A Nice Dinner in Wyandotte

Posted on September 7, 2017 by thewineraconteur

Every now and then the Gods look down on us mere mortals and smile. Sometimes with busy work schedules and time constraints, it is not always easy to meet and have dinner, without a lot of extra driving around; and rush hour can be exasperating. We were both fortunate to be in the Downriver area of the Greater Detroit area and we decided to meet at Magdaleno Ristorante where we have eaten before and enjoyed the meals that we have had there. I can now understand why, even more, the chef/owner of the restaurant spent seven years as the second in command at one of our favorite Italian restaurants. Magdaleno Guzman worked at Bacco’s in Southfield and now has his own place in Wyandotte.


When I got to the restaurant, my Bride was already waiting for me. She had selected the Fig and Prosciutto Salad, which was made with fresh Ricotta cheese, candied pecans, brown figs, prosciutto all atop a bed of baby spinach and drizzled with honey. My Bride was rather hesitant about the honey, so she asked if she could have the honey and another dressing brought on the side as well, in the end she decided that the honey was the best for the salad. I went with the Magdaleno Trio which was a nice arrangement of veal, shrimp and pasta with a Bolognese sauce, and I was very easy to please.


I was a little puzzled as to what my Bride would want to drink, since she was having a large dinner salad, though she enjoys almost all wines with her salads and I usually refrain from wine when I am having a salad. She chose the Geyser Peak Winery Sauvignon Blanc 2015 with a California AVA. Geyser Peak Winery is one of the oldest wineries in Sonoma County as they were founded in 1880 originally in the Alexander Valley and now in the Dry Creek area. The wine carries the California AVA because all the fruit came from the North Coast region which encompasses several AVAs in the state. This wine actually worked very well with her salad since the Sauvignon Blanc had four percent Riesling and just a touch of Viognier and was aged in Stainless Steel to have a crisp flavor. I actually went with a light wine myself which was fine with the veal and the shrimp and overwhelmed by the Bolognese sauce. The Sauvion Rosé D’Anjou 2015 was semi-dry and a classic wine from the Loire Valley. Sauvion is one of the oldest estates in the Sevre et Maine region. This wine is seventy percent Groslot and the balance is Gamay. Groslot is one of the main grapes for this area, but it is being squeezed out by other grapes that are also allowed to be used for this wine like Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, which have a bigger name appeal. So, if you get a chance to try this type of wine from Anjou, try it with the original grape, before it fades into the sunset.

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A New Birthday

Posted on September 5, 2017 by thewineraconteur

The normal way to celebrate birthdays is that we lump all the celebrants of the month into one party and allow the cake to enumerate them. This works out well and it keeps the party scheduling a whole lot easier. There can be exceptions to the rule, if it is a special number, or if it is a surprise party, or if the parents of a newborn want to make a special fuss. I can understand the importance of a first child, or a first birthday, as I have been there a couple of times myself.


One of my Sister-in-Laws donated their house for the party, since there home has a beautiful in-ground pool which makes it ideal for the summer months, unless you are like me and have a body that looks better dressed than undressed. That point being moot for me, as I had to work that day, so everyone was saved from having their eyes burnt. For the party, the Father of the new one-year old spent most of his time over a hot barbeque and the Grandmother made and oversaw all of the other food preparations and some of the guests brought dishes for the party as well.


My Bride took a couple of bottles of wine to the party and both were white, and I knew that even before I heard about it, as she does enjoy her white wines. She had taken one of the bottles of wine from a winery we had just visited up in the Leelanau Peninsula of Michigan as she thought that some of her sister would enjoy it, as they are not fans of dry wines. The Boskydel Vignoles 2015 was a hit, as she told me that it almost disappeared after opening it. Vignoles, which is also known as Ravat Vignoles or Ravat 51, is a Cold Hardy varietal that was developed in the 1930’s in France by J. Ravat and is thought to be a cross of Pinot Noir or Chardonnay and one of the hybrid Seibel varieties. While this grape is not sanctioned for use in France it has become quite popular in the United States and Canada as it is late budding and an early ripening grape which works well for areas that have more severe winters. The wine tends to be on the sweeter side and I think that is what made it so popular at the party. The other wine that she took was a Chardonnay and that I could guarantee even before I asked. The Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay 2013 is a delightful wine and very easy drinking. This winery was established in 1967 and they rely heavily on the Columbia Valley in Washington where they are located. This wine was aged Sur Lie for six months in a mix of French and American oak, and then it was blended with thirty-five percent of the wine that was tank fermented to give the wine a mix of crisp and buttery notes. All in all, my Bride had a good time without me, and she may not have even noticed that I wasn’t there.

