Left Foot Charley & Robert Parker

Bryan Ulbrich's Left Foot Charley is named one of the top producers east of the Rockies in Robert Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide (7th ed).

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Traverse Bay Farms Voted America’s #1 Salsa 2nd Year in a Row

National awards and recognition just keeps coming to Traverse Bay Farms. The company won the top prize in the salsa category at the 2008 America's Best National Food Competition.

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Short Takes from The 45th

Brief interviews with Spencer Stegenga of Bowers Harbor Vineyards and Sean O'Keefe of Chateau Grand Traverse about the awards their wines won at the International Eastern Wine Competition.

Michigan’s Rieslings

Read up on the buzz about Michigan's Rieslings, which have earned than 120 medals so far this year.

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More on Michigan wine competition

Results from last week's Michigan Wine and Spirits Competition were a bit of a surprise, according to judge and Detroit News wine columnist Sandra Silfven. Read her coverage of the event, where the usual Rieslings, Gewurztraminers and Pinot Blancs were overshadowed by Frontenacs and Traminettes.

Michigan Wine Competition Winners

Ornery judges, no best of class for sparkling, and an ice wine with low sugar content garnering best of its class...it all spells out great news for Michigan wines according to Michwine founder Joel Goldberg, who helped judge. Check out his roundup of the annual competition held this week in East Lansing. And congrats to all the Northern Michigan winners!

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.

Moomers business up

Traverse City Business News reports that Moomers has enjoyed a 15 percent increase in business after being named America's Best Scoops by ABC's Good Morning America.

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True North Vodka nets second gold

Grand Traverse Distillery released its True North Vodka last June, and has since earned two gold medals. The most recent was at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and the first last September at the prestigious 2007 Beverage Testing Institute's International Review of Spirits Competition. "Receiving two Gold Medals with our first year is real validation that we're on the right track," says True North Owner Kent Rabish. A fine start for the fastest growing vodka in the premium vodka class, and one that uses our very own northern Michigan rye.

Moomers Wins!

Congratulations to Moomers Homemade Ice Cream, voted the country's best ice cream shop by a Good Morning America poll that ran this week on the GMA website. A camera crew will be at Moomers tomorrow from 6 - 8 a.m. for a live satellite broadcast to announce the news, and customers will receive free ice cream during filming. "From the bottom of our hearts, we'd like to thank the legion of Moomer's fans that have emailed, voted, and passed-the-word," say the folks at Moomers. "We are utterly grateful and overwhelmed by the support we received."

Moomers in top 4 in Good Morning America’s Ice Cream Challenge

Moomers Homemade Ice Cream was chosen by Good Morning America as one of the top ice cream shops in the country, and will be featured on Good Morning America Weekend on Sunday, May 18, during the 8-9 a.m. segment. People can vote online following the segment through Friday, May 23, with the winner announced on Good Morning America on May 24.

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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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Raclette featured in Freep

The phones are ringing off the hook at the Leelanau Cheese Company after the Detroit Free Press did a story on its aged raclette, It's the best cheese in America. The cheese was judged best in show at last summer's 24th annual American Cheese Society's competition.

Food for Thought finalist for TC Chamber Award

The honors continue for Food for Thought, an Honor, Michigan-based company that produces award-winning Fair Trade and organic specialty foods. The company is one of 10 finalists for the Traverse City Chamber's 2008 Hagerty Small Business of the Year award announced yesterday. The winner will be announced at a luncheon May 21 at the Hagerty Center on NMC's Great Lakes Campus in Travese City.

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