David Bos and Bos Wine

Posted on August 10, 2023 by thewineraconteur

My Bride and I were in Elk Rapids, Michigan and having a tasting with David Bos, winemaker of Bos Wine.  I first met David at, of all places The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan and then my Bride and I met him at a “Farmers Market” behind Frame Restaurant in Hazel Park, and that is another series of stories that I haven’t gotten to.  We first met in 2019 and in the ominous year of 2020 my Bride and I were in Louisville, Kentucky having dinner because such niceties disappeared in Michigan and we had as our opening bottle, the Bos Wine Ode to Fume Napa Valley 2015 with their tagline of “Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs” by William Shakespeare and an homage to Pouilly-Fume of the Loire.  David Box who started in Michigan went to California and has now returned to Michigan.  He attended Hope College with dual majors of Religion and English, discovered some quality wines and took off to California without a job, but with determination.  He started with a job at Grgich Hills and eventually became their vineyard manager.  He arrived there at the most opportune time, as they were converting to biodynamic farming and there are over three-hundred-fifty-acres to work.  He said that he considers himself to be a farmer, who makes wine.  The winery began in 2010, in Calistoga, but when he found this building in Elk Rapids, he knew that his boutique wine label had finally found a permanent home, with a garden and a red barn in the back.

By the time my Bride got out of the car into their garden out back, as we entered into the home base and tasting room, she was already in love.  She hadn’t tried a wine yet that day, but she was a happy camper, I tend to notice things like that about her.  We went in and then were immediately walked back out to the garden to enjoy the first glass of wine, as we waited for David to get there.  We were enjoying Bos Wine Methode Agricole Michigan 2020 is made with Valvin Muscat and is a “Pet-Nat” type of wine.  Methode Agricole is a farming method that minimizes risk to the environment without sacrificing economic production.  Pet-Nat is short for Petillant Naturel “naturally bubbling” and is respected as authentic craftsmanship of small quantities of wine.   The wine uses natural yeasts and does not undergo a second fermentation (like Champagne) and some refer to it as Zero Dosage, because there is not added sugar.   There is less bubbles and pressure and the bottle uses a cap closure like a bottle of beer, so make sure that you have a “church key.”  I liked the wine, as it is not bone-dry as most sparkling wines seem to be aiming for.  The wine has a bit of a funky nose, the best that I can describe it (you know me with descriptors) and the wine is a bit cloudy or hazy, a by-product of the production method.  A very easy drinking wine that brings some of that magical brioche taste at a moderate price, and it is a fun wine for groups.

David Bos and the wine industry go back a long way. The longtime specialist vineyard consultant and Michigan native is finally realizing a dream of opening a winery with his wife, Jackie in his home state. They bought a 10-acre farm between Traverse City and Elk Rapids where they live with their two children and plan to grow grapes organically. Meanwhile, they’re buying Michigan grapes from vineyards Bos consults with, and making their wine at a custom crush facility in the area. Our first official wine for tasting in the tasting room, along with David was Bos Wine Chardonnay Old Mission Peninsula 2020 and the fruit was from Ten Hands Vineyard.  I didn’t ask, as we were so busy chatting and letting my Bride get enthused, but I will venture to say that this wine went through Fermentation and a short aging period in Stainless-Steel.  The soft golden-yellow colored wine offered notes of apples and white florals.  On the palate this was crisp and had balanced acidity while offering tones of green apples and a medium finish that offered some “wet stone” terroir.

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Frankie Valli at Interlochen “Oh What a Night”

Posted on August 8, 2023 by thewineraconteur

During the sister’s getaway up in the wine country of Michigan, we had a chance to buy tickets to see Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons at Interlochen, at the main Kresge Stage.  Four of us went, and the others went out for dinner that night. I might add that this was the real deal, we didn’t go see a production of “The Jersey Boys.”  Francesco Stephen Castelluccio or Frankie Valli is the front man for the Four Seasons since 1960.  Though almost at the beginning of the show, he paid homage to the most famous Jersey Boy, and that is Francis Albert, when he sang Cole Porter’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.”  At 89 years of age, he entertained and sang for two hours straight.  He had a full band behind him, and he allowed almost every one of the musicians there moment in the spotlight.  The audience from the youngsters to the oldsters that predate my Bride and me, were swaying and singing to more songs that they made famous.

