Michigan By The Bottle

Podcast #89: Circa 2008 Cabernet Franc

We get sentimental in our tribute to Circa Estate Winery, which closed its doors earlier this year. Against better judgment (after all, it's likely to become a collector's item), we popped open a Circa 2008 Cabernet Franc for this latest podcast. Are you a Circa fan? Come tell us about it.

A fond farewell to Circa Estate Winery

We noticed the cryptic status update on Circa Estate Winery's Facebook page Friday night, as we snuck covert glances at Facebook amid the bustle in our tasting room.

"Circa is currently closed," was all it said.

Beneath it was a parade of replies from concerned fans, wondering if that meant for the night, for the weekend, for the season — or for good.

Feedback Friday: Burgdorf's Winery, Circa Estate, Good Harbor

You may have at least heard of or seen our Michigan wine app for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android — hopefully, you own it, use it and love it! Now, you have a chance to be IN it.

Welcome to Feedback Friday, our weekly feature that works like this: We solicit comments about a specific winery or wineries. You supply them. We pick some to include in our app. You become famous (at least in the Michigan wine community). The end.

Today's featured wineries:

Burgdorf's Winery
Circa Estate Winery
Good Harbor Vineyards 

Send your comments on these wineries to cort@michiganbythebottle.com or post them as a reply to today's Feedback Friday thread on Facebook. We'll be accepting Feedback Friday comments for these featured wineries until next Friday, when we'll introduce a new set. (Of course, feel free to come chatter on Facebook about the wineries you love just for fun any old time. We dig that.)

Read on for complete details...

Read all about it: Circa Estate Winery launches book club

We love all methods of learning about wine: drinking it, of course, but also talking to the winemakers, discussing it with fellow wine lovers, reading about it. So we were pretty geeked when we heard that Circa Estate Winery was launching "The Greater Circa Intellect and Palate Enhancement Society" … which is a fancy way of saying, "wino book club." On their Facebook page, David and Margaret Bell, the winery's owners (and Margaret is the winemaker), invited Circa fans to "join in our passion for great books as we read, sip and chat about the world of wine" and declared "Love by the Glass" by Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher as their first highlighted read. They plan to convene in their Leelanau Peninsula tasting room at 4 p.m. July 8 for the in-person club meet-up, but they're also working on incorporating a "virtual" component, either through Facebook or Twitter (stay tuned for details).
[Click through to keep reading…]

SUPER HUGE Michigan Wine Month Giveaway: April 26

Congratulations to AMBER STEVENS! She was randomly drawn from yesterday's entrants to win a vineyard picnic at Domaine Berrien Cellars. Amber, please email us at cort@michiganbythebottle.com within 48 hours to claim your prize. (For prizes not claimed within 48 hours, we will redraw from the original pool of entrants to determine a new recipient, so be sure to check back daily to see if you're a winner!)

This contest is closed as of 11:59 p.m. Thursday, April 26.
Today's sponsor: Circa Estate Winery

Today's prize: A framed print of the label from Circa's Mosaic wine, featuring artwork by Traverse City's Charles Murphy.

Please click through for restrictions and instructions on how to enter...

Video Feature: Northern Wine Loop's Wine Release Weekend

Want the short version? Watch the video. Want the long version? Read the recap. Want the full story? Do both! 

Keep reading for a meandering travel diary detailing our whirlwind weekend on the Northern Wine Loop, including where we stopped and (of course) what we drank ... Then stop by our Facebook page to chat about which Northern Wine Loop wineries are your favorites!

SUPER HUGE Michigan Wine Month Giveaway: April 2

Congratulations to CHRISTY RICHMOND and LISA AMES ISARD! They were randomly drawn from yesterday's entrants to win VIP tours at St. Julian Winery in Paw Paw. Christy and Lisa, please email us at cort@michiganbythebottle.com within 48 hours to claim your prize. (For prizes not claimed within 48 hours, we will redraw from the original pool of entrants to determine a new recipient, so be sure to check back daily to see if you're a winner!)

This contest is closed as of 11:59 p.m. Monday, April 2.

Today's sponsor: The Rattlesnake Club

Today's prize: Admission for two to an April 19 Circa Estate Winery wine dinner at The Rattlesnake Club in Detroit. The event will feature multiple courses prepared by Executive Chef Chris Franz and his team paired with wines from Circa, located on the Leelanau Peninsula. Circa's owners, David and Margaret Bell (Margaret is also the winemaker), and master sommelier Claudia Tyagi will be on hand for the celebration.

Please click through for restrictions and instructions on how to enter...

Northern Exposure: Northern Wine Loop prepares for New Release Weekend

If you've only ventured as far north as M-204 on the Leelanau Peninsula, you've only seen half of the county — and, in terms of wine, half of the story.

So says a group of Leelanau Peninsula wineries, which is redoubling efforts to ensure that visitors go the extra mile — or extra few miles — and see what they're missing at the peninsula's northernmost end. The Northern Wine Loop, a recently formed "collective" of 10 wineries, all north of M-204, encourages people to venture beyond the shop-lined village of Suttons Bay and into the more rural areas to discover hidden gems.

Circa Estate Winery to debut first Appassimento-style wine in Michigan - Drinks Business Review

Circa Estate Winery, an American winery based in Michigan, will launch Mosaic, which is said to be the state’s first commercially produced appassimento-style wine.

The wine company, located in Lake Leelanau, said the dry white wine is a blend of white grape varieties that have been partially dried prior to fermentation.

Circa Estate winemaker Margaret Bell said Appassimento involves bringing grapes inside after harvest and placing them on drying racks for a period of weeks or months, allowing moisture to slowly evaporate from the berries and producing a juice of pronounced character.

via wine.drinks-business-review.com

Can't wait to try this wine!

Blaufrankish: Funny Name, Great Wine!

Austria's signature red wine grape, Blaufrankish, has been gaining popularity in Michigan. Also known as Lemberger (not to be confused with the cheese, Limberger), Blaufrankish is currently grown and/or made into wine by at least five Michigan wineries: Shady Lane, Circa, Silver Leaf, Tabor Hill and Domaine Berrien.

Could Blaufrankish become one of Michigan's premier red wines? Some winemakers think it has a good shot.