Mari Vineyards

Posted on July 17, 2019 by thewineraconteur

Marty Lagina founded Mari Vineyards in 1999 with the desire to plant varietals that one does not associate with Michigan like Nebbiolo, Sangiovese and others along with Cabernet Franc and Merlot.  He had friends come and help him the first weekend of planting and before anyone realized what had occurred the first seven rows were a mish-mash of varietals, before the other rows were planted properly.  In 2006 the first vintage of what they now consider their flagship wine was made aptly named Row 7 and the grapes are unknown and unidentified.  There is now sixty acres planted and identifiable, so the moral of the story is do not let friends, no matter how well-intentioned help you plant your estate without the proper supervision. 

The grand opening of the winery was 17 June, 2016.  Also, that year they also showcased the wine cave that they had carved into the side of a hill underneath where the tasting room and wine facility is now located.  It is actually the only wine cave in Michigan and created with the concept of having the perfect location for storing wines as they age, just like what is found back in Europe.  If you go to their website you can actually watch a time-lapse video of the wine cave being created.  The first vintage was in 2004, so by now they have some history and experience in winemaking.  They are also famed in the region for their Nellaserra Hoop Houses, which are free standing hot houses erected over certain parts of the vineyards to give certain varietals a little longer growing season.  They were actually interested in the fact that I was taking notes for a blog, in spite of the touring busses and limousines ferrying the partiers that wanted to get drunk.  They had thirteen wines that were being offered, plus they also insisted that I try the Row 7, that was not being offered.  Their price for a sampling was similar to the other locations at five tastes for eight dollars.  Excluding Row 7, there are currently twenty varietals growing on the estate.  The building that houses the tasting room is beautiful and they offer special tours and special treatments if you book ahead.  This old Raconteur is not that clever at planning anymore and we like being treated like a stranger.

The first wine that we tasted was Troglodyte Bianco 2016, a Friuli-inspired wine and according to our hostess the favorite wine of the staff.  This wine was a blend of sixty percent Pinot Blanc, twenty-five percent Gruner Veltliner and the balance was Sauvignon Blanc.  The three varietals were aged separately, with the Pinot Blanc and the Gruner Veltliner in Stainless Steel and the Sauvignon Blanc in German Oak.  The three juices were then blended and aged on the lees for eight months in barrels and then one month in the bottle before release.  One would think that this would be an aromatic bomb, but it was very understated with herbs and spice present form the nose to the finish; it was a very nice drinking wine.  The next wine was the Gewurztraminer 2016 and it has been a while since I have had a Michigan version of this grape that I so enjoy.  This wine was aged for nine months on the lees in German Oak and then one month in Stainless Steel.  I found the spices to be there but soft with assurances that they are expected to develop in the next year or so; I was noticing Juniper, Allspice and Nutmeg, while our hostess mentioned Vanilla, I did not catch that.  The Scriptorium Riesling 2016 was their half dry Riesling and the fruit was harvested from three different vineyards on the estate.  This was the sweetest of the white wines, but hardly cloying and I think it would be interesting with Barbequed and Smoked Ribs.  We then switched over to the Cabernet Franc 2017, as if my Bride would pass on tasting a Cabernet Franc, but then you already know that.  These vines were planted in 1999 as part of the initial plantings and this wine was aged for eighteen months in oak.  The wine promised some red berries and chocolate and was a tad sweeter than what I expected, but it had a nice long mellow finish.  The last wine that we tried from our book of tasting was the Praefectus 2017 which was a blend of seventy-five percent Cabernet Franc and the balance was Cabernet Sauvignon.  The Cabernet Franc was aged in neutral oak and the Cabernet Sauvignon was aged in new oak and they rested for about twenty-five months.  For being right out of the bottle it delivered some rich currant suggestions and smooth tannins, making it a very easy drinking wine by itself or with dinner.  After our allotment of wine tasting, I guess our hostess decided that with my taking all of my scribbled notes that I must really be into the wines for more than the buzz, the limousine and bus tasters were into, offered us one more wine to try that was not on the printed sheet or on the website for purchase, but alluded to in the history of the winery.  She poured us, and I might say it was better than a tasting pour, was the mysterious Row 7 Red Wine 2016.  According to lore the vines that were planted on the first seven rows in the Jamieson Vineyard were Syrah, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and a couple of white grapes that were not recorded at the time.  This wine was aged for twenty-five months in French Oak and delivered a big wine, almost bigger than expected.  It was the perfect wine to end our time at Mari Vineyards.  

