How to Choose Which Winery in Northern Michigan To Visit

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Why Choose Laurentide Winery?

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Why Laurentide? Because if you  prefer and desire to drink and support local wines, you will find the grapes to  grow our wine on French Road in Lake Leelanau. We are an estate boutique winery, a family owned business since 2006 specializing in cool climate wines.

If you want innovative, creative, award winning wines that honor the terroir of Northern Michigan, try our current vintages of 15 types of wine. With over 160 awards to date, we excell at most wines produced since our 1st 2010 vintage. Try Sauvignon Blanc, our flagship wine or even more unique, our Fume Blanc, the only in Michigan. From fun Bubble de Bubble, a sexy fizzy Chardonnay to  our weighty Reserve Meritage blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot, we have a large repertoire of wine to satisfy your tastes and your budgets.

If you yearn for kind and knowledgeable staff, we train our staff and serve our wines with a smile. If we don’t know the answer to your question, we’ll find out if you’d like so you don’t drive away with another  confusing wine myth stuck in your head. Our philosophy is that training is continual and we practice servant leadership. 

If you would like to host a   private event, we offer our lovely tasting room to reserve after hours for small plates wine pairings so you can leave the details and service  to us.  Expert wine pairing and small plate preparations are chosen  per your needs and requests. 

If you want to see the vines that make the wine in your glass, reserve a private vineyard tour available May-October. We’ll take  your small group for a 1 hour guided trip to our vines 3 miles away on one of the highest spots in Leelanau, where you can take a picture, pick  a petoskey stone and smell the grapes ripening.

If you want to mingle, stand at the bar, check out our rotating artist of the month display or shop our retail logo items. If you want a  rendevous, enjoy sitting at the quiet tables inside or out for an intimate chat. Our indoor tables are set aside for customers that desire a sit down tasting of wine flights which can challenge your deductive skills so you leave Laurentide knowing much more than when you entered. We can tease you with blind flights or tailor a custom flight  however you want to delight your palate.

If you are tired of fighting for a parking space and jostling for a spot in a noisy tasting room and if you want to be far from the madding crowds, drive into the bucolic heart of Leelanau.  You can hear the birds, the buzz of the bees and listen to  the live music playing on the patio,  on the stereo or in your heart while sipping superb wine at the bar, or tables inside and out.

  If you want to know that Wine is History  started 350 million years ago and the reason why we are named Laurentide, please visit us, stay a while, lend an ear and we’ll tell you our story: Laurentide Winery.  

Cheers! See you at Laurentide…

 

Harvest Lentil Salad with Laurentide Chardonnay Vinaigrette

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2015 Harvest Stompede Recipe by Susan Braymer, Laurentide Winery

Salad Ingredients:

  • 1c Black lentils
  • 1c Tan Lentils
  • 1 Vegetable Bouillon cube
  • 1T Seasoning Blend as desired
  • 1 t Sea Salt
  • 1 Carrot peeled and grated
  • 1 Celery stick sliced thin
  • ½ Red Pepper diced
  • ½ Orange Pepper diced
  • ½ c Red Leaf lettuce julienned
  • ½ c Green Leaf Lettuce julienned
  • ¼ c Raisins
  • ½ c Almonds, sliced and toasted
  • ½ c Feta Cheese crumbled

Dressing:

  • 2 Red Onions sliced
  • 2 Garlic clove
  • 2T Olive oil
  • ½ c Laurentide Chardonnay
  • ¼ c Olive Oil
  • ¼ c Fresh Lemon Juice
  • Lemon Zest from 1 Lemon reserve
  • ~½ c Water
  • ¼ c Dijon Mustard
  • 1 T Honey or to taste
  • 1 t Sea Salt or to taste
  • 1 t Cracked Pepper or to taste
  1. Combine lentils with bouillon, seasoning blend and salt. Cover 2 c lentils with 2 c water and cook  lentils in pressure cooker 3 minutes until al dente. Release pressure to end cooking quickly so the lentils retain “bite”.
  2. Prepare the rest of the salad vegetables and ingredients. Gently combine vegetables with cooled lentils.
  3. Caramelize the onion and garlic under low heat with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper while cooking down.  Combine with all the rest of the dressing ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth.  Adjust thickness of dressing carefully with water to thin if desired and salt and pepper to taste. Add reserved lemon zest.
  4. Pour enough of the dressing over the lentils and vegetables to coat lightly and lastly add the raisins, almonds and feta mixing gently. Refrigerate any extra dressing.
  5. Pair with Laurentide Chardonnay, our unoaked Chablis style classic award winner! Cheers….

