Wednesday, May 4,2011

Peninsula pleasures

Leelanau’s vinters rebound gloriously after weathering a tough season in 2009

by Michael Brenton

The annual spring media event sponsored April 16 by the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association provided ample support for the buzz about the 2010 wine vintage in northwest Michigan.

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Wednesday, April 6,2011

The hills are alive — with wines worth singing about

They may not be well known in the States, but these Austrian delights are delicious discoveries

by Michael Brenton

The recent wine-tasting fundraiser at the Kellogg Center, benefiting the Michigan State University Museum, provided a cornucopia of the wines of the world ' or the world of wine. But where to start when confronted with more than 200 versions of tasty juice?.

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Wednesday, March 16,2011

MSU Museum holds annual wine tasting benefit

by Michael Brenton

Tables featuring wines from the Toro, Rias Baixes and Priorato regions of Spain will encourage learning about these high quality but lesser known (in this country) wines.

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Wednesday, February 2,2011

Finding fabulous fizz

’Grower Champagnes’ can be pricey, but they’re worth seeking out

by Michael Brenton

Despite common parlance, remember that “Champagne,” by definition, must be produced from grapes grown and made into wine in the Champagne region of France. Prosecco from Italy, Cava from Spain or tasty sparkling wines from L. Mawby and other Michigan producers are not Champagne.

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Wednesday, January 5,2011

Finding that prime time for wine

A tasting of various Mount Veeder wines reveals the intricacies of aging

by Michael Brenton

Perhaps the questions most frequently asked of winemakers and proprietors at wine tastings are “How long will it age?” and “What’s the cellar life of this wine?” Of course, these questions are impossible to answer accurately because of the myriad...

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Wednesday, December 1,2010

Stay ’toast’-y this season

Making spirits light is easy — if you shop wisely for the holiday table

by Michael Brenton

The simple answer probably is to drink whatever you enjoy, but the typical holiday meal probably isn’t the best occasion to open a big, burly, tannic Cabernet, or a flabby, low acid white.

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Wednesday, November 3,2010

Romancing the Rhone

One formidable French valley yields a variety of tantalizing wines

by Michael Brenton

The under-appreciation factor, which for years made these wines screaming bargains, is disappearing, but this region of France remains a great source of highquality wines without the higher price tag of many Bordeaux or Burgundy region wines of comparable quality.

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Wednesday, October 6,2010

Drunk with power?

Proposed regulations on wine sales might make consumers see red

by Michael Brenton

Hold on to your rights, wine lovers, because they are (still) under attack by the associations representing beer and wine wholesalers on state and national levels.

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Wednesday, September 1,2010

It’s my party, and I’ll wine if I want to

A little imagination plus a little libation can add up to a whole lot of fall fun

by Michael Brenton

Sadly, the long days of summer and barbecue season are waning. But the colorful days of autumn are almost here: People are returning from summer holidays, football season is upon us, and the opportunity for tailgating and finding excuses to have fun with friends will soon be in full swing.

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Wednesday, August 4,2010

The grape escape

Michigan wines impress at Leland festival

by Michael Brenton

I was curious to see if there would be many wines from the challenging 2009 vintage, and how they would show, but most of the wines continued to be 2007 and 2008 juice.

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