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Hawthorne Vineyards

Posted on July 15, 2019 by thewineraconteur

I had heard about Hawthorne Vineyards; I think before they had bottled a wine.  A relative of the owner Bruce Hawthorne had mentioned the winery several times to me when he was buying clothes.  Too many salesmen talk, when they should be listening, but I was intrigued about the winery, because I was amazed that there was the potential of a new winery on Old Mission Peninsula, but then again there are probably more in the works and in reality this peninsula is really much bigger than it looks on the map.  This winery is about four miles away from Traverse City, but where the tasting room is situated, it is probably the most secluded and one of the most beautiful vistas on the peninsula and as a bonus, one cannot see the traffic below.  According to the staff, the winery was started in 2005, and the estate was an eighty-acre farm with grapevines, cherries and plums and they began with twenty-six acres devoted to vinifera with more to come.

The winery at the moment has small capacity, and the beautiful tasting room building can also be leased for special events.  The tasting room fee was seven dollars, but I think that I turned off the person behind the counter, because my Bride and I share a tasting together, because we are there to taste wines and not to get hammered and there is that potential when you go to enough wineries in a day.  I think that our hostess also lot interest, because I was not interested in booking a VIP tasting tour or even ordering a charcuterie plate, as there was no chance of upselling.  I am also glad that I had a writing pad of paper in my sport coat to take notes, as there was no printouts or tech sheets available.  I also felt like a social pariah when busses started arriving with groups that were there just to drink basically anything put in front of them, without asking any questions.  I guess our hostess didn’t think that we were having a good time, because we were studying the wines and asking questions, even though I told them that I write a blog and that I was not looking for a free tasting. 

The first wine that we tried was the Barrel Reserve Auxerrois Rigan Vineyard Old Mission Peninsula AVA 2017.  Auxerrois is a varietal that has many names, but it is most famous in Alsace where the best versions offer shades of honey in a nuanced glass of wine.  This wine was a good introduction to the winery, because this potentially difficult grape to grow was not flabby and offered some crispness to the finish.   The wine was aged for eight months in neutral French Oak barrels and there were two-hundred-forty-five cases produced.  The second white wine that we tried was the Barrel Reserve Chardonnay Old Mission AVA 2016 and it was a delightful Chard.  Almonds came to mind in my notes with some zesty fruit and some spice, which I found very interesting, because the wine was aged on the lees for seventeen months in French Oak.  There was a production of one-hundred-eleven cases made.  The first red wine of the tasting was the Lemberger Old Mission Peninsula AVA 2016 and a great wine in its own right.  Lemberger is probably more known by its German name Blaufrankisch and is one of the key red wine grapes for Austria.  This was a good wine, and I think for drinking within the year to appreciate the black pepper and spices with a nice touch of heat to the finish.  The wine was aged for nineteen months in French Oak, and half was new.  The last wine that we had at the tasting was the Cabernet Franc/Merlot Old Mission Peninsula AVA 2015 and it was fifty-four percent Cabernet Franc with the balance in Merlot.  This wine was aged for thirty-three months in French Oak and delivered some plum, some spices and a touch of Vanilla.  I enjoyed the tasting and the wines, but I felt that I was getting the “bum’s rush” for the “drinkers and the swillers.”

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Black Star Farms

Posted on July 13, 2019 by thewineraconteur

Last year when Black Star Farms was awarded the Best Wine at the 2018 Canberra International Riesling Challenge for their Arcturos Dry Riesling 2017 all of my Social Media sites were bombarded as to whether or not I had tried this wine, and it was to the negative, but that I knew of their reputation and I was going to make it a point to visit them once again.  I guess part of it, is that I am always writing about Michigan in one way or another.   The other reason is because we had just tasted their Arcturos Sur Lie Chardonnay 2016 and their Arcturos Cabernet Franc 2013 and I think my Bride wanted to get a case of each, she was totally enamored with both of the wines that we had with dinner at the Inn at Bay Harbor.