Serves: 6 or more as a side

 

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Rockstar Riesling

Thoughts from assistant manager Ben at Laurentide Winery…

“It’s a Riesling with the potential of earning legendary status among worthy white wines.”

 Allie Merrick, Riesling on the River Laurentide 2013 Riesling 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ab0P6OCCJlU&feature=player_embedded

Laurentide Riesling 2013

          The first documented evidence of this varietal dates all the way back to March 13th, 1435.  This varietal is commonly associated with Germany due to evidence of it being discovered in Rüsselsheim, Germany.  It is a white grape that begins green, then slowly becomes a darker, more golden shade of yellow when ripe.    This versatile grape can be made both bone-dry and ultra-sweet, and everything in between.

         A staple varietal in the global world of wine, Riesling is planted on three continents and enjoyed by millions of people each year. Northern Michigan is a place where this varietal seems to thrive. In fact, Traverse City, Michigan holds an annual event every year called, “The City of Riesling.”  Its the most common varietal in the region, appearing in ninety-one vineyards, 57 times on the Old Mission Peninsula and 34 on the Leelanau Peninsula. Here at Laurentide, it has become the most prominent varietal on our list with three different wines comprised of 100% Riesling grapes and one blend with these grapes.  Each of the past three vintages of Laurentides’ Dry Riesling have achieved double-gold medals at various international competitions:

– 2011 Dry Riesling which won the Riesling Challenge, Best of Show White, and Double Gold at the International Eastern Wine Competition in 2013.

-The 2012 Dry Riesling, took home another international double-gold medal, this time at the 2013 American Wine Society National Commercial Wine Competition.

-The 2013 Dry Riesling has continued the tradition and then some.  It took another double-gold at the 2014 American Wine Society National Commercial Wine Competition.

         Though this wine is highly decorated, it’s important to note that it is not the awards that defines this wine as a special vintage; it’s the taste. The flavor of the 2013 Dry Riesling is what makes this wine a true rockstar. Those huge notes of apple give the 2013 Dry Riesling a refreshing, pleasant, crisp taste and an even smoother finish.  Having 0.2% residual sugar technically makes it a very dry wine, however the fruit sweet character that is present seems to harness all that ideal Riesling flavor.  It has been my favorite wine to pour to customers because it consistently receives positive reaction from wine drinkers of variable palates. It has an uncanny ability to appeal to sweeter palates while still remaining a favorite for even the driest of palates.  With this crowd-pleasing quality that it has, the 2013 Dry Riesling is an outstanding white dinner wine that can be paired with countless meals from spicy Thai dishes to fresh seafood.

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Thank you, Susan and Bill Braymer

Pulled Pork Sliders Recipe from Laurentide Winery

Small Plates Menu August 13 2015

 

  • 5 lb pork shoulder roast bone in
  • 1 c Laurentide Cherry wine
  • Chipolte or Virgin Olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 2 c tart cherries, pitted
  • 1 bottle cherry based BBQ sauce, your choice or homemade
  • 1 T Red pepper flakes
  • 2T Cornstarch
  • Brioche rolls

Season roast with salt and pepper.  Coat with Olive Oil.  Brown roast on all sides in pressure cooker.  Add 1 c Cherry wine. Cook 1.75 hours.

Remove roast and set aside to cool. Reserve 2 c stock from cooker. De-fat  and heat stock on stove in large pot for the BBQ sauce. Add cherries, bottle of BBQ sauce, red pepper flakes and simmer until cherries cooked through ~ 10 minutes.  Add   cornstarch to  ~1/2 c water and then to bubbling sauce to thicken if desired.

Pull apart pork and shred pork with forks.

Combine shredded pork and sauce, reheat slowly.  Slice open Brioche rolls and plate with pork.

Enjoy with Laurentide Pinot Noir Rose.

Serves 12-14

Thank you- Susan Braymer, Laurentide Winery

Farmers Market News for August

Rosy sleepy eyes w RoseDog daze of August got you down?  Rosy agrees!  Beat the heat with a chilled glass of Rosy’s favorite- Laurentide Pinot Noir Rosé 2014!  Come celebrate  the most versatile wine of all:  Pinot Noir Rosé  the entire Month of August!  