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Aerie

Posted on September 3, 2017 by thewineraconteur

Aerie is the most fitting name for a restaurant that sits atop the Tower at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa. While the resort sounds like it should be in Traverse City, it is actually a bit north of there in the town of Acme and houses not only a tower of rooms and suites, but there is another hotel on the grounds along with three golf courses and spas, and about eight different places to get a bite to eat and something refreshing to drink. We have been to the Grand Traverse before and I don’t know how I missed it, but hopefully this will do, until another time and another article.


We were having a dinner for eight at the Aerie, and what a beautiful view it commands, as the Tower is the highest structure in the area for miles. The teenagers had their own table and I am sure that they were pleased and the oldsters had our own table along with some adult beverages. I won’t get into all of the meals that were served, but I will mention a couple, so that one can appreciate the quality of the meal. Aerie prided itself on using as much local food as permitted and this is a growing concept especially in a state like Michigan that has a large agrarian base, as it is not just automotive, though there was a large automotive association that had meetings there as we saw quite a few name tags on the elevator going up to the restaurant. There was the Local Pork Tenderloin, which was a bacon wrapped tenderloin pan seared and basted, with herbed fingerling potatoes, Port poached apple slices and a Tarragon and Dijon Demi-glace sauce. One other dish was the cast iron blackened Bronzini, with hand-made Potato Gnocchi, brown butter crème, sweet corn, tomato and asparagus succotash with Morel mushrooms and corn shoots.


Since it had been a hot sunny day while we were out during the day, we started off with a bottle of Quintessence Pouilly Fume 2015. The Upper Loire Valley in France is a place where Sauvignon Blanc really shines and holds its own. Alas this wine only had a glimmer of the greatness of what this area can offer, as it is handled by Bronco Wine Company which basically offers good and sound wines, but their wines are made for mass distributorship, so the nuance of the region suffers, because of the quantities made, but it was fine for openers. For our dinner, we had the CVNE “CUNE” Gran Reserva Rioja 2010 and while we encounter plenty of Rioja wines and even quite a few Rioja Reserva wines, the Gran Reserva designation is not that often seen. “CUNE” actually represents Companie Vinicola del Norte de Espana, a winery that was founded in 1879 in the Rioja Alta district which is considered the best of the Rioja area. The wine is a blend of Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo which is the classic trio for Rioja, but to carry the Gran Reserva status it has to be aged for a minimum of two years in the barrel and then then aged three years in the bottle prior to being released for sale. It was an excellent wine and it even paired decently with the fish entrée that was enjoyed at the table. The wines and the dinner were totally enhanced by the vista that we enjoyed as we were seated right along one of the large windows.

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Grand Traverse Distillery

Posted on September 1, 2017 by thewineraconteur

While wandering the downtown district off Traverse City, wondering what would be bought by the professional shopper that I am married to. My Brother-in-Law I think was having the same thoughts. All of a sudden, we walked by the tasting room for the Grand Traverse Distillery. I normally refrain from discussing any adult beverages other than wine, but on occasion something stronger does arrive. In my early days, I enjoyed Chivas Regal and the now gone, but highly remembered Dewar’s Ne Plus Ultra. I also nowadays enjoy some sipping Bourbon as it is called, which is single barrel aged liquid gold. Then I can’t forget my heritage of learning to appreciate Crown Royal, when that was considered the Gold Standard.


The two of us walked into the tasting room and kind of bellied up to the bar. Grand Traverse Distillery officially began selling their products in 2007 using local grains for their beverages. There were fourteen different items that one could taste from Whiskey, both Rye and Bourbon, Vodka, Gin and Rum. Most of the golden beverages from what I could ascertain were aged for three years and three months in American Oak barrels. They are doing so well, that they now have tasting rooms beyond Traverse City, in Leland, Frankenmuth and recently in Grand Rapids.