In 1998 Black Star Farms purchased Sport Valley Farm which was a one-hundred-twenty-acre equestrian facility, and the stylized black star was part of the architectural décor in the main house.  In their Twentieth year, they were honored to receive the 19’th Annual Canberra International Riesling Challenge (CIRC) -Best Wine of the 2018 Challenge and only the second time an American wine came out on top.  There were 567 Rieslings from six countries (Australian, New Zealand, USA, Germany, France and the Czech Republic).  The Black Star Farms Arcturos Dry Riesling 2017 scored 98 points, in addition to taking home Best Dry Riesling and Best American Riesling.  In fact, all six of the Riesling wines that Black Star Farms submitted took home medals, showing a consistency across vintages and styles.  The fruit is sourced from both of the proprietor’s vineyards and from local grower partners in both the Old Mission Peninsula and Leelanau Peninsula.  The winery has three series; the premium Arcturos, A Capella and the Leorie Vineyard labels for sparkling and fruit wines.

At the tasting room, they were offering forty-three different wines and distillery products.  We started off with the Arcturos Sauvignon Blanc 2017 which showed stone fruit, grapefruit and a zesty acidity, it was very refreshing.  We then tried the Arcturos Dry Riesling 2017 and I can’t believe that I forgot to take a photo of this special wine during the tasting, but since we bought it, I can offer a photo of it; and it offered ripe fruit of apricot and pears with a nice long dry crisp finish and it made me change my thoughts on Michigan Riesling wines from my early days, and I guess that is my fault for not being more open year after year.  They were touting this wine to cellar for ten to twelve years.  We then tried the Arcturos Sur Lie Chardonnay 2017, a beautiful example of a Stainless-Steel Chardonnay showing a flinty terroir, with a nice smooth finish.  This wine was touted for cellaring for about ten years and I think that another year or two will help this wine mellow even more.  The Arcturos Pinot Blanc 2016 showed both apple and lemon zest, and it was smooth, but not one of our favorite wines of the tasting.  We then tried the Vintners Pinot Noir which was a blend of 2015 and 2016 and this was fruit forward with traces of vanilla from oak barrel aging.  The Arcturos Merlot 2013 offered some great dark fruit and a lot of spice, really a nice Merlot wine and I am very partial to Merlot.  The Arcturos Cabernet Franc 2016 offered some red and dark fruit with a lot of spice and a nice long finish.  This wine was touted to cellar for ten years and I would agree with that.   The last wine of the tasting was the Leorie Vineyard Merlot and Cabernet Franc 2016 from the Old Mission Peninsula AVA.  This was a blend of sixty-five percent Merlot and the balance of Cabernet Franc and showed deep red and dark fruit with some traces of chocolate and a nice long finish.  A beautiful wine with an aging potential of thirty years.  Even though we did not get the wines that we were originally hoping for, we did end up plenty of wine and we even joined their wine club, because we had such a good time and assistance from a very knowledgeable employee which made the tasting all that much better. 

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Traverse City Thoughts

Posted on July 11, 2019 by thewineraconteur

If one were to ask me where the center of the wine industry is in Michigan, I would have to immediately say Traverse City.   If you were to go back in time perhaps twenty years ago, you would have not got the same response, in fact, people would look at you askance.  There was some bulk wine industry left over from Prohibition, and there were pockets of some serious growers and winemakers.  Back then Traverse City was the Cherry Capital of Michigan and they had a Cherry Festival every July, and they still do.  Cherries permeated the entire area, and there were butchers and chefs that even created ground round recipes using cherries for a very moist burger.  And naturally there were cherry pies, cherry ice cream, candies, pastries, sauces etc.  It has also become a foodie haven and the caliber and quality of the restaurants even in the outlying communities have upped their game. 

 

Old Mission Peninsula

Wineries have taken over much of the agriculture in the Traverse City region and whole orchards have been torn out and replanted with vines.  The region is on the 45’th Parallel, which is where some of the great wines of Europe are on, and this was not lost on the early pioneers.  At first Cold-Hardy varietals were planted, but slowly, but surely some of the classic wine varietals have been planted and nurtured.  I think Riesling was one of the first and it started off as a sweet wine, but it has evolved into a sweet wine and a dry wine industry and with great accolades, that were slow to start, but now there is greater acceptance.  Now it is not unusual to find Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Syrah wines, as well as blends and there are still some of the Cold-Hardy varietals still being marketed.  Michigan is actually the fourth largest grower of grapes in the United States of America, but that also includes grapes for table fruit, jellies, jams, juice and other uses besides wine. 

