Through the Vines and Behind the Scenes: Part Two

Last Wednesday, Wine Specialist Tom took our tasting room staff on a brix tour. We were able to walk around the vineyards and test the brix levels in the fruit, and also learn about pH levels and acid content. It was AMAZING learning about how much goes into the testing and preparation of the vines and grapes (AKA berries). The timing of harvest is key and thus testing the berries on key metrics is vital: sugar, acid, pH and phenolics, the latter having few metrics. On top of everything that needs to be measured, all grape varietals need to be picked at different times and each have their own ripening schedule.

Three Things to Measure to Test Ripeness of Grapes

1) Brix

Measuring the levels of brix in a berry is how you figure out the sugar content. The sugar level itself is measured with a refractometer. The juice is placed on the refractometer lens and light travels through the juice to refract on a degree scale. The thicker the juice the more it bends the light and the higher the brix that registers on the scale.

2) Acid content

Organic acids are responsible for the various levels of bitter tastes in the wine and have influence on the wine’s stability, color and pH. It is perhaps the most critical of the measured components. Don't forget...wine is an acidic beverage after all. 

3) Level of pH

pH is the measure of a balance of active acidity in the juice and wine, so acid and pH are directly related. Generally white grapes are harvested at pH level of 3.1 – 3.3 and red grapes at 3.3 – 3.5. A pH meter is used to measure pH. Before this is done the grower and the winemaker can taste the berry and get a feel for the sugar and pH ripeness. 

In addition to using the technical tools to measure the ripeness, you should also be tasting the fruit along the way.

Here are some things to look/taste for:

• Soft berries - Berries dehydrate slightly, and the texture of the pulp softens when grapes ripen.
• Brown seeds - The color of grape seeds changes from green to brown as the berries ripen. In most varieties, the pointed ends of the seeds (the “beaks”) are the last part to turn brown.
• A clean pedicel - fully ripe grapes can be pulled off the berry easily and with little or no pulp attached

All in all we had a lot of fun as a group testing the brix levels and learning about each varietal and what to do look for. Interested to learn more about this topic yourself? We offer private and group vineyard tours! Click here to learn more about what we offer and to sign up for one, they are a blast!

Hope you enjoyed this edition of Through the Vines and Behind the Scenes! If you missed Part One, you can catch up here and stay tuned for Part Three!

Our Four Favorite Words: Six New Red Wines

2016 Claret, Wind Whistle

• 293
• 13% alc
• Our Claret is a blend of 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Merlot grown in the Wind Whistle Vineyard. Wind Whistle Vineyard is situated less than a mile from Lake Michigan and boasts sandy soil and all day sun exposure. In addition to growing in the ideal location, these vines are meticulously manicured, hand hedged, leaf picked and hand harvested.
• These sun ripened grapes produce flavors of black cherries and red raspberries. By aging our Claret in French Oak barrels, we enhance the natural spices of cinnamon and black pepper, creating balance and complexity. 

Shop Here

 

2016 Shiraz, JBS Reserve

• 275 cases
• 13 % alc
• Our Shiraz is dedicated to the founder of Bowers Harbor Vineyards, Jack B. Stegenga, who first produced a Shiraz in 1992. Over two decades later his son, Spencer, with the same thirst for life and great wine, decided to produce our Shiraz once again. Jack had a passion for life, enjoying each and every moment. Family, friends and serving the community were of great importance to him. He was full of life and love for all people. He would want you to enjoy this wine with good food and great friends.
• Dried cranberry, with hints toasted cedar (and I think smells like bacon 😊).

Shop Here

 

2016 Proprietors’ Reserve

• 548 cases
• 13% alc
• Linda and Spencer Stegenga proudly bring you their Proprietors’ Reserve. This dynamic mother and son team have labored side by side, transforming what was a horse farm and simple stable into a thriving vineyard and tasting room. Twenty-six years of family history and “forced family fun,” has evolved into great passion to produce fine wine and  also to be stewards of the land.
• Proprietors’ Reserve is a blend of Merlot and Syrah. Merlot offers its soft, lush, black cherry and plum nuances, while the bolder Syrah lends notes of blackberry, clove and tobacco.

Shop Here

 

2014 JT Red

• 110 cases
• 12% alc
• Full bodied red blend of Syrah, Tempranillo, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. (Same red as Maggie)

Shop Here

 

2016 Pinot Noir, Wind Whistle

(Available in our Tasting Room and Online Store very soon. Stay tuned!)

• 133
• 12% alc
• Wind Whistle Vineyard is situated less than a mile from Lake Michigan and boasts sandy soil and all day sun exposure. Our Pinot Noir grapes are clones from the Dijon Region in France and flourish in our cooler climate. In addition to growing in the ideal location, these vines are meticulously manicured, hand hedged, leaf picked and hand harvested.
• Enjoy the bright cherry and raspberry flavors balanced by toasted caramel contributed from our high quality French Oak barrels. 

 

2016 Pinot Noir, Nicholas 

(Available in our Tasting Room and Online Store very soon. Stay tuned!)