We were all having a wonderful time at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, its official name of the twelve-hundred-acre campus on two lakes near the community of Interlochen.  It is a non-profit corporation which operates arts education institutions and performance venues.  It was established in 1928 by Joseph E. Maddy.  We have been to two of the theatres there, once to see a student production of The Music Man, and now for this concert.  The assortment of productions that one can see at Interlochen rival almost any other fine arts center around.  One would also be amazed to see the names of graduates in an assortment of the arts. 

Of course, I have to mention that I went and bought some drink tokens to take back to the seats, and the beer tent and also the wine tent were doing a good business.  I noticed that Black Star Farms of Old Mission Peninsula and Leelanau Peninsula was a major contributor and advertiser for the school.   Black Star Farms is rather unique in that it has vineyards and tasting room facilities on both peninsulas, so that they are kind of surrounding Traverse City which is kind of the focal point for all of the wineries in the area.  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.  My Bride and I had a glass of Black Star Farms Arcturos Pinot Gris Michigan 2021.  The wine carried a Michigan AVA, because eighty-two percent of the fruit was from Old Mission Peninsula and eighteen percent was from Leelanau Peninsula. The soft straw-yellow colored wine offered notes of citrus and white florals.  On the palate there were tones of citrus, and melon, with balance acidity and a medium count finish of fruit and some terroir.  The wine, if I had to choose, leaned a bit more Alsatian compared to Northern Italy.  The wine was fruit forward, but was still on the dry side.         

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A Concert at Boathouse Vineyards

Posted on August 6, 2023 by thewineraconteur

After we left Boathouse Vineyards, we went back to our cabin for dinner and to see the other sisters that didn’t come with us.  The enthusiasm for the winery was tremendous, and since they were having an outdoor concert the next night, everyone wanted to go there.  Those that had already been there wanted to go back, and those that hadn’t were looking forward to some wine and music.  When we got there, the owner and the staff recognized some of us, and they offered me a table on the verandah overlooking the grounds, the outdoor music stage and the piers that allowed boaters a chance to moor.  Nobody immediately took a photo of the table that we sat down at, but they all froze for a minute, as the name on the reservation that was on the table was the maiden name for all of the sisters. 

Getting back to the wines, since that is the underlying theme of all of my articles since May 2012.   Dave Albert also wanted to show me his newest wines, and his new label design.  He had been using French Road Cellars, a third-party custom-crusher in Michigan, that assists wineries, especially in the early years.  Dave told me that he finally spent the money and was going to do all his winemaking on premises going forward.  This was the reason for the new label design, and we had a chance to try his new wines:  Boathouse Vineyards Rosé Leelanau Peninsula 2022 and Boathouse Vineyards Pinot Blanc Leelanau Peninsula 2022.  The Rosé was made from Cabernet Franc and they used both whole cluster and direct pressing and the juice was left on the skins long enough to get the right hue, as per the winemaker.  Then the wine was aged in Stainless Steel to maintain the fresh fruit, and the total time from harvest to bottling was about eight months, with no chemical enhancements added (sugar, acid, or color).  The coppery-pink colored wine offered notes of strawberry and pepper.  On the palate there were tones of strawberries, pepper, and soft tannins balanced and crisp with a short finish of fruit.  The Pinot Blanc and the Rosé both came from the Amore Vineyard.  From harvest to bottling this wine was finished in about nine months.  The grapes were whole clustered pressed and the wine was fermented in Stainless Steel barrels and a Stainless Steel “egg” and it received regular batonnage, which is the stirring of the lees and any expired yeast cells creating a more “creamy” wine.  The wine was a soft-straw-yellow color and offered notes of stone fruits and tropical fruits.  On the palate a very refreshing “creamy” wine that had tones of tropical fruits, high acidity, and a nice crisp finish.    

And the concert was excellent, a young man who graduated from Hillsdale College and he said that he performs about two-hundred-fifty-shows a year as a singer, keyboard, two styles of guitar playing and the harmonica.  He performed both his own works, as well as others like Chapin, Joel, and John.  He performed for about three hours without a break.  We were up on the verandah and the others grabbed some Adirondack chairs and a large umbrella and were right across from the stage.  There were people sitting on their boats, who came and bought some bottles of wine and watched from the water.  Others sat out on chairs and I was observing that there was a definite mix of generations enjoying the evening.  As for our group, we were noshing on some cheese and crackers from the winery’s deli.  If you want to know, at our table the Pinot Blanc was two-to-one against the Rose.  Down in the grassy section the Pinot Noir was the big hit.  The sisters all had a great time, and that was what it was all about.    