Leelanau Peninsula

With Traverse City being almost a five-hour drive (legally), it is not a destination that we can easily jump into the car and go to.  A curious situation has arisen over the years that we have been going there for wine.  In the old days, a winery might only offer a couple of different wines and they were really thrilled to have visitors.  As the number of wineries increased the dedication and passion increased, and when you did a tasting, the people manning the counters would love to discuss production information and the nuances of the wines and if you showed interest in wines the tastings might even get more elaborate with information and suggestions.  There usually wasn’t even a charge for tastings, especially if you bought some wine.  Then the tasting rooms started getting elaborate and beautiful, Ma & Pa Kettle were replaced by Madison Avenue.  Where maybe in the old days you were poured some water and given some oyster crackers to cleanse your palette, now they want to upcharge you with cheese and charcuterie plates, if not a trip to their gourmet dining room.  Some of the wineries have plastic sheets that you take a crayon and circle your five choices, so that the sheet can be wiped cleaned for the next “taster” and thankfully I take a note pad in my sport coat to record my thoughts.  On top of that, I guess one of the problems with a booming economy is that the help now being hired to man the counters seem to have no idea about what they are pouring, and if you ask, God forbid, they may have to look something up or call some that is knowledgeable.  Tastings are by the numbers now and for the most part it is by rote and when you stop them to take a photograph, it throws the server off of their set patter.  Another curious side business is small tour busses that take people to assorted wineries with some destinations are just for a taste of wine and then on to another location, maybe it is good to keep that many drunks off of the road, as some “tasters” seem more intent on getting drunk, then tasting wine.  Then there are the bachelor and bachelorette parties that are shuttled from winery to winery just to have a good time.  I love the concept, but it sure is hard to do serious tasting, when the focus seems to be on the partiers, who I would venture have no interest in buying wine, just trying to get drunk on one-ounce pours.  Maybe it will eventually settle down, or they will do like some wineries have already done and establish a counter or a table just for the drinkers and keep them away from the tasters and potential buyers.  We went to five new wineries and two repeat wineries and my notes will be forthcoming. 

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The Last Night at the Inn

Posted on July 9, 2019 by thewineraconteur

The Inn at Bay Harbor was a delightful choice for attending a board meeting, but alas those meetings go by so quickly.  It sometimes seems like it is go-go-go; and it is for the attendees.  I on the other hand did get a chance to wander and roam the Inn and the grounds.  There was some time for Social Media and of course The Wine Raconteur, while always keeping an eye on my watch, yes, I am so analog that I still wear a wrist watch, to make sure that I am where I should be.  In the afternoon we did get a chance to go walking into the “downtown” area and a walk around the marina, at least the parts that were open to the public.  We have a home, but walking around there, one could get “house envy” and then it is even worse, when you realize that these are vacation home.  We don’t own a boat, but if we did, there would be plenty of “envy” especially looking at the yachts, not to mention all the boats with four to five huge outboard motors, but it was a nice walk. 

Thankfully these board meetings do not occur that often or I would be the size of a wine barrel.  The morning started off with breakfast, it was kind of a breakfast buffet, but with a section to make custom omelets.  I could also get used to having salmon, eggs and capers every morning, but I think we shall keep that as a treat.  A few hours later, we returned to have lunch and the theme of lunch was Tex-Mex with do-it-yourself tacos, with several different chaffing dishes full of choices.  One thing that helped, was that from the first board meeting I attended, I learned that one had to pace oneself with all of the food.  We came back for dinner and once again we were out on the verandah and this time besides all of the appetizers and finger foods there were chaffing dishes full of entrée choices.  I was very thankful that we had that nice walk in the afternoon, to make room for the dinner.  At the table where the entrée dishes were featured, there was a sign stating that if one had allergies, to please let a server know, so I thought I would ask, otherwise I was going to be happy with fish and seafood.  One of the choices was Wagyu Beef Flank Steaks sliced like London Broil with crumbled Bleu Cheese, so I asked if I could get some without the cheese.  About five minutes later, the server found me at a table and handed me a platter of perfectly cooked steak.  I mean Flank Steak when cut properly becomes a nice dish and when it is Wagyu, it is even more wonderful.  I did pick at some desserts from the sweet table afterwards, but that platter did me in.