We plan on sampling Rosé every Thursday this month at the Westside Farmer’s Market  in Ann Arbor along with 2 other alternating award winning estate wines.  Need a particular wine?  Let us know ahead of time and we bring it to you for pickup at the market.  See you there Thursday, 3-7pm….

Thank you Susan & Bill Braymer

The man behind the lens

The man behind the lens...
Don Braymer 94, WWII veteran, professional photographer and industry movie producer, shares his incredible black and white auto photo collection in a special showing at the Laurentide tasting room.  Come meet and talk about cars, history and the meaning of life with Don, Sunday August 9, 1-4 pm.  High quality signed photo reproductions of his personal collection will be available for sale and orders for many others can be taken.

If you are a car aficionado or enjoy stunning black and white art, don’t miss this afternoon’s once in a lifetime reception.
Wine by the glass and appetizers will be served. Bugatti 1gs Right Side Wall landtiff
1915 Case Front

Laurentide: The Gold Standard of Un-Oaked Chardonnay

 

Ben continues his posts for Laurentide, waxing poetic on Chardonnay….

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The Chardonnay grape is one of the most recognizable varietals on the planet and a staple in the world of wine.  It is commonly the stereotypical white wine used in pop culture and easily one of the most famous varietal of wines.  Chardonnay,  however is a very polarizing grape.  I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard people say they either love Chardonnay or dislike Chardonnay.  Those who drink Chardonnay are then further divided into two different camps, those who prefer it Oaked or those who prefer it Un-Oaked.  Oaked meaning that the Chardonnay was aged in Oak barrels at some stage of the production.  Un-Oaked is the style of making Chardonnay without the oak barrels and using stainless steel. These varying styles produce two drastically different tasting wines from the same Chardonnay grapes. The Oaked Chardonnay is often a deeper shade of yellow in its appearance, and a distinct buttery flavor. Obviously this varies with which type of wood is used in the barrel but for the most part the taste of an Oaked Chardonnay is clear when tasting. Un-Oaked Chardonnay is often lighter in its appearance, and has a fruity aspect to it that is often covered up in Oaked Chardonnays by the oak tannins.

Here at Laurentide we have just released our 2013 vintage of Un-Oaked Chardonnay.  In my opinion it is the ideal representation of the Un-Oaked Chardonnay. It’s an 100% estate wine, that starts off with a lot of fruit and is deceptively smooth for a dry wine. When I first tried it I was blown away with how delicious it tasted.  So when I proclaim that Laurentide’s  un-Oaked Chardonnay is the gold standard for un-Oaked Chardonnay, I would be wrong.  According to the judges at the International Eastern Wine Competition, it was awarded two awards; best of class for its price range and a double gold.  This was a competition with blind tasting so no bias influenced the judges decisions. It was the result of pure Leelanau fruit, world-class winemaking, and a lot of hard work from various people who made it possible.  In celebration of winning Best of Class and a Double Gold, we are holding a special sale this month for the 2013 Chardonnay. The special is three bottles for $45 which is a great value for what in my opinion, is the ideal example of an un-Oaked Chardonnay. We hope to see you in the tasting room to try it along with our other estate wines!Laurentide Chardonnay 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Farmer’s Market News June 11, 2015

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TO MARKET TO MARKET, THE  ANN ARBOR WESTSIDE FARMERS MARKET  THAT IS,  WITH 3 WINES ROTATING WEEKLY.    

JUNE 11, 2015 OFFERINGS:

SAUVIGNON BLANC 2013, DRY AND GOLD WINNER

CHARDONNAY 2013, UNOAKED AND BEST OF CLASS WINNER

EMERGENCE WHITE 2013, SEMI DRY AND GOLD WINNER

A FABULOUS  TRIO OF LOVELY WINNERS FOR YOU TO SAMPLE AND SAVOR.  READY FOR THURSDAY’S DINNER AS WE BRING THEM CHILLED FOR YOU!  DESIRE ANOTHER OF OUR ESTATE WINES?  JUST REQUEST YOUR FAVORITES AND WILL TUCK THEM INTO THE COOLER FOR YOU TO PICK UP NEXT TIME… 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED PATRONAGE!

SUSAN AND BILL BRAYMER