David Miller ought to know how to make Riesling. After working many years in wine grape research at Michigan State University and serving as winemaker at St. Julian for 13 years, he and wife Sandy made the plunge: They opened their own winery.
Napa winemaker Mario Monticelli makes reds so awesome, dense and jet-powered for the Trinchero Napa Valley line they can make you weep. All are made off single vineyards on prime sites all over Napa Valley, and all are owned by the Trinchero family. “Yeah, they give you zombie teeth,” admits Monticelli bursting into a wide … Continue Reading →
With three years under its belt, the gastro pub known as Salt of the Earth in Fennville, tucked away on the state’s west side in Allegan County, has become a food and wine destination in West Michigan’s resort belt.
The venerable Moet and Chandon, producer of luxury French Champagnes, is proof a winery can be around for two and a half centuries and still keep adapting, evolving and innovating.
We’ve already had enough heat to get us into a summer mood. Now our state wineries and local restaurants are making it official. Following Memorial Day weekend, the wineries shift into longer summer hours and restaurants open their patios. Here’s a taste of what’s happening, along with a nice nod in Chicago to Michigan wineries. >> … Continue Reading →
Does Bethenny Frankel have the skinny on wine, too? If you saw the list of stores in Lower Michigan carrying her new Skinnygirl trio of blends, you might think she does. Frankel — the star of countless TV reality shows, including “Real Housewives of New York,” author of numerous books on skinny lifestyles and producer … Continue Reading →
As wine competitions go, most are held in California and are international in flavor. States hold wine competitions for their own wines if the industry is big enough. So it’s rare when a small community college puts on its own competition, such as the Great Lakes Great Wine Competition by the Orchard Ridge Campus of Oakland … Continue Reading →
If you drink California wines, I can just about guarantee you have tasted something from the Lange family in California’s Lodi appellation. The Lange twins, Randy and Brad, are fifth-generation wine growers and do it on a mass scale. They are bulk wine producers, making millions of gallons off thousands of acres of estate-grown vineyards, … Continue Reading →
Pull out your tasting notebooks for two large wine events this week: The first is the annual Great Lakes Great Wine tasting and strolling dinner at Oakland Community College in Farmington Hills, starting at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 17. The second is the Great Lakes Wine and Beer festival at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, … Continue Reading →
The recent Michigan Wine Showcase at the Rattlesnake painted a bright canvas of today’s Michigan wine industry — the vintners with lots of experience who keep trying new things, the newer wineries finding their groove … and brand new wineries finding their way. More from my notebook: The buzz at Chateau Fontaine and Black Star … Continue Reading →