We both like museums and history, not to mention meals with wine.  We covered all the basics with a trip to Frankenmuth, Michigan.  Now keep your lederhosen on, and we will get back to Frankenmuth soon enough.  I really wanted to see the Michigan Heroes Museum since I first heard about it on the radio.  The museum is not about war, or battles; rather it is unique in that it honors the men and women of Michigan and their individual ordinary lives, caught up in and sometimes ended by the experience of war.  There are over nine-hundred exhibits, most of which rotate, because of the lack of space, starting with the Spanish-American War to the War on Terrorism, and with a side exhibit honoring the Michiganders in the Space Program. It also features more Medals of Honor than any other museum in the United States.  The volunteers that were there were truly dedicated, and one said that during the lockdown in the state, they received massive amounts of material honoring individuals from their families, as people had time to see what were in their attics and basements.  With all of the memorabilia that was displayed in the cases and above the cases, I really could have stayed there all day, if not a couple of days longer.

We went to a wine bar in Frankenmuth called Prost, owned by a couple from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada.  We actually went kind of light for lunch.  We started with a Michigan Whitefish Dip with Riesling, capers, cream cheese and dill with Balsamic Onion Jam, Ciabatta bread and crackers.  My Bride had a Caesar Salad with Ciabatta croutons and grated Parmigiano cheese topped with an Amish Chicken breast.  I had a grilled Avocado topped with Lobster Claw salad on a bed of spring greens tossed with Lemon. We had a charming bottle of wine with lunch, that I could find very little information about.  We had Evolucio Furmint Tokaj, Hungary 2022.  Tokaj is a region that is famous for its dessert wine of the same name.  Tokaj is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it has one of the oldest wine classification systems which started in 1730. The vineyards are a variety of different volcanic soils that retain heat and a remarkable mineral character. The grape Furmint is taken from the word “Froment” for the wheat-gold color of the wine.  Furmint can be produced in a range of wine styles from bone dry to extremely sweet wines.  I couldn’t find any background information on Evolucio.  The wine is a blend of eighty-five percent Furmint and fifteen percent Harlslevelu; between these two grapes, it accounts for ninety percent of the grapes grown in Takaj. Harlslevelu also is susceptible for “noble rot.”  It tends to add spiciness and/or smokiness, some honey pollen and elderflower.  The vines are about fifteen years of age and grow on slopes with no irrigation. The grapes are hand-harvested, destemmed, pressed gently, fermented in Stainless-Steek tanks with no further aging. A pale-gold colored wine with notes of green apple, pear, pineapple, and white florals.  On the palate, the bright acidity blending with tones of apricot,  melon, and minerals while it ends with a decent finish of dryness for all that fruit and some more acidity that calls for another sip.  

And it was a delightful day-trip to Frankenmuth, which is almost like a Bavarian village transposed to Michigan.  The shops on the main drag after going through a gate greeting you all have folksy Germanic feel, and I am sure that the lederhosen come out for the many events that are celebrated in the town.  They are famous for their chicken and butter noodle dinners.  It was also good that it was a day-trip and we used up the day as tourists, because they are also famous for Bronner’s where it is Christmas year-round and the largest Christmas store in the world.  I often think of flying a drone over our house to see if Bronner’s is painted on our rooftop.  There is a huge glockenspiel clock that is an event, all of its own four times a day.  When you enter Frankenmuth, you are greeted with Willkommen and when you leave, it is Auf Wiedersehen.