I was anticipating enjoying the same wines that were offered the night before, but I had to get my iPhone out again, because the theme of the beverages was Michigan that evening.  They were featuring some of the new Michigan distilled products, some of our huge craft beer industry offerings and of course the always improving Michigan wines, that I like to write about when I have the moment.  The three wines that I had the chance to drink with dinner were all from Black Star Farms on Old Mission Peninsula, just north of Traverse City, which we visited a couple of times and enjoyed their wines many more times.  All of the wines were also from their Arcturos Collection.  In 1998 Black Star Farms purchased Sport Valley Farm which was a one-hundred-twenty-acre equestrian facility, and the stylized black star was part of the architectural décor in the main house.  They now have property and production sites on both Old Mission Peninsula and Leelanau Peninsula.  The first wine that we had that evening was the Black Star Farms Arcturos Sur Lie Chardonnay 2016.  This wine was aged in Stainless Steel, and it offered up some great citrus fruit aromas and tastes with a real crisp finish.  I mean this wine was just perfect and I think both my Bride and I decided to add a trip to Black Star Farms, just to buy this wine, as we had originally planned on just going to new wineries that we hadn’t visited before.  The next wine that I got for the two of us was the Arcturos Cabernet Franc 2013 with a Michigan AVA, because the fruit came from both peninsulas, which have their own AVA.  This wine was aged for ten months in neutral American and Easter European barrels.  This wine was delicious and delivered some red and dark fruit flavors and some pepper, and we decided for sure that we had to stop and get some of this wine as well.  It was perfect and the finish would make me smile and it was delicious with the Wagyu beef.  The final wine that we tasted with our meals was the Arcturos Pinot Noir 2016 also with a Michigan AVA, because the fruit was harvested from both peninsulas.  This wine was aged for ten months in French Oak for ten months, of which forty percent was new.  This was really a delightful Michigan Pinot Noir, perhaps the best that I have had, as it delivered some plum, but mostly dark cherries to me with a nice finish.  All I could think of, was did we have enough trunk room?  While I enjoyed some more wine, my Bride went off to find her usual collection of cronies to play some Euchre, it definitely was a Michigan evening.  was a Michigan evening. 

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A Cocktail Reception

Posted on July 7, 2019 by thewineraconteur

Our accommodations at the Inn at Bay Harbor reminded me of other resorts that we had stayed at, as it appears that one can own the rooms and allow the hotel to lease them when you are not using them.  I say that because there was a locked closet which I have noticed at other resorts.  There was also a full kitchenette with a stove, refrigerator, microwave, pots and pans, dishes, silverware, glasses etc. for an extended stay.  I mean it was over-kill for us, since we would we be enjoying all the catered meals and probably only use the coffee maker in the morning, while getting dressed for the day.  There was also a beautiful verandah with a couple of Adirondack chairs so one could sit and look out onto the bay.  We had time to unpack, have a glass of wine in the room and get ready for the cocktail reception that evening. 

The cocktail reception was on a terrace outside of the main dining room, under large tents, just in case of inclement weather, because earlier in the week, they had been calling for rain and storms, not what one wants in such a setting.  I have friends that claim that it never rains on the golf course and I guess it doesn’t rain at a resort.  There was a pleasant breeze off of the water and everything was idyllic.  There were tables set up around the perimeter of the terrace where one could find the finger food, or more, to their liking.  There were also signage describing the assorted offerings with current updating for gluten-free diets.  There was plenty of fresh fruit, assorted cheeses and crackers, vegetables, salmon and whitefish dips.  Now I am not a big fan of finger food per se, but the Prosciutto wrapped Asparagus topped with slivered Gran Padano and a Balsamic drizzle was worth a couple of return trips.  The carving table also offered some delicious meats with the proper sides.  Not to mention the sweet table offerings for dessert, and I am often fond of telling people that there are no calories when one is on holidays.