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Some Reds at Boathouse Vineyards

Posted on August 4, 2023 by thewineraconteur

The sisters that made this tasting trip to Boathouse Vineyards up on Leelanau Peninsula were having a grand time.  They were doing their own tastings, as I am sure that my tasting sessions are not as fun, as just tasting the wine.  After all, I photograph and take some notes and tend to ask a lot of questions.  Of course, some of the sisters went sightseeing and shopping, but the ones here really had a good time.

My Bride and I were ready to taste some red wines, and she was totally ready.  We started with Boathouse Vineyards “Overboard” Leelanau Peninsula 2021.  This was a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Regent and was aged for three months in French Oak barrels.  A nice deep ruby-red color wine that offered notes of blackberries.  On the palate this was a medium-bodied wine that showed tones of blackberries with a decent finish, this was a nice dry wine that would be easy to understand and to enjoy by people just starting out, or who don’t want a big tannin dry wine.  The other blended wine that we tried and it is one of their best sellers, year after year, is their signature “Boathouse Red” Leelanau Peninsula 2019.  This is their proprietary red wine, which is another way of saying it is a red blend and harvested for fourteen months in French Oak barrels.  A nice garnet red wine that offered notes of red fruits.  This was a bigger wine that offered tones of blackberry and raspberry and a nice medium finish.

Then we did two classic Vinifera red wines, which years ago, would never have been thought of in Michigan, but it has been done.   We did the Boathouse Vineyards Merlot Leelanau Peninsula 2018.  Merlot is one of the classic reds that grows very well in cool climates and can truly appreciate the climate afforded by being along the bay.  Their Merlot is made from four different clones and grown on their Amore Road Vineyard.  This wine is aged for twenty-four months in French Oak barrels.  A soft garnet red wine that offered notes of blackberry.  On the palate there were tones of blackberry and some spice, along with soft tannins that did not overpower the fruit and a medium count finish offering more of the dry fruit flavor.  We then had their Cabernet Franc Leelanau Peninsula 2019 and this is the wine that beckoned my Bride like a Siren’s calling ever since we had finished the bottles of the 2012 vintage.  This wine is also made from four different clones and the fruit is hand-harvested.  The wine is aged for twenty-four months in French Oak barrels.  A dark ruby-red wine and this wine offered notes of black fruits.  On the palate this wine offered notes of black cherry, and blackberry, some spice, and very harmonious with the oak and tannins and a good medium count finish of fruit and a tinge of terroir.  My Bride and I both agreed that it was not as big as the ’12, it was still worthy of our return visit.         

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Some of Us Went to Boathouse Vineyards

Posted on August 2, 2023 by thewineraconteur

My Bride wanted to make sure that some if not all her sisters had a chance to visit Boathouse Vineyards up in the Leelanau Peninsula.  We had found it during a trip up north in 2017.   This is a winery that can be visited by car or boat, as the tasting room is located on the waterway connecting North Lake Leelanau with South Lake Leelanau. Michigan is the pleasure boat capital of the country with all of its coastal areas and marinas and Boathouse Vineyards has capitalized on this. If you haven’t discovered it by now, I guess I am rather gregarious and when I am at a winery, I like to take notes and my Bride and I were handed over (for the second time) to none other than Dave Albert, an ex-auto guy (go figure in Michigan) who decided to be in the wine business. What a pleasure it was to talk with him again, his passion for what he is attempting is marvelous; and he even remembered us.

Boathouse Vineyards was started from scratch, where the tasting room and grounds, there actually was a boathouse.  In 2009, they began building the winery and planting fifteen acres of grapevines, just four miles from the tasting room.  They now have a twenty-five-acre vineyard which is ninety-nine percent Vinifera.  The vineyard is on sandy loam with a high North and South slope with excellent drainage and is located on the famed 45th Parallel.  The original planting was Riesling (four clones), Pinot Gris (two clones) and Regent and Auxerrois.  They then followed this with Merlot (four clones), Cabernet Franc (four clones), Pinot Noir (five clones), Syrah, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, and Muscat.     

