A best seller…on May 14 & 15, this package includes two nights' lodging, continental breakfast each morning, a tasting tour of three Leelanau County wineries on Saturday with transportation and to-go lunch provided. That evening, you'll enjoy an exquisite five course winemaker dinner prepared by Chef John Piombo, featuring local wines.

Offered in Fiddler's Pond, Little Belle and The Inn from only $238 per couple, per night, based on double occupancy. Space is limited. Call 231.334.5100 for reservations.

We are pleased to announce that the tickets for the 2010 Traverse City Wine and Art Festival are now on sale! We have had much interest in these tickets, so we encourage you to purchase your tickets early. Tickets are available on our website, but also available at the LPVA wineries.

Tickets are $20, if you purchase them in advance, or $25 at the door. The Traverse City Wine and Art Festival will be held on Saturday, August 21, at the Village at Grand Traverse Commons from 3-10 PM. Please check the website for more details of the event. Also, be sure, to join LPVA on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. We will be giving away a pair of tickets on Wednesday, May 12th to: One person who joins our new Facebook Page, one person who is on our email list (head over to www.lpwines.com!), and one person who follows us on Twitter (twitter.com/lpwines)

As an extra added bonus, if you have already purchased tickets by Wednesday, we will give you two more tickets, for a total for FOUR FREE TICKETS!

We are excited to announce the 2010 Grand Prize Winner! Affectionately, referred to as "Monkey Butt" throughout the day, because of his red union suit and the trap door with a monkey face showing. Congratulations to Jason R!! Jason, just happens to be the husband of last year's winner, Jan-Al aka "The lady in the green robe!" When we talked to Jan-Al, she said "we just love to make people laugh more than anything."

We loved seeing all the PJs and hats on the trail this year. Everyone looked great! But now we have a challenge, who can dethrone the King and Queen of the Sip and Savor next year?

We would also like to thank everyone, who participated by turning in their ballots. We chose a random person from these ballots, also. Our winner for the random drawing was Susan B. Congratulations, Susan!

Many of the wineries gave away prizes, too! We will have the list of winners soon!

The Homestead Resort invites you to their annual spring wine tour the weekend of May 14th. To make it easy, they offer package that includes two nights' lodging, continental breakfast each morning and a tasting tour of three Leelanau County wineries on Saturday the 15th with transportation and to-go lunch provided.

That evening, you'll enjoy an exquisite five course winemaker dinner prepared by Chef John Piombo, that features local wines. Offered in Fiddler's Pond, Little Belle and The Inn from only $238 per couple, per night, based on double occupancy. Space is limited. Please call 231.334.5100 for reservations.

Photo: Chateau de Leelanau 2 by lpwines

On Wednesday, May 12th from 6:30 AM-8:30 PM, MSUE-Leelanau and Grand Traverse offices will co-host a workshop titled Growing Grapes in the Home Garden, at the MSU Northwest Horticultural Research Station, located at 6686 S. Center Highway (approx. 7 Mi. S. of Suttons Bay).

Dr. Duke Elsner, Agricultural Agent (specializing in viticulture & wine education) from the MSUE-Grand Traverse Office will provide classroom and field-based instruction on the following topics related to table and wine grapes: variety selection; site requirements; basic vine structure and growth; planting and early care; basic trellising; vine training and pruning; and pest management.

The cost of the workshop is $5 per person. Informational bulletins related to growing grapes will be available for an additional fee. Advanced registration is recommended. To register, call 256-8323, or download a registration form from www.msue.msu.edu/leelanau. ‘

The event is part of the 2010 "Green Garden" program, a series of spring programs focusing on environmentally sustainable gardening practices. For more information about other programs offered in the Green Garden series, visit the above website, or contact Pam Schmidt, Leelanau County Home Horticulturalist at 231/256-8323.

Photo credit: Vineyard Grapes by troyryans/2155928176/

The perfect pairing with Bel Lago’s 2007 Semi Dry Riesling from the 2010 Spring Sip & Savor

Ingredients

1 oz. butter

1 medium onion

1/4 cup of coarsely chopped carrot

1/4 cup of coarsely chopped celery

12 oz. button mushrooms (add a morel or two if you have them)

6 medium Michigan White Potatoes peeled and cut into quarters

1/2 cup of Bel Lago Riesling

5 cups of chicken stock

1 cup of whipping cream of 1/2 and 1/2.

1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme

4 oz. Pleva’s Spicy Sausage, cooked and chopped

salt and pepper to adjust seasoning

Preparation

Heat butter in a medium pan over low heat. Add onions, carrots and celery. Cook gently for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, potatoes and wine. Bring to a boil and add chicken stock. Reduce heat and cook until the potatoes are tender.

Puree soup mixture in a food processor or blender and blend until the mixture is smooth. Return the soup to the sauce pan and add chopped Pleva spicy sausage, the cream and thyme. . Bring the soup up to a temperature of 165 degrees and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.

Photo credit: bel lago iris by n.wamsley

Bel Lago Winery’s 2007 Semi-Dry Riesling has been judged BEST WHITE WINE at the 2010 Pacific Rim International Wine Competition, held in San Bernardino, CA. Bel Lago 2007 Semi-Dry Riesling won a Gold Medal and the Best of Class award for Off-Dry Riesling, and then competed against all the other Best of Class White Wine varietal winners, and was judged Best White Wine overall.

About 1600 wines from around the world competed in this, the 25th year of the Pacific Rim Wine Competition. Wines from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, Michigan, California, Oregon, Washington State, New York, Virginia, Missouri, and other US states were entered in this year’s competition. “This year was a true testament of the quality of wines that are being produced”, said Yolanda Daly, Director of the Pacific Rim Wine Competition.

In addition to the Best Pacific Rim White Wine award Bel Lago Winery also received a Gold Medal for the Bel Lago 2008 Leelanau Primavera and a Silver Medal for the Bel Lago 2008 Pinot Grigio.

The Bel Lago winemaking team is comprised of Charles Edson, Cristin Hosmer, and Kevin Uhl. “We were all smiles when we learned of the Best Pacific Rim White Wine award”, said Charles Edson, Proprietor/Winemaker at Bel Lago. “We have always been dedicated to quality at Bel Lago, so it is a real pleasure to achieve this recognition for our efforts. We are all just delighted”.

Bel Lago Vineyards was first established in 1987, with the first commercial vintage of Bel Lago wines produced in 1997. The Bel Lago tasting room opened in 1999. Located on a high site overlooking beautiful South Lake Leelanau, Bel Lago offers wine tasting in this beautiful setting.

To learn more about Bel Lago, please contact Cristin Hosmer at Bel Lago, 6530 South Lake Shore Drive, Cedar, MI 49621, Phone: 231-228-4800, or email: bellagowinery@gmail.com. Or you may visit the website at www.bellago.com or follow Bel Lago on facebook or twitter.