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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
I am not reliving a freshman fantasy, this is the first wine crush. When I reported this to my ophthalmic technicians and surgical assistants, they immediately and to the person said “Lucy” recalling from their rerun days, the Lucy segment with Lucy and Ethel with hair up in buns, stomping grapes holding their skirts. Lucy […]
The mighty Shawn is turned loose! Next week we will start our crush and our man, Shawn, starts his busiest time of the year. We will begin with Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noir, but we have a large, read tons, amount of fruit in storage and we will be starting with a peach […]