Well... back to Detroit. Last time I visited this city I found myself exploring a bit of the brewery culture in the outlying suburbs. This time, due to time constraints I couldn't explore more of the Detroit area, but on my way out of town I found a great opportunity. Driving east on I 94, I soon found myself in Michigan wine country.
Obviously this blog is about beer. Beer is in the title, the vast majority of the posts have to do with beer and the word 'hops' probably ranks in the top 10 word count. This is about all sorts of local drinking culture through this country. So we will take a break from the industrial world of brewing and the vast urban decay of Detroit and head out to the serene countryside for the agricultural world of wine making.
This was the first of two smaller wineries that I visited. First, a word about the wine tasting experience in Michigan. The wineries I visited allowed a free sample of up to six wines from their selection with some small costs for some of their special releases. The staff at the tasting rooms were all friendly and made for a great afternoon out in the wilds of Eastern Michigan.
Out of the highlights I will start with the Cherry Red. This is a fruit wine made from the local cherries. It was perhaps a little sweeter than I normally like, but it was served with some dark chocolate. When combined with chocolate, this wine provided just a hint of tart that cut through the chocolate and added layers to the flavor.
My personal favorite was the AZO semi-sweet red. It was one of those wines that has an aroma that is as wonderful as the flavor itself. It is just the right amount of sweet with dark cherry and strawberry flavors. Their Two Handed Red was pretty good, but lacks the body and the dryness that draws me to red wines. Their chardonnay is un-oaked, so it had a lot more light citrus and pear flavors, but lacked a lot of the smoothness.
I drove deeper into the forests and farmlands of Michigan. My next stop was a red farmhouse off a small country road. As compared to Lawson Ridge, this winery featured a lot of drier, tart wines. They have a selection of rose's that range from very sweet to almost bone dry. I tried something in the middle of the road and really enjoyed it. It had lots of light fruit flavors and a light honey dryness at the back of the palate that makes this a perfect drinking wine. Also of note was a blueberry fruit wine. It had just the right amount of berry sweetness that makes this really enjoyable. Those that prefer a sweeter fruit wine probably wont enjoy this as much, it's surprisingly dry and complex. Lastly, was introduced to the Traminette grape. This is a varietal that grows only in this particular area of the country. (There seems to be some debate on this. The staff at my next stop claimed Traminette was a blend and not a grape in and of itself.) The wine was something that I like to call a 'breakfast wine,' slightly sweet with light citrus, grapefruit and light fruit that just seems like it would go really well with some toast and eggs.
As I drove back towards the Interstate on my way back onto the Road, I stopped in Paw paw, the unofficial capital of Southeast Michigan wine country. This is the second-oldest winery in the state and probably one of the biggest. Their selection of wines is so expansive that being forced to pick six out of the list is almost cruel. I had their Traminette as well, it was similar to Cody Kresta's although I think it might have been just a little more tart.
Throughout my tour I had a hard time trying to find a really nice, heavy red wine. Michigan wines seems to stay on the lighter, sweeter side when it comes to their reds. Warner came through, however, with a decent merlot and a blend they call Veritas. Veritas has just the slightest hint of sweet, dark fruit that adds to the big body and spice of this wine.
One more wine I want to mention from Warner, the Grapes of Love. This is one of those overly fruity sweet wines that, lets face it, is more or less tailor made for a girls night out. I tried it for two reasons: First, it was their best selling wine, so I was curious. Second, I think the winery's description says it all, "A silky smooth white wine with great legs and excellent body."
Things I admire in a.... er.... wine?
Cheers
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