Epicurean Classic Schedule Posted

The folks at the Epicurean Classic have posted an updated schedule online, with details about cooking demonstrations, wine tastings, receptions and dinners taking place during the September 11-13 event.

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Michigan poised well for Riesling market

Sandra Silfven writes in today's Detroit News about Michigan Rieslings getting some love around the country. Three of our local Riesling producers will attend the second annual Riesling Rendevous later this month in Washington state. They are Adam Satchwell of Shady Lane Cellars, Sean O'Keefe of Chateau Grand Traverse and Lee Lutes of Black Star Farms. Silfven also includes a compilation of gold-medal Rieslings from Michigan. Rieslings are the fastest-growing white wine in the country.

Paid tastings in the future?

Cari Noga reports on the small distillers bill recently passed by the Michigan Senate and forwarded on to Gov. Jennifer Granholm, which amends state liquour code to give small distillers the option to charge for tastings. Traverse City's Grand Traverse Distillery would benefit from the bill, and is considering a new facility on Old Mission peninsula. Noga reports that Black Star Farms' Don Coe is asking WineMichigan to seek similar legislation for wineries.

Sunrise Side Wine & Hops Trail

Sandra Silfven reports on the new Sunrise Side Wine & Hops Trail, which not only includes two wineries and a microbrewery, but an elk preserve, too. The "Sunrise Side" is the nickname for the northeast Michigan coast from Standish to Mackinaw City.

Black Star Farms Winemaker Reviews 2007 Wines

Lee Lutes, winemaker at Black Star Farms, shares his take on the 2007 wines.

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Michigan wine sales up in 2007

Nearly all northern Michigan wineries increased sales significantly last year, reports Cari Noga, with two local wineries -- Leelanau Wine Cellars and Chateau Grand Traverse -- garnering the number one and three spots of Michigan wine sellers. Noga shares these and other findings from a Michigan Liquor Control Commission's report in her column in this month's Traverse City Business News. Overall, Michigan wines sales were up 13.4 percent.

Taste the Local Difference 2008 Guide

Keep an eye out for the 2008 Taste the Local Difference food guide available for free at stores, visitor centers, libraries, farmers markets and other spots throughout eight northern Michigan counties. The guide lists nearly 250 farms and lots of local food and farm products available in northwest Michigan. Perfect to keep in your glovebox! Also check out the project website, which offers a PDF version of the guide to download, as well as a handy search feature where you can find specifically what you're looking for.

Michigan Wine “Exotic” to Some

Adam Satchwell, winemaker at Shady Lane Cellars in Suttons Bay, recounts in the Detroit News a dinner organized last month by Jonathon Alsop of the Boston Wine School. The dinner featured exotic wines, including Shady Lane Cellars' Sparkling Riesling and Late Harvest Vignoles. "When Jonathon told me he was pitching this dinner under the label of 'exotic,' I at first laughed," Satchell wrote to columnist Sandra Silfven. "Michigan exotic? Then with a little time, it dawned on me that what Jonathon was perceiving and pitching as exotic was truly just that to the good people of Boston."

Leelanau Wineries Host Inaugural Premium Pour

Here's your chance to taste some of the best wines from Leelanau County. What a great reason for a road trip up north! The Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association's first ever Premium Pour wine trail event takes place June 7, 2008. This inaugural year features a pour of rare, library and estate wines from each of nine Leelanau wineries. Tickets are available online at $25 each. Learn more about the featured wines at Absolute Michigan.

More on the 2008 Northern Michigan Wine Summit

Check out this video on the 2008 Northern Michigan Wine Summit, held April 28 at the Park Place Hotel in Traverse City, Michigan.

In another summit follow-up, Cari Noga writes on her blog Michigan Grapevine today about No.Mi.Wi., which organized the summit for sponsors the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association and the Wineries of Old Mission Peninsula. No.Mi.Wi. is now looking to become a permanent organization to market both the Leelanau and Old Mission peninsulas' wines with a unified voice, and better yet, the region as a destination.

Kudos to Forty-Five North

Congratulations to winemaker Shawn Walters and Forty-Five North, Michigan's newest winery, for snagging three "Double Gold - Best of Class" medals and a "Best of Show" distinction at last week's 2008 Pacific Rim International Wine Competition in California.

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Michigan Wine Summit Observations

Check out Cari Noga's coverage of this week's Michigan Wine Summit in Wines & Vines, where she notes that "Michigan wineries could be ideally positioned to capitalize on the locavore trend--but they might have to be a little sneaky about it at first. That paradox emerged at the second annual Northern Michigan Wine Summit."

Also see Bill O'Brien's article in the Record-Eagle, where he writes that "One national wine author said a key to growing the region's wine market is to highlight the spectacular views and venues for wineries on the Old Mission Peninsula and Leelanau County, surroundings that other wine-making regions find hard to match."

Bl*ck St*r F*rms

Buy a vowel and some vino! A six-night stay at Black Star Farms will be one of the prizes on Friday's episode of Wheel of Fortune.

"After being named one of bedandbreakfast.com's Top Ten Eco-Friendly Inns, we were invited to provide a prize for Wheel of Fortune's Green Week," states an entry posted today on Black Star Farm's web site. "We're told that the show will air on April 11th and that a contestant did win the prize. We're waiting to see who won, and ready to make their visit spectacular...just like we do for all our guests."

Crain’s picks up Michigan Grapevine

Congratulations to Cari Noga, whose Michigan GrapeVine blog will now appear monthly in Crain's Detroit Business. Based in Traverse City, Michigan, Noga has covered the state's grape and wine industry since 1999.

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