We started the tastings with a couple of white wines, and it was a job keeping my Bride controlled, because she had been looking forward to this return trip for some time.  Of course, we started with the Boathouse Vineyards Pinot Grigio Leelanau Peninsula 2021.  A wine that is made using Stainless Steel for Initial Fermentation and aging to maintain the fruit flavor that is inherent in the grapes.  A nice soft-straw-yellow color that offered notes citrus and a distinct touch of grapefruit.  On the palate there was more of an Alpine feel as it was very dry with tones of peach, pineapple, and pear, balanced acidity and a nice finish of fruit and terroir.  The other white that we had was the Boathouse Vineyards “Seas the Day” Leelanau Peninsula 2020.  This wine was also made using Stainless Steel to maintain the fruit flavors.  A softly sweet blend of Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Muscat and Chardonnay.  This wine had a soft golden-yellow color and offered notes of citrus, and white florals.  On the palate this wine had tones of honeydew melon, pear, and peach and a soft finish, perfect for a summer day.   

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A Stop at Grand Traverse Distillery

Posted on July 31, 2023 by thewineraconteur

The five sisters all wanted to go shopping in Traverse City, some had never been there, and none of them truly needed a reason to go shopping.  Now my Bride really enjoys shopping and she was leading the way, especially to some of her favorite haunts.   One of the sisters insisted that she had to go to the Grand Traverse Distillery to get a certain beverage that isn’t sold, but at the Traverse City location, at least that is what her one son said, so she was on a mission. 

While she was on a mission to get that purchase and whatever else might please her fancy, I wandered over to the other side, and they were offering tastes and sales from a couple of local wineries as well.  The young man that was helping me, decided that perhaps, I could help him, in his pursuit of knowledge about wines, as he was observing me taking photos and writing my cryptic notes in my spidery long hand.  The first wine that I tried was from a winery that my Bride and I had visited before, and I tried the Brengman Brothers Riesling Kabinett Crain Hill Vineyard Leelanau Peninsula 2021.  Two brothers Ed and Robert Brengman began their dream of being winemakers in 2003 with the purchase of Crain Hill Vineyard.  They now make besides wine; vermouth, brandy and have started a distillery as well.  The Riesling Kabinett is a medium-dry wine, I opined that Kabinett has no real status in America, as compared to Germany and Austria, but it was an excellent marketing choice.  There were no production notes offered by the winery, so I will just describe the wine.  The wine is a soft-yellow colored wine offered notes of citrus, white florals, and some candle wax.  On the palette there were tones of lemons and limes with some good acidity and a finish of more fruit.  A very easy drinking wine that would be a crowd pleaser. 

I then tried three wines from Shady Lane Cellars on Leelanau Peninsula, a small, but industrious winery that produces about seven-thousand bottles of wine each year.  We have been to the winery in previous trips to the region.  The wines I tried were the Coop de Blanc Estate Leelanau Peninsula 2017, the Semi-Dry Riesling Estate Leelanau Peninsula 2019, and the Cabernet Franc Estate Leelanau Peninsula 2018.  The estate vineyard was first planted in 1989 and their tasting room opened in 1999 and they are one of the original twelve vineyards on the Leelanau Peninsula.  Richard Fortune was originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, but his family had been visiting the region for about fifty years.  He built a home and started a vineyard named Hennessey Harbor Vineyards and in 2013 he became the owner of Shady Lane Cellars.  Shady Lane Cellars now owns just over sixty acres in two distinct vineyards.  The Coop de Blanc is pure Vignoles and the first grape of the harvest.  Vignoles is a cold-hardy hybrid bred by J. Ravat in the 1930’s in France, and is basically grown in the northern and midwestern state of America.  The parents are thought to be either Pinot Noir or Chardonnay, but it is no longer sanctioned in France, but has found a home here.  A pretty golden colored wine that offers notes of tropical fruits, white florals and ginger.  On the palate there were tones of pineapple, tangerines, a touch of honey and a tinge of ginger.  It has nice acidity, refreshing and bit sweeter than I usually drink, but I found it enjoyable, and I think that I would enjoy it with some fried chicken.  I then had the Semi-Dry Riesling made from four different clones and fermented in small batches and aged in Stainless Steel for a bit.  The straw-yellow colored wine offered notes of citrus and orange blossoms.  On the palette there were tones of green apples and citrus with some bright acidity and crispness.  The Cabernet Franc had Initial Fermentation for nineteen days in open-top bins with four different strains of yeast.  The Malolactic Fermentation began after the wine was placed in French Oak barrels and were aged for eighteen months.  A nice garnet red wine that offered notes of dark fruits, pomegranate, and violets.  A pretty wine that offered tones of dark cherries, and baking spices with fine tannins and balance acidity.  An enjoyable wine.       

