I am still a tourist in the state of Michigan and I have lived here forever.  By good fortune, I chanced upon an article about Curwood Castle in Owosso, Michigan.  James Oliver Curwood (12 June 1878 – 13 August 1927) who was in his day one of leading American action-adventure writer and conservationist.  Though he lived in Michigan, his stories were set in the Hudson Bay, the Yukon or Alaska, and he immortalized and romanticized the Royal Mounted Police with their red jackets and campaign hats.  At least one-hundred-eighty motion pictures have been based on or inspired by his novels and short stories, from the silents to modern day talkies.  At the time of his death, he was the highest paid (per word) author in the world.

He built Curwood Castle as a place to greet guests and as a writing studio, only a couple of blocks from his family home.  After his death, the castle was bequeathed to the city of Owosso and it was used in many different ways over the years.  The castle is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is now used as a museum and operated by volunteers.   His typewriter and desk are there in one of the turrets, overlooking the Shiawassee River and there is a complete collection of his published books, and they even sell the duplicates that they acquire.  There are three floors to see and there is a wealth of information on his life and family, his career, and even the building and history of the castle itself.  We went to see the castle and we had invited one of my Bride’s friends and a fellow co-worker.  If you will beg me a little silly indulgence, I kept wanting to type “Kerwood” instead of Curwood, but you have to be of my era and the use of the “Way-back Machine” to remember the “Kerwood Derby” as opposed to Durwood Kirby.         

After the tour of the castle, we also toured an art gallery that was on the same street on the other side from where we had parked the car.  I have been in the process of getting my Bride to slow down and relax a bit, and talked her into taking the country byways to get to our restaurant for the evening.  It was a quick jaunt by freeway, but a much longer, but leisurely way, the way we went.  We didn’t have time, but as we drove past downtown Owosso, I realized that I would like to return at some time to actually walk around there, as it appeared to be still viable and would be a good walking tour.

We eventually got to the restaurant Arta’s Italian in Brighton, Michigan, one of our favorite haunts these days.  My Bride’s girlfriend who lives in Brighton never ate there, so it was our job to introduce her.  We got there a little early, the restaurant wasn’t open yet, but the bar was.  The ladies had Negroni’s and I spotted something very interesting on one of the shelves on the back of the bar.  I had a glass of wine that is both enjoyed as an aperitif or as a dessert wine.  I was enjoying a glass of Cantina Buglioni “Il Narcicista” Recioto della Valpolicella Classico 2019.  Cantina Buglioni is an Italian estate in the Veneto, and was founded in 1993 with three hectares, today it has one-hundred-fourteen hectares of vineyards.  They produce all the classic wines associated with Valpolicella along with several Spumante Brut wines, a Bianco delle Venezie and a Grappa di Recioto della Valpolicella on their gravel-rich alluvial soils.  Recioto della Valpolicella Classico is a sweet version of the famed Amarone della Valpolicella.  The technique to produce the Amarone and the Recioto is take whole bunches of the grapes and then keep them in drying rooms, for about three months, with warm temperatures and low humidity, which concentrates the natural sugars and aromatics in their wines. The wine is a blend of sixty percent Corvina, Twenty percent Corvinone, ten percent Rondinella and ten percent Croatina, all grown from their Sant’Ambrogio Vineyard with fifteen-year-old vines).  With hand-harvesting at the end of September, Initial Fermentation occurring in February (after the drying period), maceration occurring for about twenty days with skin contact, then Malolactic Fermentation.  The wine is aged for twelve months in the Slavonian Oak, then an additional six months in Stainless-Steel tanks, and then an additional six months in the bottle maturing, before being released.  A dark ruby-red colored wine that offered notes of black cherries, plums and raisins stewed in alcohol, with secondary notes of cocoa, vanilla, and tobacco.  On the palate, a velvety and round blend of black fruits, jam, figs, licorice, dry tannins, and a trace of hazelnuts.  It was a perfect way to start the dinner off.