July 27, 2008
Steve Grossnickle, Owner
The Michigan Liquor Control Commission defines a tasting room as any approved area where wine may be sampled without cost before purchasing. The sampled wine is not taxed and the winery can act as a distributor as well as a retail outlet. Fine, our tasting room is a 120 year old barn that was disassembled in Wyoming, Michigan, transported to the vineyard and is now in the process of being raised as a rustic, nostalgic remembrance of the past. The completion date will be sometime this fall.
Ah, but in the meantime our production facility at 8580 E. Horn Rd. has doubled as tasting room de facto since July 4, our first official tasting day. We are open for tasting Friday 12:00 to 5:00, Saturday 12:00 to 6:00, and Sunday 12:00 to 5:00; for a map, see the sidebar on the home page. Official, the critical word,…
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May 14, 2008
Steve Grossnickle, Owner
For immediate release:
Winemaker Shawn Walters & Forty-Five North Vineyard Snatch Up 3 Double-Golds This Week at Annual Pacific Rim Competition
(Lake Leelanau, MI) — Forty-Five North—one of Michigan’s newest wineries—has barreled onto the viticultural scene having garnered three “Double Gold – Best of Class” medals and a “Best of Show” distinction this week at the 2008 Pacific Rim International Wine Competition in California. “Double Gold” is awarded to only those wines that receive “Gold” ranking from every single judge in its respective category.
“Double Gold” medals were presented for the Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir Rosé and Dry Riesling—which also placed second overall in the competition of 2800 judged wines, earning it the distinction of “Best Pacific Rim…
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May 4, 2008
Steve Grossnickle, Owner
Having been extremely pleased with our results at the Pacific Rim International Wine Competition, this just really tops off the excitement. Sandra Silfven, “Wine Report” columnist for the Detroit News, spoke with Don Galleano, chief judge of the competition, and reports he was “ecstatic” about Forty-Five North:
In a phone call this week, [Don] was ecstatic — and that’s the right word — about this rookie Michigan winery and said if the competition had given a “Best Winery” award, it would have won.
Wow! Once again, my hat goes off to Shawn for producing some truly exceptional…
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April 28, 2008
Steve Grossnickle, Owner
The title, a word play on the cinematic farce, indicates that the results from the Pacific Rim International Wine Competition, as in the afore mentioned Judging! entry, are in and I am overwhelmed. Shawn was called by the head judge and given the news that his Dry Riesling was voted “Best White Wine” in category and that the judging of best of categories placed it second overall in the competition of 2800 judged wines, losing to a cream sherry. I don’t…
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April 12, 2008
Steve Grossnickle, Owner
Shawn called me the other day apologizing that he did not win a gold medal at the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition (FLIWC). Over two hundred wineries were represented with over 2400 wines judged. Forty-Five North has entered multiple wine competitions including the FLIWC, Pacific Rim, Indianapolis, etc., with the first being Finger Lakes. Those wines submitted were barrel samples and not completely finished wines, and this, honestly, sounds like an excuse, but nevertheless the truth. These wines were no more than four months old. Shawn is more…
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February 20, 2008
Maynard Johnston, Consultant
My 1st visit to Leelanau occurred in September of 2006. I was immediately impressed by 2 things, the beauty of the place and the friendliness of the people. During that 1st visit, I visited ~6 wineries during that short stay. I quickly learned that the majority of the wine being made there was coming from the vinifera family of grapes, the quality family, the European/California family. There were also wines being made from French Hybrids such as Vignoles and Vidal Blanc as well…
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January 11, 2008
Steve Grossnickle, Owner
Winter in Michigan is a special event, those of us who have experienced it form a common bond with fellow winterites. Pristine knee deep white snow, cerulean blue skies, and air that is inhaled slowly to assure a non-heart stopping shock, are remembrances of winter at its best. Floridians, woosies at best, have no clue as to these sensorial experiences. Three generations of Grossnickles, grandfather, father, and son, and best friend, visited the winery under these exact conditions. We tasted the still young wines that Shawn and David have perfected, and I must say they…
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October 13, 2007
Steve Grossnickle, Owner
The title summarizes my emotions with my first crush. From the delivering of the grapes in large fruit lugs, the simple tasting of the fresh fruit and then the chemistry of measuring sugars, PH, Titratable Acidity, etc., unloading the grapes into the crusher-destemmers, pumping raw juice into tanks, and then the next day adding the yeast and yeast “food”, can only be described as a “rush”. The episode only ascended from there, the smells and visual inputs: yeast with fresh monosaccharides gives an atmosphere of a liquid bakery while the cleanliness and stainless…
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