winery visits, MI and BC

July was interesting in that it allowed us opportunities to visit wineries in two very different parts of the world: the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Vancouver Island. Wine connoisseurs might scoff that either place produces anything they would consider good or proper wine. I might agree about some of what we tasted, in fact. Still, there's a certain fun and satisfaction in tasting local products made by people who have a passion for what they do and a belief in what they do. Will this wine age well and be worth hundreds of dollars a bottle one day? Nope. But Conrad and I can and will enjoy them casually some evening and think back to going out and tasting them.

Waaaaay back on the Fourth of July weekend we dropped in on the storefront for Leigh's Garden Winery in downtown Escanaba. We'd been there before, last year, and had a very nice time chatting with the family who own it, tasting. Back we went again, and hey! They remembered us. Very flattering.

We tasted almost all of their wines. My favourite? A rosé. Perfect for a summer long weekend. Conrad's sister and brother-in-law ended up liking a semi-sweet red we picked up and brought to the lake later that night. Conrad's mother favoured a white. One thing I will say, the new labels are very handsome, making fine use of vintage images of Escanaba. Given the work I do with such images, this use appeals to me greatly.

The next day the three of us were in a car exploring the Garden Peninsula. Pretty area, and the little village of Garden was a place to stop and browse for local arts and crafts before heading on to Threefold Winery.

Look, I hope it will not seem patronizing when I talk about this, but I rather love visiting places like this. No matter the wine, they always have an earnestness that appeals to me. Honestly? I didn't like all the wine, but I appreciated that they were making wine. And, in fact, we tasted some that we were glad to bring back, both grape wine and fruit wine.

All in all, the day was lovely. We bought amazing honey (as we later learned), some crafts, and some wine. We drove around and stopped and had views of both the awesome (in the truest sense) and beautiful views of the lake. We made it home happily.

Fast forward: end of July. July 25, right before my birthday, and there we were in BC with my parents and sister on a ferry bound from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay, no plan in mind. Kernels of plans, perhaps. So what do we do? Head to a winery Conrad and I had enjoyed last year: Church and State. Lunch!

It's a handsome setting - a new-ish building with high ceilings and a view of the vineyards, wine for sale inside. We settled on the patio for lunch, a tasty affair. A bottle of a Merlot, good food, and the grapes growing below.

Sunshine. Nice. Even the parents liked it! So fine that, following a jaunt to the nearby Butchart Gardens, we came on back to actually do wine tasting.
Well, Marie and I did - Conrad was driving, and the parents had had enough for the day in terms of wine. My judgment? Good reds, not something I find a lot in BC.

We had a nice bit of time before we had to be at our ferry for our reserved sailing, so we dawdled and found ourselves at an unknown winery, Muse. Ah, I wish we'd visited before. Small, cute, charming, a (frankly) hot guy (with just enough chest hair showing above his open collar) pouring for us. Also, very attractive labels. I liked this place a lot. Marie shopped heavily. Me? I stuck to whites, though I thought the reds had some potential. We'll see.

The point of all this is only partially to suggest that wines can be found in the most offbeat and unexpected places. It's only partially to show off pretty pictures of my adventures. It's actually mostly to honour the people who are passionate about what they're trying to do and thank them. I have yet to visit a winery and think, "there's nothing here I wouldn't want to sit and enjoy at a later date". Oh, I know, I'm a snob, but I have deep appreciation for what people are honestly committed to. So yes, a wine tour of northern Michigan (pretty way out there) and Vancouver Island (a little less out there in my eyes, but then, I think others would choke in disbelief to have to consider Canadian wine). At its simplest, it provided some fine holiday memories, but I promise, we'll enjoy those bottles we bought at various points down the road.