Updated as of Saturday, May, 3 at 7:00 AM.
Category Archives: Spring Sip & Savor
Spring Sip & Savor Starting Points for May 3 & 4
Winemaker's Choice: Shawn Walters of Forty-Five North Vineyard & Winery
Wine: 2007 Pinot Gris - clean, crisp and well balanced…a great summer wine
Food: Wild mushroom, goat and raclette cheese wrapped in a puffed pastry
Shawn Walters Winemaker
Quote from Scott Harvey of Scott Harvey Wines - Napa Valley, CA
"I'm proud to be associated with one of the new stars of American winemaking. In my opinion Shawn Walters [...]
Winemaker's Choice: Alan & Linda Eaker of Longview Vineyard & Winery
Wine: 2006 Semi-dry Reisling
Food: Cherry marinaded pork tenderloin with cherry chutney
Why: I wanted to use local cherries and cherry wine in the preparation, and offer a white wine to compliment the pork, "the other white meat". Sometimes folks tend to only think of white wines with chicken and fish, and I think that they will [...]
Winemaker's Choice: Tony Ciccone of Ciccone Vineyard & Winery
Wine: 2006 Cabernet Franc - a smokey aroma with a earthy smooth finish
Food: Meatballs in a homemade italian sauce
Why: The smooth off - dry red wine compliments the tomato and spices in the sauce it is a natural pairing.
Tony is a hardworking vintner that takes pride in his estate grown and produced wines. He has [...]
Winemaker's Choice: Dan and Lucie Matthies of Chateau Fontaine
Wine: Pinot Gris
Food: Assorted Quiches
Why: We are serving our freshly made Quiches paired with our 2006 Pinot Gris. It's crisp clean flavors of apple and spice with a light tone of oak and vanilla round into a dry finish ~ an excellent start to summer!
Dan and Lucie Matthies opened Chateau Fontaine 7 years ago after [...]
Winemaker's Choice: Kris Sterkenburg of Gill's Pier Vineyard & Winery
Wine: We are pouring our “Leelanau Conservancy Houdek Dunes Whitewater”
Food: Swiss Onion Soup
Why: The creaminess of the soup balances the fruity, tangy acidic finish of this easy drinking wine.
Kris Sterkenburg is President, Owner and apprentice winemaker for Gill’s Pier Winery. Kris, in addition to running the day to day operations of the tasting room, [...]
Winemaker's Choice: John Fletcher of Chateau de Leelanau
Wine: 2005 Rose’ de Cabernet Franc
Food: Chocolate raspberry cabernet sauce drizzled over freshly baked brownies
Why: The chocolate cabernet raspberry sauce complements luscious berry tones in the Rose’
Our traveling veteran winemaker, John Fletcher, hails from Nova Scotia. His experience in cold climate varietals is reflected in numerous award winning vintages.
Learn more about Chateau de Leelanau.
Our Sip [...]
Winemaker's Choice: Bob Sutherland of Cherry Republic Winery
Wine: Abbondanza: An off-dry blend of Muscat, Cayuga, and Viognier, plus the addition of two local tart cherries (Montmorency & Balaton)
Food: Shrimp & Apricot Cous Cous with Cherry Republic Dried Cherries of course.
Why: Enough with the hearty wintertime stews and comfort foods. We need something light and refreshing! Nothing tastes better in early spring than [...]
Winemaker's Choice: Lee Lutes of Black Star Farms
Wine: Serving 2006 Arcturos Pinot Noir
Food: Braised short ribs in a cabernet franc sauce.
Why: The 2006 Acrturos Pinot Noir that you will be sampling shows ripe cherry and raspberry notes with balanced tannins and a touch of pepper on the finish. This Pinot has enough body to hold up with the bold flavors of [...]
Ciccone Vineyards cocktail party - May 3
Ciccone Vineyards will be hosting an after hours cocktail party Saturday, May 3rd of the Sip n' Savor from 7-9:30pm.
Another great chance to mingle with the winemaker - Tony Ciccone and the great Ciccone staff! We will have light appetizers and great wine open (including our premium wines)!



Cynthia Fergen: I’m looking for a Riesling wine made by Leelanu in Grand Haven, MI. Could you tell me who sells...
Sara Gortsema: We visited the Willow Vineyard this weekend along with a few other vineyards. It was the most friendly...
Joseph J. Geshel: I have enjoyed several Lelanau wines for many years. I spend nearly 6 months in Florida now each...
Lisa Laventure: We have found several favorite wines by going on these tours. We love them! Unfortunately, we...