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We All Went to Black Star Farms

Posted on July 29, 2023 by thewineraconteur

Since we were on Old Mission Peninsula and we had a crowd, and we struck out once at a winery, I thought that Black Star Farms was a crowd pleaser. Black Star Farms is rather unique in that it has vineyards and tasting room facilities on both peninsulas, so that they are kind of surrounding Traverse City which is kind of the focal point for all of the wineries in the area.  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.

Some of the sisters were asking about a white wine they might enjoy, other than a Chardonnay, so I suggested a Gewurztraminer.  That was not one of the wines being offered that day, but after talking with them, they opened a bottle for the sisters to try; the wine was technically sold out and they only had a couple of bottles left.  They all tried a Black Star Farms Arcturos Gewurztraminer Leelanau Peninsula 2020.  I have always had a soft spot for this varietal, as I enjoy its natural spiciness.  The fruit was cloned from the winery’s initial planting of this varietal from their Manigold Vineyard on Old Mission Peninsula and then the new plantings were done on the vineyards in the Leelanau Peninsula.  It is very safe to say that this wine had Initial Fermentation and a short aging period all in Stainless Steel, as the flavors are crisp and bright.  A very soft straw-yellow colored wine that offered notes of citrus and white florals.  On the palate tones of apple and tangerines and the inherent spices of the grape with a short finish offering more fruit to enjoy.

While we were there, my Bride and I shared a tasting of four of the twenty-four wines offered.  We selected the Black Star Farms Arcturos Dry Riesling Michigan 2021, the Nouveau Marquette Michigan 2022, the Arcturos Cabernet Franc Michigan 2019, and the Sirius Red Dessert Wine NV. The Dry Riesling which is one of their most popular varietals that they produce under several different labels and harvests.  The wine carries a Michigan AVA as the fruit comes from the two different peninsulas.  Another wine that is entirely done with Stainless Steel.  The soft golden-yellow wine offered notes of pears and honeysuckle.  On the palate one could discern tones of peach, honey dew melons and apple with good acidity and a short finish that also featured some terroir.   The Nouveau Marquette is wine that features an inherent spiciness.  The Marquette grape was created in 1989 and introduced in 2006, by the University of Minnesota, a cold-hardy hybrid.  The grape is a cousin of Frontenac and a grandson of Pinot Noir.  While this grape can be mellowed by barrel aging, or the modern oak-chipping, this wine is another Stainless-Steel aged wine as the wine showed fresh fruit and vibrancy.  A nice ruby red colored wine that offered notes of cherries, currants, blackberries, a touch of leather, and black pepper.  On the palate the tones of black fruits, and the distinctive black pepper, made this youthful wine very easy to drink, but I think it would have been great tasting it with a Brie.  The Arcturos Cabernet Franc is an example of a red varietal that has become quite a cult grape in Michigan, and the fruit for this wine was fifty-nine percent Leelanau Peninsula and forty-one percent Old Mission Point Peninsula.  The wine is ninety-five percent Cabernet Franc and five percent Merlot.  It was aged for about two years in a mix of American and French Oak barrels, with fifteen percent new.  A dark garnet colored wine offering notes of black fruit and herbs.  On the palate tones of blackberry and plums.  I thought that this wine was a bit soft, but perhaps some more time in the bottle and cellar, may allow it to mellow and mature a bit more. The Sirius Red Dessert Wine is their latest dessert wine offering and is made using the Regent grape.  The Regent was developed in Germany in 1967 and is a hybrid with lineage of Chambourcin, Silvaner and Muller-Thurgau.  It is highly resistant to mildew diseases, has an abundance of tannins and is another cold-hardy hybrid.  The wine is made akin to a Ruby Port, and was fortified by an in-house distilled grape brandy and then aged for one year in neutral French Oak barrels.  A dark intense red wine with that offers notes of black fruit and berries and spices.  On the palate there is nice tones of dark fruit and a tinge of mocha and a sweet warm alcohol finish. 

