Aug 28 – Phillip DeSimone, MD – Owner, Grimes Mill Winery

“Behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards; there it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine; a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy.”  Benjamin Franklin in 1779 

Mention Kentucky and many things likely come to mind:  thoroughbred horses, bourbon and basketball.  But not wine.  Today’s speaker, Philip A. DeSimone, MD, might take exception to that and at the very least is trying to change that perception. DeSimone is an owner of Grimes Mill Winery, located on Grimes Mill Road in Fayette County, Kentucky.   

The Grimes Mill Winery web page notes the following history: The winery is located on thirty acres which formerly produced tobacco.  In response to the decline of tobacco sales and harkening back to the DeSimone family’s Italian heritage, the tobacco fields were converted to a grape vineyard and the barn to a winery.  All of their wines are hand crafted, produced, and bottled right on the premises. 

The first grapes were planted in 2003; Grimes Mill Winery opened in 2012.  In in its second year of wine making, it received two gold medals in California for Malbec grape variety grown in Lexington Kentucky.  The following  year  the winery received double gold in the international wine competition in Indianapolis Indiana.  In 2024, the accolades continued as Grimes Mill Winery was a Best of the Bluegrass winner, being named best winery in Central Kentucky! 

The winery specializes in dry, red wine. It imports juices and/or grapes from Italy, South Africa, Chile and Argentina. Its wine list has over thirteen varieties, including bourbon barrel and  specialty  wines made from black walnuts, pecans, paw paws,  peaches, peaches/grapes, cranberries and pumpkins. 

Dr. DeSimone’s path to winery proprietor was a circuitous one.  He is a 1967 graduate of the University of Vermont medical school 1967. After returning from Vietnam in 1970 he attended the University of Kentucky medical resident training programs and received certificate accreditation in Internal Medicine, Hematology, and Oncology. 

He has held a variety of academic positions at the UK Medical Center: Chief of Medicine Lexington VA hospital, Vice Chairman of the Department of  Medicine, Associate Dean for Ambulatory Care, Chairman Pro Tem of the Department of Radiation Medicine, and Chairman of the division of Hematology & Oncology. Dr. Desimone specializes in medical oncology and gastrointestinal malignancies.  He attained the rank of Full Professor as a faculty member at the University of Kentucky. 

While in the military from 1968–1970, he achieved the rank of Captain and served as an army helicopter flight surgeon in Vietnam during the TET offensive.

Rotary in Review

THEY SAID IT COULDN’T BE DONE: A SUCCESSFUL BLUEGRASS WINERY

Last week Rotarians heard from Dr. Philip DeSimone, proprietor of Grimes Mill Winery, a thirty-acre tobacco farm in Fayette County that he converted to a grape vineyard in 2012 after retiring from medicine.

He introduced us to the fact that 90% of the tase of any wine comes from the grape.  The origin of wine grapes goes back 8000 years in the countries of Georgia, Armenia, and Iran in the Black Sea area. During the time of Roman rule in Europe wine was safer than water due to the lack of sanitation. Through the use of multiple maps, he demonstrated the impact of all of the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Basin and the role of each country in the evolution of wine making.

DeSimone explained the science of wine and how the environment influences the taste of wine, the structure of the grape, the structure of the wine, the bulk of the vines, the grapes themselves, and the taste of the wine It is the change in the environment in every vineyard field that gives those specific grapes their unique taste.  A wine maker needs yeast for self-fermentation and yeast is found in all grains. Yeast can add up to 20% of the flavor of the wine.

Another component of wine making is the barrels. They must be seventy years old before you can harvest the wood and then air dried two to three years. There are two types of wood grain, French and American. French oaks are grown in a garden; American white oak comes from the forest. The difference is reflected in the wood grain. French Oak is straighter and tighter while the American white oak is the only tree in American that can be used.  The inside of the barrel is toasted, not charred like bourbon barrels. Taste is only affected by the first 1/8 of an inch of the barrel.  Barrels cost between $600 – $2,200 (US vs. French) and must be replaced frequently.

The first commercial vineyard in Kentucky was established in 1789 and before prohibition Kentucky was the second largest producer of wine east of the Mississippi. Our greatest contribution to wine perhaps relates to an aphid infestation in France in the 1850’s-60’s that threatened to destroy all of France’s grapes. However, a grape vine that had been developed in Cincinnati and grown in Kentucky proved to be resistant to the aphid. That vine saved France’s grapes and in turn the entire wine industry in France. Today that grape vine is grafted to every grape vine in the world.

Since the governmental buyout of the tobacco farm industry the number of Kentucky wineries has grown to seventy-six. Central Kentucky has thirteen, with two of the largest in the state in Equis Run and Talon. These wineries produce 200,000 gallons of wine annually.

The fact that DeSimone provided multiple bottles of wine for tasting had nothing to do with the rousing applause he received from our Club.

• Jim Richardson