Since, we had wine for lunch and were going to have wine again for dinner, I had no desire to do too many tastings. I guess I would call it maturation, or maybe just realizing that I am not a kid anymore. One of the brands caught my eye, as I had remembered trying some when I was extremely young; I had to try the Grand Traverse Cherry Flavored Whiskey. I mean this is Traverse City, home of the Michigan Cherry Festival, and so many cherry orchards gave their lives, so that vinifera could be planted instead. This is their flavored version of their Straight Bourbon which is made from Corn, Rye and Malted Barley and then blended afterwards with three percent Cherry Concentrate from the Leelanau Fruit Company. It was a very easy drinking whiskey, especially since we were drinking it neat. I also tried their Dark Reserve Rum and other than the aging and the barrels, I am not sure what the mixture involved, but I was looking for something new to add to the bar at home and this was a very smooth Rum, and I very seldom drink Rum. My Brother-in-Law to his credit was more of a man, as he also tried the Chipotle Flavored Whiskey and he said that it was very hot and spicy, I declined as it didn’t sound like something I would like. After we paid and were ready to walk out, the young lady that attended to our tasting gave us each a boxed dram glass with the name printed on the side. I thought that it was a nice touch.

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Tall Ship Manitou

Posted on August 30, 2017 by thewineraconteur

Every now and then I guess we become bona fide tourists and while up in the Traverse City area we almost abandoned wine for a three-hour cruise. The whole crew of us boarded the Tall Ship Manitou. The Tall Ship Manitou is a replica of an 1800’s “coasting” cargo schooner similar to those that plied the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. This ship was built in 1983 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and was finished by Vermont carpenters in Lake Champlain and eventually sailed to Traverse City. They have a couple of cruises each day and they also offer longer cruises and over-night excursions if one is interested. They also have a smaller sister ship that is usually hired out for private parties. The Tall Ship Manitou can hold fifty-nine passengers and one sits where one can on the deck, as there are no chairs, but one can also tour the galleys and bunk areas in the hold while out on the lake, and they also allow landlubbers to take to the helm, more for photo-ops, and I declined, I can just imagine reading the papers “The Wine Raconteur runs the Manitou aground.”


We were on the Ice Cream Cruise, which meant that once safely at sail, everyone was allotted a small tub of locally made ice cream to enjoy. Though to get to that point in the cruise there was work to be done. While the ship has a formal crew, they enlist the passengers to assist in the raising of the sails, which required quite a few hands pulling on the ropes to hoist the sails up, no electrical motors here. So, there were about ten volunteers for each sail and we all received special instructions to be careful of certain parts of the sails that may swing, so to prevent a “man overboard scenario.” Yes, I was part of the volunteer crew to hoist and to drop the sails, as we were approaching the port at the end of the cruise. The ship was large enough and the water was calm enough, that there were no signs of mal-de-mer among the passengers. With such a short cruise, we never left sight of the peninsula while we were in the bay.


Once we were finished raising the sails and could sit back and enjoy the cruise. Beyond the complimentary ice cream and water, any other amenities were for sale while we were sailing. I waited for crowds to disburse and I must say that beer and pop seemed to be the overwhelming beverages of choice. Of course, I found something more interesting to buy and to share with our group. The L. Mawby Blanc de Blancs Brut NV was a definite bonus. Larry Mawby is considered to be the “Godfather” of the Traverse City region winemakers and he takes winemaking very seriously. He now only makes sparkling wines, his M. Lawrence line is made using the Charmat Methode and his L. Mawby line is made in the traditional and time-honored way to make the bubbles. This wine is made entirely from the Chardonnay grape and it carries the Leelanau Peninsula AVA. Whole clusters of grapes are pressed and fermented in Stainless Steel. Then the wine is blended with reserve wines and fermented a second time in the bottle and aged “en tirage” before degorgement, the same way the big houses in Reims do it. What a wonderful way to spend a few hours drinking a very well-made wine, while on the water and enjoying the sights of the area.

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Amical

Posted on August 28, 2017 by thewineraconteur

I was going to call this article “Return to Amical,” but somehow, I have never written about this restaurant and I can’t understand why. I first learned about Amical back in 1994 after they opened up, from customers of mine that lived in Traverse City and they described it, as the best place that the locals like to eat at. I can readily understand that sentiment, because back then, all of the attention was to the new places that were taking advantage of the waterfront of the area and there is a lot of coastal land there. Amical is located right downtown, which was not as much of a focal point as it has become in the last decade or two. As the demand for better and better food has hit the area, Amical has accepted the challenge and grown into the French style bistro that it is now and as the area has become more and more affluent I can see how the locals may still frequent it often.