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Shot Down Twice

Posted on July 27, 2023 by thewineraconteur

While we were enjoying the “Sister’s Getaway.” I was planning on visiting some wineries while we were up in the Traverse City region.  Normally, when my Bride and I are on holidays, we tend to eat out for every meal, and there is emphasis on wine and then some sight-seeing and shopping tossed into the mix.  For this experimental trip, wine was not paramount, so I tried to pick and choose some wineries, both for myself and for the group.

The very first winery that we were going to go see was Chateau Chantel on Old Mission Peninsula.  The selling point for going here first, was that to me, it may be the most beautiful grounds, as one could enjoy a glass of wine and look at both bays.  The winery began with the Begin family, Robert, Nadine, and daughter Marie-Chantal in 1983 when they purchased sixty-acres of cherry orchards and cleared the land and began planting Begin Orchards and pursued purchasing more property as well.  Their formal plans were for a European-styled Chateau, winery, a B&B, and a hospitality room for retreats and events.  Chateau Chantal was incorporated in 1991 and all the additional structures were completed in 1993.  The winery is self-sufficient, as you drive up the circular path you can see not only fields of vines, but if you look carefully, tucked in the background are solar panels.  Alas, when we got there, the everything was dark and quiet, evidently a vehicle hit a panel or panels and the entire winery was shut down.  I guess that they had an event planned for some of a tasting event and pizza pairing, for the day, and they were issuing refunds to some of the people.  We could not enjoy a glass of wine and bask in the sun and admire the vista.  This was the first time, I had ever encountered a winery shut down, as the tasting room is the life blood of the business.

Two days later, some of us went on another winery trip for tastings on the Leelanau Peninsula and I was excited as we passed a small hand-painted sign that said “the best Cabernet Franc wines up ahead.” Nathaniel Rose works with individual vineyards to create small-batch, handcrafted red and white wines with no chemical manipulation.  Small basket presses, continuous racking, no fining, or filtering creating wines that are all basically cuvée works of art.  He makes “Left Bank” wines, “Rhone” wines, a Port, an old-world style Pet-Nat, an old-world Port and a Beerenauslese.  I was really geeked up to try these wines.  We got to the winery and there was just a little “closed, please call again” sign in the window.  I was crestfallen, and so were the others that came along to try some wines and to find out that we had encountered two closed wineries.  As I was telling this tale to others winemakers, they basically said that Nathaniel Rose was totally into the concept of winemaking, but not in the business side at all.  I know that eventually I will get back to each of these wineries in the future, I just couldn’t believe the luck I had in one week.     

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A Family Get-together in Wine Country

Posted on July 25, 2023 by thewineraconteur

My Bride was one of the conspirators behind the first “Sister’s Vacation” with spouses.  They found a large cabin to rent at a year-round resort complex very close to Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsulas, one of the major wine centers of Michigan, which was fine for me.  Of course, the logistics for packing for five days with my Bride was monumental, we actually only needed a suit case each, plus one garment bag.  That was the easy part, as well a case of wine.  Then we had an electric refrigerator house, and two coolers for all the food, as breakfasts and dinners were being prepared in-house for everyone.  Lunches were out and about, depending on where we went each day.  We also took pots and pans, griddles, a coffee maker, cutlery, etc., etc., etc., we left the sink in our kitchen. 

Even loading up the car, went quite smooth, just making sure that the rear-view mirror wouldn’t be blocked.  Though I was still grumbling about all of the stuff we had packed, and I was told, that she just wanted to make sure that she would have everything necessary, because she didn’t know how much stuff would be furnished for us.  The cabin was on the grounds of this resort, but it was owned by an avid skier, and I am sure it was used quite a bit during the winter months by the owner.  The cabin besides having furnished bedrooms, had a washer and dryer, a game room with “Foos-ball” and a “shuffleboard” along with sofas and a couple of televisions on the main floor.  The kitchen had basic utensils, small appliances, and thankfully wine glasses, because we only packed emergency plastic glasses.  We made great time traveling, as we were going north, while most of the traffic was going south.  We ended up getting to the resort about three hours early and of course the leasing agency, did not have the cabin ready for immediate occupancy.

