Sherry Seston is back with us today for another winery immersion. Joining Jayme and me, Sherry will guide us through a tasting of four exquisite wines from her Veritas Estate winery in South Haven, Michigan. The four wines are, Wren White Blend 2023, Chardonnay 2023, Beach Day Rose’ 2023, Blaufränkisch 2023. Go back to episode 61 to hear Sherry’s Chardonnay featured in a blind tasting we performed, including one from Chablis and one from Argentina. mivintageinn.com

Mike De Schaaf is my guest today. Mike is not only a seasoned vineyard consultant but also the farm manager at the MSU Extension Center in Benton Harbor. We dive into his journey in the Lake Michigan Shore wine industry and explore the vinifera varieties that thrive in this region. Plus, Mike has a story about my mom that you won’t want to miss.

Jayme and I discuss the USA AVA system, particularly focused on the Midwest states. There’s a lot of information here, and a few things that we’d really appreciate feedback about. If you have information that can help us, please let me know. Note that this is part 1. Be sure to tune into part 2 in a few weeks.

Claire Kliss wears two big hats. She’s the general manager at Contessa Wine Cellars in Coloma, Michigan, and she is the President of the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail, a group of about 15 wineries focused on promoting the wines of our AVA. email: contessa@cs.com websites: contessawinecellars.com & lakemichiganshorewinetrail.com

Jayme and I are blind tasting three Chardonnays from around the world. The three wines we tasted (not in order, otherwise I’d give away the surprise) were Alpasión Grand Chardonnay 2021 from the Uco Valley in Argentina, Simonnet-Febvre Chablis 2021 from France, and Chardonnay 2023 from Veritas Estate in the Lake Michigan Shore.

Jake Nivison is my guest today. Jake is the vigneron at Domaine Berrien Cellars here near Baroda, Michigan. Join us as we talk in their new barrel room about Jake’s interesting history, and his commitment to education. The website is domaineberrien.com and you can contact Jake at winery@domaineberrien.com.

Jayme and I delve into the exquisite wine regions of France, including Alsace, the Loire Valley, Burgundy, and Bordeaux. We can't help but draw parallels to our beloved Michigan wine regions. Let's uncork some knowledge and sip on some comparisons!

Geoff Hamelin and his father, Paul, are the proud owners and operators of Verterra Winery located in the picturesque Leelanau Peninsula. Verterra Winery is renowned for consistently crafting top-notch, award-winning wines. Just recently, their Merlot Rose' took home the prestigious top prize in the Michigan Governor’s Cup competition. Cheers to Verterra Winery for their well-deserved win! verterrawinery.com