The restaurant was packed when we got there and it is good that we called ahead as there were nine of us to have lunch and the sheer size of our group precluded us from dining out on the street, but they did make adequate space for us inside. Thankfully we were there the day after the film festival, so it was rather quiet as all of the tourists that had invaded the area were gone, but the parking still showed signs of what the festival had wrought. One of our nephews requires special dietary restrictions, and Amical like all fine restaurants was able to handle the requests without any problems. Since there was such a crowd there I will only discuss the meals that my Bride and I had, and it was very indicative of the rest of the choices on the menu. My Bride went very “local” and ordered the Smoked Whitefish Pate which came with scallions, cream cheese, capers and crackers and a few pieces of the house bread as well, which went well with her meal. The pate was excellent, I usually refrain from ordering that most of the time, because it can be rather bland, but there was some excellent flavor, so she was very happy. As for myself I went with the Cornmeal Dusted Shrimp which was served with a sweet corn risotto, corn puree, red pepper jam and arugula. The shrimp size was more than adequate, while not Jumbo, much bigger than the norm and cooked perfectly, as there is nothing worse than over-cooked shrimp. Nobody including all the teenagers left complaining that they were still hungry, so that is a good sign.


Our first bottle of wine with lunch was Dauvergne Ranvier Vin Gourmand Cotes du Rhone 2014. If I get a chance to order and there is a Rhone wine that will always be on my radar. This is a relatively new winery that was started in 2004 by Jean-Francois Ranvier and Francois Dauvergne. The wine is a blend of seventy percent Grenache and the balance was Syrah that was aged for nine months in Stainless Steel so there was a bit more fruit forward. My Brother-in-Law chose the second bottle and it was the Trivento Amado Sur Malbec 2014 from Mendoza, Argentina. This was a much heartier wine naturally from the Malbec and there was eleven percent Bonarda and ten percent Syrah. The three different juices were aged in French Oak for eight months, then blended and aged for an additional five months in Stainless Steel and were allowed to mellow in the bottle for another five months before release. These were only two of the many wines offered on a large two-page Wine Carte. For the life of me, I can’t realize how I had forgotten to mention dining here before.

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Crystal Mountain

Posted on August 26, 2017 by thewineraconteur

Crystal Mountain is a resort in the northwest corner of the lower peninsula of Michigan and it is a year- round facility. It is not far from Traverse City and is a major ski resort in the winter and a haven for all sorts of summer activities. What makes it rather unique is that one can purchase chalets, houses and even suites that abound on the grounds and Crystal Mountain will assist in the rentals of the properties when the owners cannot use it. We had booked one of the chalets for our trip and when we got there, we found out that we had been upgraded for our visit, which we surmise was from our history of staying there, and we ended up with a wonderful suite that was actually owned by someone in the main lodge. It may have been one of the largest suites that we have ever had while away, when we haven’t rented a house. Beyond the normal amenities that one finds on vacation, this suite, like the chalet we were expecting had dishes, stemware, toaster, coffee maker and a microwave oven, as well as a DVD player in the living room and it had two large screen television sets. The king size bed almost looked like a full-size bed in the bedroom. We felt special for the days that we were up there.


Her sister and family from Kentucky were also up for holidays, but they rented a house, because of size of their family and some friends of their children that they also brought up for the week. This was a three-bedroom home with a full kitchen, furnished, on two floors, plus a finished basement, so they had plenty of room to relax and there was even a full garage. A great get-away “cottage.” It was an easy walk from the main lodge to where they were staying and we were going to have a barbeque with them one evening, since their house also had a large barbeque on the porch just off of the kitchen and dining area. My Bride in preparation had acquired all of the ingredients necessary for her Caesar Salad and the Kentucky contingent had brought up a huge tenderloin that they marinated before they left for the drive up. Did I mention that we all have large car refrigerators that are plugged into what used to be known as cigarette lighters back in the day? There was no way to properly barbeque the tenderloin as one piece, so we sliced it into about two-inch filets and we had a wonderful dinner.


We had brought up some wine to have in our room, had bought more wine while we did some tastings at three wineries and I had brought a couple of wines that I wanted to try, that I had wrote about, but had not tried yet. The two wines that we brought for this meal were from Costco, America’s largest, but limited wine purveyor. The first was a bottle of Jean-Claude Boisset Pinot Noir Bourgogne Les Ursulines 2015. Boisset began as a family owned estate in 1961 within the walls of the historic Ursulines Convent in the Nuits-Saint-George area. They have since prospered and grown and have an extensive portfolio of Grand and Premier wines, as well as village-level and Bourgogne wines, and they were the first negocient to go on the big board with the stock market. This wine while on the basic level has a lot of good people behind it, and it was aged for fourteen months in French Oak on the lees, before bottling. While not stellar it was a very good Pinot Noir and it worked well with our dinner. The other bottle that we tried was Kirkland Signature Rutherford Meritage 2015. Rutherford is almost the center of Napa Valley and the largest AVA within Napa, so a Meritage can’t be all bad. This wine is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. A little different wine, but it followed the Pinot Noir very easily and it delivered the taste that we were all looking forward. Afterwards we had some chilled Chardonnay that my Bride always has and we sat around a fire pit that was also on the grounds. I stayed as long as I could, but I was the only one that the mosquitos were making a meal of, no matter where I positioned myself around the fire pit.