We ended up having lunch at The Thistle, a tavern on the grounds of the resort.  Over the years, my Bride and I have been here several times and The Thistle is one of her favorites.  She wanted some light, until she could start make dinner.  She was extremely happy that they had Whitefish Pate, with crisp capers, crostini, and flatbread crackers.  She also wanted a Negroni, as that is her current cocktail of choice.  I surprised myself and had something healthy.  I went with a Shrimp and Avocado Salad of arugula, tomato medley, pickled onions, fresh roasted corn, and a lemon-tarragon vinaigrette.  I had a glass of Fleurs de Prairie Languedoc Rosé 2022 by Les Grands de France under the umbrella of Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits.  Fleurs de Prairie is sourced from selected vineyards throughout the Languedoc and some of the vines are over fifty years old.  The wine is a blend of forty-three percent Grenache Noir, forty percent Syrah, nine percent Carignan, and three percent Mourvedre.  The grapes are harvested in August and September and direct pressed for a light, fresh style. Grapes are fermented in Stainless Steel tank and fermented separately by varietal. The wine is a pale salmon color and offered notes of strawberry, peaches, white florals and a touch of lemon.  On the palate tones of papaya, guava, and banana with bright acidity and a short finish of fruit.   

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A Unique Find and a Chapter is Almost Finished

Posted on July 23, 2023 by thewineraconteur

My Bride’s tour of duty as the executor of her mother’s estate is almost completed.  She did it without renumeration, as it was all in the family.  Trust me, if you ever, unfortunately are in this situation, take some form of renumeration, it was like a full-time job for periods of time.  We were going through the final harrowing period of waiting for the house to be sold, after all the furniture removal, along with the removal of a woman’s life. 

My wife was in continuous contact with the real estate agent, and he mentioned that there were still a few things that were still in the house.  We couldn’t believe it.  After getting everything divided up, as well as possible, getting the house completely refinished, which is a shame that their mother could never lived in the finished project and that was her first and only home, and it was brand new when it was bought.  With every room getting an overhaul of paint, new flooring and whatever else was needed, I couldn’t believe that anything was missed.  I mean it is a slow project to get everything to merge everything she brought here, with what we already have.  My Bride also took all the photos to digitalize them and make a complete history for everyone that wants a copy, including second and third cousins, as she was the surviving matriarch of a very large family. 

My Bride can home from the last trip to the house with a small step ladder that was constantly being used and three full bottles.  There was a fifth of Canadian Club and a fifth of Crown Royal, both symbolizing the cottage that the family had on Lake Huron in Ontario, Canada and was visited by all the extended family for decades.  The other was really a curio, that my Bride doesn’t recall, but it made sense that she probably brought a bottle home, because both of her parents were avid hockey fans, but her parents really didn’t drink wine and only a couple of sisters really do.  I am looking at a bottle of Detroit Red Wings “Red” Merlot North Coast 2007; cellared and bottled by Wine World Estates of St. Helena. Wine World Estates had its origins when Jacob and Frederick Beringer purchased property in St. Helena, California in 1875.  And they were known even back then as a producer of premium table wines.  They survived Prohibition by producing “communion wines.”  They were the first to open their doors to the public in 1934, and they were named an Historical Landmark by the state of California in 1967.  In 1971 they were purchased by Nestle and a side company was created Wine World Estates and they were purchasing, leasing, and developing acreage in northern California, and were able to control the costs distinction.  I have to surmise that they must have had a division that could produce small runs of wines for different entities.  The Detroit Red Wings utilizing the team colors had a “Red” and a “White” wine; Merlot, and a Chardonnay, that they began selling at the Olympia Club and in the Executive Suites at Joe Louis Arena.  The labels uniquely mimic the base color of the home jersey of the Red Wings and their famed “winged-wheel.”  The wine has been described as having “aromas and flavors of raspberry and blackberry.  Expressions of coffee and cocoa frame the mid-palate, while a supporting spiciness balances out the soft-velvety finish.”

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