On September 12, we spent the day at Uncle John's Cider Mill in St. Johns to sign books at the 2nd annual Great Lakes Cider & Perry Festival. Later, we trekked to Ann Arbor to taste foods at the 2nd annual Home Grown Foods Festival. Somehow, we didn't get trapped in insane football traffic for [...]
Author Archives: Michigan Vine
A wrong turn turns delicious
September 8, 2009 – 8:34 am
Within an hour of any community in Michigan you'll discover farms and, if you're lucky, wineries tucked into rolling hills and along backroads. This weekend, I took a wrong turn on my way to Berry Hill, a raspberry farm in Dexter (near Ann Arbor). And while I eventually returned to Berry Hill for loads of [...]
Brownwood Farms Apple Riesling Salsa & Better Made tortilla chips
September 1, 2009 – 9:05 pm
Brownwood Farms Apple Riesling Salsa pairs perfectly with Better Made tortilla chips. The salsa is made with Michigan apples and with Riesling from Chateau Grand Traverse. Better Made, the Detroit-based potato chip producer, uses Michigan potatoes. Potato farmer Bill Johnson, whom we met this summer, shared that he provides truckloads of potatoes to family-run Better [...]
Brys Estate Artisan Cab Franc wins state challenge
August 22, 2009 – 9:15 pm
Rarely do I sit down and taste four wines in a row and absolutely love them all. Brys Estate's Artisan Series wine, featuring Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Chardonnay are heavenly. Pure, crisp perfection. Varietals that clearly express the grapes' unique characteristics. Smooth, delectable and purely desirable. I'm not surprised that Brys Estate's Artisan [...]
Best blueberry pancakes?
August 21, 2009 – 8:14 pm
A charming roadside stand was recently added to this organic blueberry farm, run by the same family since 1986. (You can even drive through for hot coffee.) After my daughters dined (my younger one chose the chocolate-topped donut), we strolled through the blueberry vine arch and under the netting into the blueberry patch. Juicy, blue [...]
Michigan Wine & Spirits Competition
August 11, 2009 – 10:26 pm
High energy resounded throughout the Gold Medal Reception, capping off this year"s Michigan Wine & Spirits Competition. It's always fun to attend to taste the judges' top picks, stacking Michigan wine against Michigan wine. Be sure to join us at next year's event! Top winners of this year's Michigan Wine & Spirits Competition: Judges' Merit [...]
A Toast to new Michigan By The Bottle
August 7, 2009 – 9:06 pm
We're excited to share with you another site devoted to Michigan wine. Shannon Casey of Macomb County recently launched Michigan By The Bottle. He's devoted to keeping his site frequently updated with postings on newly discovered Michigan wines. We met Shannon and his wife Cortney last evening at the Michigan Wine & Spirits Competition in [...]
Michigan wine, potatoes & sugar beets
August 7, 2009 – 8:52 pm
When we launched Michigan Vine, we purposefully opted for "Vine" to leave room for future Michigan endeavors. We absolutely love Michigan wine country, as evident by our book, From the Vine, and we continue to travel to the new wineries popping up all over our beautiful Great Lakes state. Excitedly, we also continue to present [...]
Live entertainment at Cherry Creek Cellars
July 22, 2009 – 8:46 pm
Escape this Saturday to Cherry Creek Cellars' new Cafe @ the Creek Summer Series. Musicians singing Motown, country-rock and folk tunes are lined up for Saturdays throughout the summer. It's super easy to while away an afternoon in this remote Irish Hills region, home to Cherry Creek's Old Schoolhouse. The outdoor handcrafted cedar pergola provides [...]
Leland Wine Fest a huge success
July 17, 2009 – 8:46 pm
Thousands celebrated during the 24th annual Leland Wine Fest, one of Michigan's oldest, largest and most popular wine events. The event took place at the Leland Harbor, located next to historic Fishtown, a 145-year-old fishing village. Local wines from both Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsula peninsulas flowed into glasses as tasters sipped wines and savored [...]