Of course, I did find my way to the bar, a few times, you know, getting drinks for others.  There was a well-stocked bar, assorted beers, but I found my way to the wines.  A couple of people stopped me, to ask me, if I was going to be photographing bottles of wine again, as I guess they found that a peculiar trait, but I conceded that I would as always.  To start the evening off, I ordered a couple of white wines and it turns out that they were Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards Russian River Ranches Chardonnay 2017 from the Sonoma Coast and that is a far and away better than what is normally offered in affairs of this nature, and neither of us complained.  Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards was founded in 1973 by Brice Cutrer Jones and the main estate vineyard is two-hundred-fifty acres planted with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  They have several other vineyards in the Sonoma region and they produce five different Chardonnay and four different Pinot Noir wines, all in the Continental style.  This particular wine is a blend of maybe a dozen different vineyards.  The wine is pressed whole-cluster and the juice is free-run and stored in a tank for a few days, before being aged in either new French Oak and neutral French Oak sur-lie and Stainless Steel for the balance; and aged for eight months.  We are partial to this wine and this vintage offered aromas of pear and apple, with some balanced acidity and a nice finish mixing in some smooth buttery notes without being overpowering.  The next time I went up, I tried the Rabble Wine Merlot Paso Robles 2016.  Rabble Wines were originally known as Force of Nature and prior to that as Rob Murray Vineyards.  The Rabble Wine collection features singular fruit from a singular vineyard and their intention is that this Merlot from the Mossfire Ranch is going to taste like a Merlot wine.  The wine was aged for ten months in French Oak, of which fifteen percent was new.  The wine opened up with promises of dark fruit and delivered along with some chocolate and vanilla and another good finish.  The last wine of the evening that I tasted (of course for the sake of the article) was Owen Roe Sharecropper’s Wine Company Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2017 from Oregon.  Owen Roe had their first vintage in 1999, and during the economic recession of 2001 the Sharecropper’s Wine was created and initially began as a Sharecropper business with five different vineyards, but since then, Owen Roe now pays the farmers up-front, instead of making them wait for the finished product.  The wine is aged for eight months in French Oak.  This was an enjoyable Pinot Noir for an affordable wine and it brought with it, red berries and fruit, some spice and a touch of terroir.  It was a very easy drinking wine and worked with the grazing atmosphere of the food for the reception.  I would have been happy with any of the three wines, but I really touted the Merlot and finished off the evening with it. 

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Bay Harbor, Michigan

Posted on July 5, 2019 by thewineraconteur

If you are like me, you may have heard of Bay Harbor or mistaken it for some of the other harbors both in Michigan and across the country.  My Bride was going up for a board meeting and I was going along for the ride, actually I was doing the driving, so that she could keep up with phone calls and emails, even though she had made sure that everyone knew that she would be away from her desk, but that doesn’t seem to work, especially with coworkers.  Not only that, but she actually scheduled to see two clients that were kind of (?) on the way up, oh well it broke up the five-hour drive.

I know, I was drifting off course again, but that is rather common for me.  Bay Harbor is in a sheltered bay on the south shore of the Little Traverse Bay on Lake Michigan.  It is actually a residential and resort community that is part of the City of Petoskey.  In the late 19’th Century it actually was a limestone quarry and then it became Petoskey Portland Cement.  The mining and cement operation were a center of great employment for years and encompassed twelve-hundred acres and five miles of prime Lake Michigan shoreline.  In the 1980’s the company ceased production and left a brownfield of chromium brick, asbestos, coal and two-and-a-half million cubic yards of kiln dust.  In 1993 several parties got together to clean it all out and it became the largest reclamation in North America.  As we pulled off U.S. Highway 31 into Bay Harbor, even though I knew we were in Petoskey, I knew that we were not in Petoskey.  The collection of homes, boats, yachts and the marina that I saw as we were driving around made me wonder what the homes of the owners looked like, if this was just their vacation home. 

When we finally found the Inn at Bay Harbor, which is not an “Inn” as my mind’s eye had preconceived and it was only a couple of blocks from the “downtown” shopping area and the actual marina.  I was a little miffed, when we pulled up and found that our room wasn’t ready, so my Bride grabbed her laptop and found an area to keep working.  I on the other hand started to survey the area, and decided I needed something chilled to chill my mindset.  I discovered the Vintage Room, which was a bar, wine bar and a private restaurant and they were not averse to pouring me a glass of wine, so things were looking up.  I wasn’t looking for anything special, something chilled and I selected a glass of Tommasi Viticoltori Le Rosse Pinot Grigio DOC 2017 and it was a very generous pour in a Riedel wine glass and things were looking up.  Tommasi Viticoltori was founded in 1902 in the Veneto region and they are famous for their Amarone and many other wines as they have slowly increased their holdings in Lombardy, Tuscany and Puglia and now are in their fourth generation of family running the winery.  The wine is pure Pinot Grigio and Le Rosse is a single vineyard in the Valpolicella Classico district and I would venture that the wine was aged for a short time in Stainless Steel, because it was very fresh (green), and offered a distinctive “flint” terroir.  I had just gone out in the lobby that my Bride was working so she could have something cold and refreshing, then I stepped out the back door to look at the bay and saw Harbor Springs on the far side.  As I came back into the hotel, one of the workers at the front desk came by an handed me the keys to the room, which I thought was a great touch, so that we wouldn’t have to stand in a line again.  Things were definitely looking up, as the Bell Captain unloaded the car and took everything up to our room.

