Category Archives: Old Mission Peninsula

Mari By Any Other Name Still Has a Kick-Ash Tasting Room

Posted on July 23, 2016 by intoxreport

When I first wrote about Villa Mari in 2014, it was just beginning to take shape, emerging from a pretty hillside along Highway 37 and forming itself from the living stones like one of the Nephilim in Genesis 6. Meanwhile, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Michigan, Old Mission Peninsula | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Bowers Harbor: The House That Jack Built

Posted on May 29, 2015 by intoxreport

The yellow brick road that led to  Michigan’s top selling Pinot grigio began inside a stockbroker’s office, and the story gets stranger from there. Start with the winemaker and proprietor, Spencer Stegenga.  A lot of local agriculture families have made … Continue reading →

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Lee Lutes: Putting the ‘Star’ in Black Star

Posted on December 1, 2014 by intoxreport

You don’t need a degree in finance to know a gold mine when you see it, but Lee Lutes has one anyway. And by gold mine, I don’t mean cash flow that cascades at the expense of ideology, but a … Continue reading →

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The Intoxicating Intellect of G. Stanley Howell

Posted on November 9, 2014 by intoxreport

Had G. Stanley Howell showed up for our wine chat dressed in full CSA officer regalia, complete with three star collar insignia, cadet grey overcoat and lion’s-head saber, I would have considered it perfectly appropriate.  Not only because the retired … Continue reading →

Posted in Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan, Old Mission Peninsula | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Inside The Scatterbrain Of Sean O’Keefe

Posted on September 18, 2014 by intoxreport

(Part One of a two part interview with Chateau Grand Traverse VP Sean O’Keefe; both parts appear in Heart & Soil: Grand Traverse Wine Country, set for release Dec., 2014) ‘Scatterbrain’ is his word, not mine.  Actually, Sean O’Keefe is … Continue reading →

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Wearing Their Hearts On My Mitten: Michigan Wine Competition, 2014

Posted on August 15, 2014 by intoxreport

I certainly hand it to the grape council that represents my Mitten: They are one sincere bunch. Such punkling puns aside, I mention this because The Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council held its 37th Michigan Wine Competition on August 5, … Continue reading →

Posted in Fruit Wines, Lake Michigan Shore, Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan, MIDWEST, Old Mission Peninsula | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Turning On The Pigott Spigot In The ‘City Of Riesling’

Posted on July 30, 2014 by intoxreport

For a place that bills itself as the City of Riesling, Traverse City spends a lot of time sleeping with the enemy.  For example, browse the tree-lined heart of the shopping district and look for chocolate covered grapes at Riesling … Continue reading →

Posted in Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan, MIDWEST, Old Mission Peninsula | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Coenraad and Brўs: Unpronounceably Delicious

Posted on July 3, 2013 by intoxreport

Remember when Miss South Carolina was asked why 20% of U.S. Americans couldn’t find the United States on a world map and she fumbled the football so badly that it wound up on a baseball diamond? I bring it up … Continue reading →

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The O’Keefes: Putting The Grand Into Traverse Bay

Posted on June 3, 2012 by intoxreport

As ‘heavyweight’ is not a term to be used lightly, ‘grand’ must be accompanied by a certain level of grandeur, as in Grandfather Time, grandioso or Chateau Grand Traverse. Meanwhile, Old Mission’s heavyweight title belt remains firmly around the midsection … Continue reading →

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Brys Is Nice: Try ‘Dry Ice’ For Sugar And Spice

Posted on May 15, 2012 by intoxreport

Take my advice and read this twice: Brys Dry Ice is gold-medal nice; and Patrick Brys is that in a trice—as sisters Katie and Stephanie Brys can likewise entice.   No, I’m not channeling the ghost of Dr. Seuss; it’s … Continue reading →

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