Our goal is to visit every Michigan wine trail at least once a year. We had been to Lake Michigan Shore about a year ago, so it was about that time again. Cortney and I spent two days tasting great wine, eating fabulous food and relaxing with two of our most cherished friends. Take a look at the wine and food treasures we discovered along the way ...
Where we stayed
We stayed at the Worthenbury Country House in Baroda. It's a beautiful old farm house that sits right in front of Round Barn Winery. The view of their vineyards is spectacular. It's a spacious house with three bedrooms and a large entertaining area (with sofas and chairs that fold out for even more bedding if you have a large group). They even have a hot tub to relax in after a full day of wine tasting. Worthenbury is a sponsor of our site, so please consider checking them out when visiting LMS.
Where we ate
We ate lunch one day at Wheatberry Restaurant and Tavern in Buchanan, where the food was excellent; pulled pork sandwiches and mushroom quesadillas were the favorites. Although we didn't partake (we had enough of that looming on the horizon), they had a good selection of local wines.
One of our dinners was at Tabor Hill. For those that have never been there, Tabor Hill is more than just wine; it's a great example of culinary excellence in wine country. The view is breathtaking, as it overlooks the vineyards. We shared a bottle of Grand Mark, their sparkling wine made in the traditional method of Champagne. Since it's also a tasting room, all of their wines were available by the glass, without the typical ridiculous restaurant markup. We shared some of the best bruschetta I have ever eaten and homemade guacamole and tortilla chips. Dinner ranged from fish and pasta to filet mignon and bison. We spent two and a half hours eating, drinking and telling ghost stories! (Yes, for real.)
We ate breakfast (both days!) at Joe's Cafe Breakfast House in St. Joseph. It was part Mexican, part breakfast, and wholly delicious. Their breakfast tacos and breakfast burritos with chorizo were fantastic. It's a small unassuming place, but totally worth checking out. The staff was super friendly, too.
We also ventured into Fennville to eat at one of our staples when visiting LMS: Salt of the Earth. They specialize in farm-to-table fare and have a decent selection of Michigan wines. The hanger steak and burger were as good as we remembered. We may have even splurged and had chocolate fudge cake and gelato!
The Wine
It was our first time at 12 Corners, one of the newest additions to LMS. The tasting room was stunning. The wine highlights for me were:
- Meritage: smokey, blackberry and plum, cigar box notes.
- Merlot: soft and silky mouthfeel, smoked raspberry, black cherry, and strawberry with cocoa and coffee lingering on the finish.
Check out the Cork Wall at Free Run Cellars, where you can leave your mark by adding your initials to a cork and adding it to their wall. Sadly, we forgot to participate, but I guess it gives an excuse to go back. The wine highlights were:
- 2010 Cab Franc: smokey and gamey, tons of black fruit (plum, black cherry, blackberry) with a bit of mushroomy earthiness thrown in.
- Indulgence: Late harvest riesling and gewürztraminer blend. It reminded me of peach cobbler and cinnamon in a glass.
Hickory Creek is under new ownership and this was our first visit since it changed over. One of the new owners was in the tasting room and it was fascinating to see her interacting with guests. You can tell that wine is a passion that she wants to share with everyone who comes through the doors. The wine highlights were:
- 2012 Gewürztraminer: White grapefruit, rose petal, mixed spices, dry.
- 2008 Chardonnay: Creamy, good mouthfeel, big melon on the palate, oaktastic!
- 2011 Cab Franc Rosé: dry, dark cherry, raspberry, spice and a ton of minerality.
We stopped at Domaine Berrien Cellars to do a few staff training videos with Wally Maurer for Michigan By the Bottle Tasting Room. We were fortunate enough to see his team in action pressing grapes. We also tasted and smelled some fermenting juice! We even snuck into the barrel room for a couple of barrel samples of his 2011 Crown of Cab. The wine highlights were:
- 2012 Marsanne: unlike ist 2011 counterpart, this Marsanne was oak-aged, buttery melon and apple, full body and great mouthfeel.
- 2011 Steelhead White: zesty, crisp, refreshing, citrus and pineapple notes.
It had been a while since we stopped at Cody Kresta, so it was about time we came back. This is a place not to be missed. David, the owner and winemaker, led us through a tasting and treated us to a visit to the barrel room. His Chardonnay that is in the barrels may just be one of the best Chardonnays I have ever had. He isn't ready to bottle it yet, but we will make a special return trip once he does. We also tasted barrel samples from the separate components of his Tri Vina: Merlot, Cab Sav, and Cab Franc. The amount of fruit and body in these reds made my mouth water. Although the barrel samples were unbelievable, his bottled wine was also showing well:
- 2010 Merlot: blackberry, plum, jam, big fruit, baking spices, cinnamon.
- 2010 Tri Vina: classic Bordeaux/Meritage blend. Super smooth, plum, blackberry, black pepper, and cherry.
- 2011 Chardonnay: vanilla, creamy mouthfeel, melon, peach.
- 2011 Traminette: whir grapefruit, rose petal, pink flowers, baked peach, spicy.
The Tasting Room staff at St. Julian welcomed us with open arms. We focused on the Braganini Reserve line of wines, which are their premium offerings:
- 2012 Albariño: first Albariño from Michigan that I have had (and, the staff said, the first released in Michigan, period), apricot, orange blossom, lime, green apple, bit of tartness.
- 2009 Meritage: perennial favorite, rustic, earth-driven, big body, black cherry, black berry, bold flavors.
- 2012 Pinot Noir: raspberry, ripe cherry, strawberry, vanilla, anise, coffee, cocoa, silky mouthfeel.
- Catherman's Port: raisin and carmel, rich and luscious.
A trip to LMS wouldn't be complete without stopping at Lawton Ridge in Kalamazoo.
- 2011 Chardonnay: no oak, melon, pear, lemon, the fruits really shines through and is refreshing.
- 2010 Lawton 3: Meritage blend of Merlot, Can Sav, and Cab Franc. dark cherry, big tannins, spice, blackberry.
- 2011 Late Harvest Vignoles: Peach, apricot, honey, lush and creamy.
We were racing against the clock, but made it to Fenn Valley about five minutes before they closed. They were gracious enough to let us get a tasting in. The wine highlights were:
- 2011 Meritage: a perennial favorite, smoked meat, black cherry, black pepper, a spicy zip to it.
- 2012 Edelzwicker: dry blend of Traminette and Riesling, tangy grapefruit and green apple, white flowers.
- 2012 Cabaret Rosé: dry and refreshing, strawberry, field of flowers.
- Capriccio: Soft and subtle, gamey, strawberries, super smooth.
Overall, we had a terrific time on Lake Michigan Shore. We saw some old friends and made some new ones. It was the perfect weekend getaway. I hope the notes from our trip help to motivate you to start planning your own!
Article by Shannon Casey, MichiganByTheBottle.com. We strive to be your definitive source of information on Michigan wines; therefore, we welcome you to link to this page or print an excerpt that leads back to our site. However, as our work is copyrighted, we kindly ask that you do not copy and paste this or any other portion of Michigan By the Bottle in its entirety on another site. We appreciate your cooperation. For reprint inquiries, please email wine@michiganbythebottle.com.