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Villa Marine Bar

Posted on August 24, 2017 by thewineraconteur

While we were up in the wine country, we took a side excursion to another village that we have been to before. We went to Frankfort, Michigan which sits on the Betsy Bay. There is quite a marina just off of Lake Michigan and the main street runs for about six blocks with an assortment of restaurants, taverns, inns and little shops. We also had a chance to walk along the beach, which I have to say is more invigorating to my Bride than for me. Frankfort reminds her of her youth at her family’s cottage up in Canada.


We also stopped and had a bite to eat at Villa Marine Bar. The last time we were in Frankfort, we were meeting up with friends and The Caller had gotten there early and he enjoyed some drinks sitting out on the back terrace overlooking the marina. Now, it was our turn to check it out. The back terrace was on the main floor, but because of the hill that sloped down from the main street, we were on the second floor in the back of the building and it was a beautiful way to relax and enjoy the day. The menu was decidedly bar food and we kind of figured that out, so we weren’t planning on anything special, just a nice setting. My Bride had the Barbequed Pulled Pork sandwich and I had the “Polish Reuben” which was charbroiled kielbasa with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Russian dressing on Marbled Rye bread. The companionship and the vista made up for the menu.


We also went for something cold to drink and we had some chilled wines. My Bride had the Four Vines Naked Chardonnay 2015 from the Santa Barbara County part of the Central Coast of California. I think that they call the wine “Naked” because it is un-oaked, which for years an oaky wine was the norm on the West Coast. This was a bottle of pure Chardonnay that aged on the lees for six months in Stainless Steel for a crisp unfussy taste, which on a hot day was delightful. I had a Portuguese Rosé which in my youth was where all that types of wine were noted for, think of Mateus. The Caves de Cerca Famega Rosé 2016 had just a touch of sweetness to be enjoyable with a pretty soft color. The indicative blend of grapes for this wine would be Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca and Tinta Nacional, which are the three most popular grapes for this region outside of Albarino. The funny thing is that every time that I have this type of wine, I think back to the Sixties and Seventies and most men would not order it out in public, because it was not a “manly” drink, but you know what? I enjoy the flavor and taste of a chilled Rosé.

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Back to Beulah

Posted on August 22, 2017 by thewineraconteur

Cold Water Creek Inn was beckoning us back after three wineries in the Leelanau Peninsula. We were going to be staying much closer this trip to the northwest corner of Michigan and staying at a resort. Beulah is a very quaint village right on the shores of the large inland Crystal Lake. This whole part of the world has not only become the playground for Michigan, but it has also been discovered by Illinois. What used to be considered a sleepy area has been rediscovered and there is a strong desire by the vacationers to be less genteel and rustic and now to be a playground for the foodies. While the area has been dominated for wine lovers, they have also brought their desire for food with them. Hence, how we come to Beulah. My Bride who knows this part of the world much better than I, has been there often, usually for supplies as she likes to have her hotel room stocked with a larder, in case the Fifth Army needs provisions. I have discovered it, because through Social Media, an alumnus of mine who is a Master Chef had moved up to this area for his wife and has been hired by Cold Water Creek Inn to direct the culinary part of the Inn from just basic foods that the locals have loved for years, but to attract the new breed of travelers that are looking beyond classic Michigan Perch and Planked Whitefish.


We were so enamored with the quality of the dinners that we had the last time that we were there, that we had to make a return trip, as we are part of that new breed that is interested in great food. I mean just because we are away from the city, doesn’t mean that we have to settle for a second -rate dinner. The regular menu that can be found in the very large restaurant and tavern part of the Inn is very classic in a Michigan manner. In fact, I can go out on a limb and state that the basic dishes have probably been elevated in quality and style and still will keep the regular clientele ecstatic, but the specials of the night, and some of the specials that I have seen posted are worth the four-hour drive. That evening the specials were both fish dishes, one was Wild Salmon and the other was Ecuadorian Swordfish. My Bride immediately opted for the Salmon, so I chose the Swordfish. I have to say that neither of us have had great experiences with Swordfish in all of our travels, I think that the meat was either too well done and hence very meaty or it tended to be very oily, so I was the test case. The two dishes were both served with a sauce or glaze of pineapple, butter, lemon zest, cilantro, lemon juice and parsley and it was delicious. The big surprise and a most pleasant surprise was that the Swordfish was superb and it was not dense. My Bride could not get over the fact that I had the better of the two dishes and that was way out of character for her, because she is extremely Salmon-friendly.  We finished the dinner with a wonderful freshly baked cobbler, the Chef is a man for all seasons.


