A New Wine! Winter White Berry

Temps are continuing to plummet, so my awesome fiance planned a night in for us, which included this:

Leelanau Cellars Winter White Mixed Berry!

And it was perfect for a day like today!

It's hard to see all of the snow we have in this photo, but trust me when I say IT'S THERE!

I've had Leelanau Cellars' Winter White, but never Mixed Berry. I couldn't find a description of this specific version, but there was this tidbit about the classic Winter White:

Our ever-popular table wine also known as "the wine in the blue bottle", is very similar to a Piesporter in style and is light-bodied and semi-sweet. 

I'm no wine connoisseur (not even close!) but I know what I like and what I don't. Winter White, for me, is "that wine" which I always seem to forget about then rediscover again. Mixed Berry is light and semi-sweet just the like original Winter White but with an awesome berry aroma. Leelanau Cellars recommends you to pair Winter White with chicken or fish. We chose to go another route with the Mixed Berry:

Venison steak and mixed veggies: A little bit of Pure Michigan.

Not a bad dinner if I do say so myself.

What classic Michigan wine do you keep stocked in your fridge?

Vine Update and Other Wine News

Photo from Leelanau Peninsula Vinters Association Facebook Page.

EatdrinkTC posted an interesting article dealing with the current outlook on the 2014 grape crop. The article features information via reps from Left Foot Charley, Forty-Five North, Chateau Grand Traverse, Black Star Farms, Brys Estate, Bel Lago, and Brengmen Brothers. I found it interesting reading about their newest vintage and/or their prediction for this coming growing season. Last year was a great year for farmers (from all that I've heard.) Will this year be the same? Check out the eatdrinkTC article here: Traverse City Winter Wine Update.

In other wine news, I just read today about the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail's new Leelanau Loop Adventure. There are an amazing amount of wineries on our peninsula, and I've often wondered where to begin planning my visit. I'm definitely one for organization (you save so much time and miss much less, in my opinion, if you've got a game plan!) and it looks like the LLA groups these wineries in a way where you can easily visit ALL the wineries in this region in a three day period. The Sleeping Bear Loop takes you to six wineries along the southwest area of the county, west of Lake Leelanau. Being close to the National Park, I have no doubt that you'll see some fantastic views along this route! The Northern Loop features ten wineries from M-204 north, one of them being Gill's Pier (one of my favorite wineries!) The third loop is the Grand Traverse Bay Loop, which takes you through nine wineries along the east side of the county, the Grand Traverse Bay side. It looks to begin in Suttons Bay and head south. This definitely takes the guess work out of it for me. I've visited a few of these wineries throughout the years, but I can't wait to truly dedicate some time to visiting them! This will be added to my Leelanau Bucket List!

The LPWT also has some great events coming up, including "Sips, Chips & Dips", an event that pairs wines with everyday snacks (definitely up my alley!) and the "Small Plates" events being held on April 25 and May 30, an event pairing Leelanau wines with gourmet fair. It's a little something for everyone! For more information on upcoming events you should definitely check out their list here.

Cheers!

Links from this article:
1. http://eatdrinktc.com/
2. eatdrinkTC article: Traverse City Winter Wine Update
3. Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail: http://www.lpwines.com/
4. Leelanau Loop Adventure (includes links to the three loops): http://www.lpwines.com/new-leelanau-loop-adventure/
5. Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail events (includes information on "Sips, Chips & Dips" and "Small Plates": http://www.lpwines.com/events/