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500 Plus

Posted on July 3, 2019 by thewineraconteur

Recently my publisher, WordPress, informed me that I now have over five-hundred followers, now to some that is a drop in the ocean, but to me, it is nice.  I have been writing for a long time, since 4 May, 2012.  I am impressed, because I do not chase people and I don’t collect numbers.  On my page and on all of my Social Media sites, I do not proselytize for followers.  I don’t ask for followers on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram; if someone follows me, I will do the same.

I believe in the concept of quid pro quo, and I always marvel at how someone will want to follow me, and then not like anything I have ever written or posted.  If that is the case, why bother?  Are people so self-absorbed that they think, because they have deigned to follow me, that my life is now blessed?

I have to admit that I have really found some very interesting people since I have started blogging, some I may never meet in person, but I feel that I know them enough to call them a friend.  Some of us follow each other on multiple sites, and I must admit that I must get back to Twitter a bit more, because I never know if the one of the World Leaders may wish to chat with me.

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Still Another Graduation Party

Posted on July 1, 2019 by thewineraconteur

We have had a year for high school graduates and there is nothing wrong with that.  I was the first male with my last name to graduate, first from high school and then from college, of course for my parent’s generation they were battling being first generation in a new world and then there was the Great Depression occurring at the time.  All of those DP’s or Displaced People as they were called back then in my family and circle were survivors of the first genocide of the Twentieth Century and they were not going to let the Depression ruin their dreams of a new life.  They were too busy learning to read and speak a new language and they didn’t have time to sit around a wait for the government to enslave them with handouts and be on the dole.  The times were tough, and most of the boys had to quit school to work, to help their parents out.  Yes, I think of how fortunate I was growing up that I missed that, as we keep striving to make it better for our families.  High School graduations are the norm now, but they are still a reason the celebrate, as we watch them getting ready to start their new life in college, where they will not try to get useless degrees for the real world that they will eventually face.  Then there are some that are deciding on learning a trade, and this has become quite the topic of today, because the trades no longer require years of servitude, but actually pay the apprentices while they learn.

I have gotten off of my soapbox and will discuss the last graduation party that we attended.  This last party, like most nowadays are held at the house utilizing the garage and renting tent(s) and chairs for the event.  Actually, I marvel at the business that saw this trend and started the rentals of these tents, tables and chairs.   In the old days, the grounds would be filled with the aromas of home cooked feasts proclaiming the nationality of the lucky graduate.   Today, the world is a bit more vanilla and the new generation of kids know the cuisine of the trendy nationalities that are found in the popular priced restaurants in all neighborhoods these days.  At this last party, the majority of the food was catered in on huge trays of “Arabic” food, though actually with the sweetness and spices used I would venture to say it was more Persian or Chaldean.  There was plenty of beef, chicken and lamb for all of the guests, plus assortments of salads, side and anything else one would need.  Then there were sweet tables as well, and even though I am not much of a cake eater anymore, I really enjoyed the pretzel sticks covered with caramel and then with dark chocolate. 

