape wines, remembering that these wineries are honing their skills for the future as well as producing good vino.

You will be bedazzled by Acadia’s beauty. The colors have arrived. Driving around yesterday I couldn’t believe the brilliant changes around Bar Harbor.   Somes Sound pictured above was my favorite.

Right on schedule – the coast turns colors last in the state, but to me it is the best of all. I like the beginning where I see lots of green and the occasional spot of color, shimmering brightly in the field.

Drives in the area that feature beautiful landscape and wonderful colors  include Sargent drive, on the east side of Somes Sound, and all around Acadia’s small roads.  You could venture off island and tour Tunk Lake and the Schoodic area of Acadia National park too.

Sunlight is especially brilliant in the fall and the crispness of the weather – low humidity and clear skies makes it easy to hike, bike or just stroll around Acadia. Don’t forget your camera.  For especially stunning photos, wait until the sun’s rays are almost horizontal at sunset. SeaCat’s Rest often has vacancies this time of year. Why, we can’t imagine!

The second Saturday in October is when the “Quietside” of Mt. Desert Island braces for more than 3000 enthusiastic beer lovers rushing to our 14th annual Oktoberfest.  They will be converging at Smuggler’s Den campground, just north of Southwest Harbor on Rt. 102, from 11:30 AM  to 6:00 PM.  The free Island Explorer buses will still be running,  so why drive? Just find out where to hop on here. There will be 85 types of beer from 23 Maine microbreweries including several from the island, along with a smattering of wines from Maine’s fledgling wine industry.  $25 gets you admission, a souvenir glass and ten tickets for samples.  Tents provide shelter in all weather.

The neighboring tent has live music and food from 15 vendors. You will find quite a selection: German sausage, crab rolls, Thai food, curly fries and Brazilian cuisine.    In yet another tent find Maine artisans selling their unique wares.

In 1974 I toured Europe as a 20 year old.  I ended up as a bartender on a small Scottish island in the Hebrides for the month of August. When I returned to the U.S. I knew I had to brew my own beer because the imported stuff was too expensive and the domestic beer was just too thin and weak.  As years went by I saw the homebrewing movement spawn hundreds of microbreweries, and the results have been spectacular! Come celebrate the great spectrum of brews available in the state of Maine right here in Acadia,  at what New England Brewer’s Magazine calls “an event not to miss”.

Few visitors to Acadia National Park know about the big bowl of cranberries waiting for them around the first of October.  After all, most tourists don’t come here for a … swamp, right? (Well, actually it’s a bog).  Across the water from SeaCat’s Rest is a bridge over Northeast Creek on the north edge of the island, on Rt 3.  At high tide it is possible to go under the bridge, thereby reaching the cranberry bog without getting out of the kayak you entered on our shore.   We lend out the kayaks for free to our guests.   The mile or so of paddling from the bridge will take you through crimson maples,  abundant waterfowl, like the great blue heron on the left, and tea colored water filled with tiny fish to the spongy open area where  cranberries lay at your feet.  The buzz and hum of tourist traffic is far away as you gather your fill.  Some years, when the water is high, it’s easiest to pick right from the kayak but most times you’ll want to pull the boats onto the bog mats and set out on (rubber booted) foot.

Raw cranberries are too sour to snack on but they’ll keep for months in the fridge and certainly last until Thanksgiving.  Besides sauce, they’re great in muffins and bread. They can be lightly boiled with sugar and dried in the oven for a Maine memory which will last a year or more.  They are rich in antioxidants and are a perfect twin to our other blockbuster fruit, the blueberry.  To find the launching spot by car, start at the light at the island side of Rt. 3 causeway and drive toward Bar Harbor. Look for the parking area in 1-3/4 miles on your right.

Acadia National Park has many wonders, but topping most lists is the famous but deadly Thunder Hole.  A stop along the Park Loop Road, it is a place to see ocean waves funneled into a narrow chasm where they crash and rise to spectacular heights.  On August 23, 2009, 3 people were swept out to sea and one seven year old girl from New York tragically drowned before rescuers could reach her, 45 minutes after being swept away.  Another 20 people were slammed by the waves that day, and 11 required hospital visits for broken bones. The extraordinary waves were from Hurricane Bill.  The walkway was roped off but as many as 10,000 people had come to see the combination of high tide and seventeen foot waves.  Park officials eventually had to close the Park Loop Road in order to prevent people from putting themselves in danger.

On most days Thunder Hole is a great place to visit, but hurricane driven waves are not to be messed with on the open ocean. These photos were taken on an ordinary day! If you stay at SeaCat’s Rest in Lamoine, you will be about 1/2 hour away from Thunder Hole.  Come back wet, but come back!

According to DownEast Magazine reader’s poll, we have three of the most beautiful harbors right here in Acadia.  Bar Harbor, Southwest Harbor and Northeast Harbor all showed up in the top ten according to the magazine-number two, five and six respectively..  Make sure you get to all three spots during your stay.   Filled with  sailing vessels old and new and the working boats of the waterfront, these beautiful vistas will be among your most remembered.

Also on the list, two harbors within a days driving list – Winter Harbor, number nine (on the Schoodic Peninsula – part of Acadia National Park) and Camden Harbor – which came out as the number one Harbor in the state.   As a side  trip, think about visiting the international film festival in Camden Maine.   It starts on October 1, through October 4th.  Show casing the best in non-fiction film, the festival is in it’s fifth year.    More information on schedule and times can be found at www.camdenfilmfest.org.

Along route 1, Camden Maine is worth a visit just for the harbor view.   Make sure you visit the top of Mt. Battey on your way down to Camden.   You have to see the view from the tower at the top.    It’s incredible.    Alright, it’s very walkable too in a few hours, but if time is an issue, you can drive up too.    Afterwords it’s worth the drive across route one to walk the shore-line.     Stroll along Camden harbor to the park on the south edge.    I think it’s the harbors south east orientation that provides a special light for the harbor.

Ya gotta stop at Sand Beach!

Sand Beach is a must when you visit Acadia National Park.  If you don’t go for a swim you at least must stick you toes in the water.   Big waves, beautiful vistas and huge boulders make this spot a popular attraction.   There is a wonderful hiking path along the ridge next to the beach.   Stay on the path though as there is some mighty poison ivy along the north shore.    Plan to bring your pails and shovels.   This is the only sandy ocean beach for 50 miles.    Of course there are plenty of other beaches in and around the park.   Fresh water swimming is available at Echo Lake  in Acadia and right here in Lamoine we go to Blunts pond, just up the road.  Look for the gravel road just before you can see the pond through the trees.  Park and access at Bloomfield Park.