01/29/12

We're not quite empty-nesters yet, but with one child away at college and the other at that adorable age where he wants nothing to do with us, we find ourselves with a little bit of space - space to go on dates, out for dinner, or other close-by excursions. On a sunny, cold and blustery winter Saturday, we hopped in the car and drove 1 1/2 hours to southwest Michigan to visit the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail.

We stopped first at the Warren Dunes State Park - I took the boys camping and to the beach there a couple of times when they were small, but it is a completely different experience in winter. Stark and wild - the waves smashed into the shore and the wind tore through us. It reminded me of a quote from John Muir: "In God's wildness lies the hope of the world."

Our first stop was lunch at Tabor Hills Winery and Restaurant. It is a beautiful dining room, with a gorgeous view of the rolling vineyards in their winter desolation. It wasn't busy at this time of year; we had reservations but didn't need them. We both enjoyed an unusual Caesar salad with grilled artichokes and their soup du jour, that they called Potato and Ham, but also included bacon, cheddar cheese, and a garlic crouton. Very rich but perfect for a cold winter's day.

At each winery we visited, there is a tasting room with a bar or two and helpful staff ready to assist. Each charges a tasting fee, which usually got you five tastings.  At two of the wineries, the fee also included a glass - I love that!

At Tabor Hill, our favorites were their Dry Reisling and a semi-dry white wine called Traminette. I was unfamiliar with the Traminette varietal - throughout our wine trail excursion, I found that the unfamiliar (to me) varietals, those not typically grown in California, were the ones that made the best impression. I suspect it has to do with the vineyard owners growing varietals that work best for this unique grape growing climate and region, rather than trying to imitate what works elsewhere. The Traminette has a Gewurztraminer character to it, but softer and rounder, I thought.  A very enjoyable wine to sip on its own or with appetizers. 

Next we visited the Round Barn Winery, which is actually a winery, distillery, and brewery. Its round barn is indeed picturesque -  the owner bought the barn and shipped it to his vineyard from Indiana. Our favorite wine at Round Barn was a blended dry white wine they call Vineyard Tears. It is an Alsacian style wine, but includes varietals in the blend that you wouldn't find in Alsace - Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. A very enjoyable dinner wine. 

We also tried Round Barn's vodka, which is made from grapes. I'd never tasted a grape vodka before, it was very clean and thought maybe I could detect a hint of grape in the aroma. We also enjoyed the beers they make at Round Barn, including their Oak Aged IPA. They grow hops at Round Barn, too, that they use in their beers. They said that they invite homebrewers to come out and pick hops after they have harvested what they will use that year. 

A short drive away is Domaine Berrian Cellars. The driveway to the tasting room is through some vineyards. We were surprised to learn that all the wineries we visited use their own, estate-grown grapes or grapes that are grown locally - within 5 miles, according to one of the servers. 

Two varietals we tried at Berrian that we enjoyed were the Lemberger, a rich red wine grape from Germany, and the Viognier, a less-common Rhone Valley white wine grape. We also enjoyed their Crown of Cab, a Bordeux-style blend that is aged for two years in oak. 

Our server at Berrian told us that in the summer and especially the autumn, the experience is quite different than ours visiting in the winter. The crowds are more massive, the servers are working faster and with less convivial chat. At Berrian, there is an outdoor deck overlooking some vineyards that is popular with visitors, she told us. 

Finally, across the road from Berrian, we visited Lemon Creek Winery. In addition to grapes, Lemon Creek grows fruit which is available seasonally - raspberrys, plums, blueberries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, cherries, and apples. During our time in the tasting room, we met three of their dogs - it was charming and a great way to end our tour of the wine trail. 

At Lemon Creek, we also enjoyed two new-to-us varietals. One was the Seyval Blanc, which is used in their Northern Lights late harvest wine. The other was a dry German varietal called Kerner, which had a smoky undertone to it and that I imagine will compliment spicy food well. 

All and all, it was a lovely getaway for two not-yet-empty-nesters. Not too far for a day trip, we left home at 9:30ish and were back by 4:30 -  which seemed to be just the right length of time. There are other wineries, which we'll go back to visit another time - it would have been a waste for us to do more tasting that day, our palettes were done. 

Here's a link to a pdf brochure about the trail, which we found helpful.  If you have any questions or suggestions, please leave a comment!