April 12, 2008
Steve Grossnickle, Owner
Shawn called me the other day apologizing that he did not win a gold medal at the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition (FLIWC). Over two hundred wineries were represented with over 2400 wines judged. Forty-Five North has entered multiple wine competitions including the FLIWC, Pacific Rim, Indianapolis, etc., with the first being Finger Lakes. Those wines submitted were barrel samples and not completely finished wines, and this, honestly, sounds like an excuse, but nevertheless the truth. These wines were no more than four months old. Shawn is more…
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February 20, 2008
Maynard Johnston, Consultant
My 1st visit to Leelanau occurred in September of 2006. I was immediately impressed by 2 things, the beauty of the place and the friendliness of the people. During that 1st visit, I visited ~6 wineries during that short stay. I quickly learned that the majority of the wine being made there was coming from the vinifera family of grapes, the quality family, the European/California family. There were also wines being made from French Hybrids such as Vignoles and Vidal Blanc as well…
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January 11, 2008
Steve Grossnickle, Owner
Winter in Michigan is a special event, those of us who have experienced it form a common bond with fellow winterites. Pristine knee deep white snow, cerulean blue skies, and air that is inhaled slowly to assure a non-heart stopping shock, are remembrances of winter at its best. Floridians, woosies at best, have no clue as to these sensorial experiences. Three generations of Grossnickles, grandfather, father, and son, and best friend, visited the winery under these exact conditions. We tasted the still young wines that Shawn and David have perfected, and I must say they…
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October 13, 2007
Steve Grossnickle, Owner
The title summarizes my emotions with my first crush. From the delivering of the grapes in large fruit lugs, the simple tasting of the fresh fruit and then the chemistry of measuring sugars, PH, Titratable Acidity, etc., unloading the grapes into the crusher-destemmers, pumping raw juice into tanks, and then the next day adding the yeast and yeast “food”, can only be described as a “rush”. The episode only ascended from there, the smells and visual inputs: yeast with fresh monosaccharides gives an atmosphere of a liquid bakery while the cleanliness and stainless…
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September 22, 2007
Steve Grossnickle, Owner
I am not reliving a freshman fantasy, this is the first wine crush. When I reported this to my ophthalmic technicians and surgical assistants, they immediately and to the person said “Lucy” recalling from their rerun days, the Lucy segment with Lucy and Ethel with hair up in buns, stomping grapes holding their skirts. Lucy is now an eight foot long stainless steel apparatus with a large bladder that progressively expands and squeezes the grapes, in this case pinot gris, and later auxouis, a white hybrid. The photos show conveyor belts, grape filled bins, and…
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September 1, 2007
Steve Grossnickle, Owner
The mighty Shawn is turned loose! Next week we will start our crush and our man, Shawn, starts his busiest time of the year. We will begin with Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noir, but we have a large, read tons, amount of fruit in storage and we will be starting with a peach vignole spumante, a totally new blend that on a hot summer’s day will even appeal to the coldest beer drinkers around. We will have cherry, apricot, pear, apple, plum and if nature’s kind, an ice wine this fall. I’m writing this as would a broker in the…
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September 1, 2007
Steve Grossnickle, Owner
I’m now going to dive into the deep, unexplored pool of knowledge concerning alcohol, the simple two carbon molecule, and its effects on the human body. Many studies have shown that longevity is positively affected by those who have alcohol as part of their diets, the actuaries know this as well, alcohol usage is a checkbox on every insurance application. But, the studies always indicate moderation as far as intake, several ounces is the benchmark. As I delve into the subject, I find that the facts are clear, the actuarially studies…
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August 19, 2007
Steve Grossnickle, Owner
As my experience mounts in the quest for a first bottle of Forty-Five North wine, I feel as if I have obtained another degree, perhaps if you will, a Masters of Naivete’. We received our Michigan Liquor License, allowing us to produce wines up to 20% alcohol content. Either brewing beer or distilling spirits requires a whole new level of certification. Nevertheless, I would like to recount my journey in quest of the holy certificate. It starts with the TTB, or as you may know it, the Alchohol and Tax Bureau, a division of the IRS. I…
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Shawn called me the other day apologizing that he did not win a gold medal at the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition (FLIWC). Over two hundred wineries were represented with over 2400 wines judged. Forty-Five North has entered multiple wine competitions including the FLIWC, Pacific Rim, Indianapolis, etc., with the first being Finger Lakes. Those wines submitted were barrel samples and not completely finished wines, and this, honestly, sounds like an excuse, but nevertheless the truth. These wines were no more than four months old. Shawn is more…
