bottle #8: Sleeping Bear Winery, Albion, MI

On a trip to Detroit for Chris' birthday to catch a Tiger's game, we stopped at a few wineries along 1-94 with our friend, Steve, who is a guest wine-taster for these next few posts in our blog. Sleeping Bear Winery and Taste of Michigan Store is a little shop right off 1-94 in Albion, MI, so it's a convenient stop for travelers and locals alike who want to get a taste of a sweet refreshing Edelzwicker or an oaky, complex Cabernet Sauvignon (Erin and Chris' favorite!). Nick, our wine-pourer, also informed us that they are also working on some beers to add to their collection of delectable drinks. We sampled the Pinot Grigio, which Chris really enjoyed - it had a nice smooth, peary taste. Steve's favorite was the Edelwicker, meaning "Noble Blend" - he liked it for it's sweet, refreshing taste (it's a blend of a Gewurztraminer and a Riesling). Erin's favorite was tied for both the Cab Sauvignon (has that oaky taste and long finish that I love!) and the Merlot, which was nice and spicy. Sleeping Bear is worth the stop if you're cruising down 1-94!

bottle #7: Peterson's Winery, Galesburg, MI

Wow! You haven't tasted wine the "authentic way" until you've visited Peterson & Son's Winery in Galesburg, MI. It's the closest winery to our house, and also, a winery that my (Erin's) Uncle Dave and Aunt Juanita went to on their honeymoon! And this is a wine tasting experience like no other. This wine not only is sulfates free (no added sulfates, so more sugar is added in order to preserve the wine), this wine is also hand-crafted by the "Wine Notsee" himself - self-proclaimed "Wine Notsee" that is. They boast all natural wine with strong fruity tastes, as opposed to wine with sulfates (chemicals/preservatives) added. They also WASH their grapes before crushing them, which is, apparently, a rare process in wine-making. Duane, the wine-making extraordinaire, began making wine in 1982 in his basement, and when he lost his job in March 1983, he turned this passion into his business. When we entered Duane's tasting room, we were struck by the pure, authentic wine tasting experience we were about to have. Duane welcome us and first showed us the rules of wine tasting, which included instructions such as rinsing your glass and sipping water between each taste (which Duane poured for us and we graciously sipped), and not saying "ew, I don't like this," rather, "this wine isn't my taste." Polite wine-tasting is a must here at Peterson & Son's! When we began sipping this sulfate-free vino, we immediately noticed the difference in Duane's wine and every other wine we have ever tasted. It was indeed sweet and fruity! Sweet and fruity isn't always my taste, but we did find a delicious Chardonel Dry wine we enjoyed and bought a bottle. What a neat experience!