Of course, we both had white wine for the evening. I had the Chateau Fontaine Chardonnay 2015, a local wine of the area with a Leelanau Peninsula AVA and we had enjoyed this wine the last time we were at the restaurant and it is one of the few wineries that we have not had the pleasure of stopping by and do a tasting. Chateau Fontaine grows not only Chardonnay, but also Pinot Grigio, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Merlot and a few others as well. This wine was aged for eight months in Stainless Steel and I really enjoyed it, the both times that we have had it. If I think back to the early days when I first really started exploring wines, I would have passed this wine immediately because of where it came from, but that is not the case today. In hindsight, I think that this wine would have been better for my Bride, but it worked well for me as well. My Bride had the Maso Canali Pinot Grigio 2016 from the Trentino region of Italy. This winery is rather unique in that they only make and offer one wine, so they pay a lot of attention to this singular wine of theirs. Something special about this wine is that after harvest, they allow a small portion of their crop to continue and these late-harvested grapes are laid out on racks for eight to ten weeks to concentrate the natural sugar and then all of wine is aged on the lees for one month then blended together for a very nuanced and dare I say, a more full-bodied Pinot Grigio. It was an excellent wine and I think it would pair very easily with most fish and seafood, not to mention some other dishes as well. After dinner, we saw the Chef again and he also introduced us to the owners of the Inn and we had a nice conversation. We were in a bit of a quandary, after having had our second wonderful meal at the Cold Creek Inn, how do we show our appreciation for the Chef and his culinary artistry. Mere cash would seem gauche and tacky, so the Chef and I went out to our car and went through the wine that we had bought that day at the wineries that we had visited and I gave him a bottle of the best wine that we had found on the trip, a bottle of the Boathouse Vineyards Merlot 2012 with our blessings. He later informed me that the owners were so impressed that they were going to get some of this wine to put on their wine list as well. Wine is an integral part of some great memories that I always try to impart.

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Bel Lago Vineyards

Posted on August 20, 2017 by thewineraconteur

Bel Lago Vineyards is another Michigan winery in the Leelanau Peninsula and in Italian it means “beautiful lake” and that is what Lake Leelanau is. The winery was founded in 1987, but there had been vines planted back in the 1980’s. They own thirty-seven acres and there are over one hundred varieties planted including Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Gewurztraminer and Riesling. They have also planted some Cold Hardy grapes like Auxerrois, Siegerrrebe and Cayuga White. The winery offered twenty-two wines and five ciders when we were there.


The winery produces anywhere from 17-20.000 cases of wine per year, but not all the wine that is produced carries the Leelanau Peninsula AVA, because not all is Estate Grown, and some of the wines carry a Michigan AVA and I even tried one that had an American AVA. The Auxerrois “Lot 1514” is a multi-vintage blend in neutral oak barrels, aged just long enough to maintain the fruitiness of the Auxerrois and some of the fruit was brought in from Washington State. Also in the white wines, we tried their Pinot Grigio 2014 which was aged Sur Lie in Stainless Steel and it was a good everyday Pinot Grigio. The Pinot Grigio & Chardonnay NV had a little more body from the added Chardonnay grapes and was easy to drink. I found the Semi-Dry Riesling 2015 to have a sweeter aftertaste than I expected from a Semi-Dry.


The two reserve red wines that we tried were much better, but they both carried the Michigan AVA designation. The Cabernet Franc 2013 was aged for thirty-six months in French Oak and had some body and heft, but as my Bride pointed out, the Cabernet Francs that we had encountered in the Niagara-on-the-Lake area of Ontario, Canada far exceeded this wine. The other wine that we tried was their flagship wine Tempesta 2013 which was predominately Cabernet Franc blended with Merlot, Regent, Lemberger and Marquette which was aged for thirty-two months in a mix of French and American Oak barrels. I thought this wine had the most personality and the Cabernet Franc did carry this wine.

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