You can tell the world has changed from when I was in high school, back then then beverage table would have mixes, pops and bottles of liquor next to tubs of ice filled with premium beer brands of the day.  In Detroit, I think the biggest brands were Budweiser, Molson, Labatt’s and Stroh’s Bohemian; parents and students drank along side of each other, and there was hardly a bottle of wine to be found, unless perhaps a Mateus Rosé or later a Lambrusco.   I have now devised my own plan for attending most of these parties, first I eat before attending, and that way I can pick at some of the food, if it is not what I want, so that I am not starving.  I also bring a couple of bottles of wine for my Bride and me and who ever might want a glass; in fact, to play it safe, I also bring two wine glasses and a cork screw.   The first bottle that was opened was a Smith-Berry Winery Vignoles NV from New Castle, Kentucky that we bought on our last trip to Louisville.  While the winery was in Kentucky, the fruit for this wine came from Missouri, aged in Stainless Steel and in a bright cobalt blue glass bottle.  The wine carried the American AVA designation and there was no vintage, because the wine did not have a specific AVA.  The label said the wine was a “sweet white wine” and I would call it a semi-dry and it was a pleasure to drink on a warm day before the food was served.  I also brought a bottle of red, not knowing what the main dishes would be, I chose what I would call a middle of the road red.  Cantina Cardeto Umbria IGT Rosso 2016 and from the Wine Cooperative of the Orvieto Community and is one of their wines from their Town Series.  The label is a reproduction of an old print of Orvieto, one of the towns in Umbria and famous in its own right, and if you had the proper sequence of labels then you can recreate the panoramic view of Orvieto from that print.  Umbria is noted as being the only wine district in Italy that has neither a coastline or an international border that it abuts up to.  This particular red wine (Rosso) is a blend of seventy percent Cabernet Sauvignon, twenty-five percent Merlot and the balance is Sangiovese.  The vines for this series of wines are young with most between ten and twenty years of age.  The grapes are harvested in September, macerated and fermented in Stainless Steel and then aged for two weeks, and then aged another two months in bottle before release.  This wine for made for “instant gratification” as it was made to be drunk young, and not for cellaring.  It was just a nice easy drinking wine that was smooth and unfussy and worked with whatever was being tossed at it.  It was a nice party for all, and we look forward to the next one. 

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A Merlot and a Cab

Posted on June 29, 2019 by thewineraconteur

There is just always something fun about tasting wines and I have two more to discuss from the last time that I was at the Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  A good wine shop is just like finding a good specialty shop in all fields of retail.  The modern world seems to enjoy cold sterile big box atmospheres, because they have done the research and they have no need to discuss any purchase with a “mere” employee.  I am sure that I am biased, but with my decades of experience in the realm of retail, I can tell you that some retail establishments are like a pair of old house shoes, just too comfortable to change.  Or maybe it is just because I am an old raconteur and I enjoy being in the company of other like-minded individuals.  A good wine shop will learn the needs of its regular customers and then guide them to the proper selections; and if there is a chance to try the wine, what could be better?  I am used to being in Michigan, and the law calls for a one ounce pour for a tasting, I mean we would all like a nice glass of wine, but an ounce is actually enough to do a tasting proud. 

Twomey Cellars produces Pinot Noir, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc from vineyards and coastal growing regions in California and Oregon.  The Duncan Family produces Cabernet Sauvignon at Silver Oak and they established Twomey Cellars in 1999 with the purchase of Soda Canyon Ranch Vineyard in the Napa Valley.  The estate now has two wineries, one in Calistoga dedicated to the production of Merlot and another winery in the Russian River Valley for the production of Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc.  I had the chance to taste the Twomey Cellars Merlot 2013 and it is a single vineyard wine from Merlot clones that produce low yield berries.  Twomey also uses the consultation services of Winemaker Jean-Claude Berrouet, who was the winemaker at Chateau Petrus.  Twomey Cellars also uses the class Bordeaux technique of soutirage traditionnel, which is labor extensive of racking the wines from barrel to barrel using gravity and tools honed in Bordeaux to soften the tannins and make the wine more aromatic. The wine has been blended with some Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, but not enough to disallow the wine to be marketed as a Merlot.  They use a combination of new, once-used, neutral and even Stainless Steel to age the wines for thirteen months.  I am very partial to Merlot wines and I found this wine to be on the big jammy side and a bit sweeter than I anticipated with some classic spice, but it was a pleasure to taste and it had a nice finish to it.  Just a great wine for everyone’s palette. 

The last wine that I tasted was Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 from Napa Valley.  Todd Anderson established this winery in 1983 with forty acres just south of Howell Mountain in St. Helena, but the winery traditionally uses the Napa Valley AVA.  The first vintage was in 1987 and they maintain a limited production and it is mainly distributed through its mailing list.  Todd Anderson also owns the cult wine from Napa with the label Ghost Horse.  This is the third year that they are making this wine and the majority of the fruit is estate grown, and there is three percent Cabernet Franc and one percent Merlot blended into the wine for roundness.  There is about seventeen months of barrel aging with fifteen percent new French Oak.  I found this wine to be instantly likeable, it was very chewy and a good amount of terroir that made me smile and a nice finish.  For a mid-priced Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, I thought this wine delivered like some of the bigger boys.   

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