• 245
• 12% alc
• Dedicated to his brother Nicholas, our grower and friend Chris Fifarek planted these vines with love. Our proprietary clone of Pinot Noir originated from the Old World and thrives in ideal growing conditions in our cool climate region on the 45th parallel. The Nicholas Vineyard, composed of clay and gravel, slopes towards the West. The long hours of sun exposure increases full physiological maturation of the Pinot Noir early in the season.
• Aromas of blackberries and cherries emanate from our Pinot Noir, followed by a silky multi-flavored finish due to the distinction of our French Oak barrel selection.

 

Wine and Cheese? Yes, Please!

One of my very favorite things to do is to host cocktail parties for my friends. I love getting everyone together relaxing and catching up. As much fun as the actual party is, it isn’t exactly stress-free deciding what to serve and getting everything ready. Gone are the days when I can throw some Doritos in a bowl and some Bud Light in a cooler and call it a day. Now, there is a little bit of pressure to serve something that people actually want to eat and drink, and also something a little outside the norm. Say hello to wine and cheese. A match made in culinary Heaven. 

Last week, the Bowers Harbor Vineyards staff was treated to a wine/cheese pairing put together by our Chef Morgan. It was beyond delicious and we all learned so much about what wines go with which cheeses, and why. It was so cool to see what happens to the flavor profiles of both the cheese and the wine when tried separately, and then together. All of the cheeses from this evening were from The Cheese Lady, if you haven’t been to her shop in Downtown Traverse City, definitely make a point to visit. Delicious! They also have locations in Muskegon, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Farmington and Rochester.

I’ll take you through the pairings just as we tried them. Print this off, save it, serve a few of these at your next happy-hour get together, and you are sure to wow your guests. I serve mine on a chalk-board serving dish that I can write on to let guests know which cheeses are which. Similar to this one on Etsy. Side note: these trays are also a perfect housewarming gift!

 
Wine and Cheese Pairings

1. Delice de Bourgogne- a French classic triple crème brie-style cheese originating from the Burgundy region of France. The cheese is made through the process of blending a high fat cow’s milk cheese with crème fraiche that gives it a very creamy light texture almost like a whipped butter. Unlike many brie’s of this style it has a very heavy bloomed rind that gives it an earthy note on the palate.

The Blanc de Blanc Cuvee Evan, makes a great pairing. The fine bubbles help to cut through the heavy fat content of the cheese.

2. Capra- This Belgium chevre is a unique style goat cheese, which the goats are grazed on herbs and grasses on the hills of the Ardennes and it's made with the local honey which gives this cheese a hint of sweetness.

Pinot Noir Rose, a light, dry Rose will help to cut back on the sweetness while also helping to bring out the fruit flavor of the wine.

3. Fresh Ricotta- Made from whole milk, this is a creamy rich cheese with a little sweetness and tanginess.

Our Pinot Grigio has a very crisp and clean taste that will help to cut through the heavy rich cheese and bring out the refreshing citrus in the wine.

4. Fontina Fontal- found commonly in Northern Italy, is a younger, creamier style of Fontina. A lighter style of cheese with just a touch of sweetness and a very mild flavor.

Our Wind Whistle Gewurztraminer is very fitting in its light refreshing flavor with just a hint of sweetness to match the intensity of the Fontina Fontal.

5. Prairie Breeze- An interesting twist on a hard-white cheddar, it's crumbly with a creamy-crunchy finish. It is made on Mennonite farms in Iowa.

Riesling Block II – A refreshing, almost Sauvignon Blanc style of Riesling, works wonderfully to cut the sharpness of the cheese while giving it a more of the creamy mouthfeel.

6. Appenzeller- Found in the Appenzell region of northeast Switzerland, has a very strong herbal rind that is typically coated in wines or ciders to help its growth. This nutty, tangy cheese has a history documented over 700 years ago. A very pungent smelling cheese.

The sweetness of the Medium Sweet Riesling, will help to cut through some of the strength of this cheese, and bring out the nuttiness.

7. 12 month aged Manchego- Originating from La Mancha Spain, a very nutty semi-hard cheese made from sheep’s milk.

The strong berry fruit flavors and the hint of smoke from our 2016 Pinot Noir are a wonderful way to complement the nutty firm texture and flavor of this aged Manchego.

8. Beemster Goat Gouda- The unique blue sea clay soil grows special grasses, that when ingested by the goats helps to produce a soft, sweeter style of Dutch Gouda.

Bowers Harbor Red is a lighter red, subtle raspberry and cherry fruit flavors complement the Beemster Goat Gouda.

9. Stilton- This pungent blue cheese is a staple in English cuisine. Stilton can only be made in 3 counties within the country (Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Nottinghamshire) and can only be made from 6 different dairies. This is a semisoft blue cheese with a very sharp must aromatic and flavor profile.

Maggie being a strong assertive red wine, will be a nice pairing for a stronger blue cheese. 
(Editor's note: since our wine/cheese event, we have sold out of Maggie. We are in turn recommending our 2013 2896, Langley to go with the Stilton because of it's bold blend.) 

10. Cambozola- This crème brie style blue cheese come from the German region of Allgau. The cheese is made by injecting a brie style cheese with the Penicillium roquefotri mold used in many strong blue cheeses. By doing this the cheese has a soft creamy texture, and not a pungent of an aroma, but the strong rich blue cheese flavor.

The richness of this cheese goes great with dessert style wine and liquors, both the Appletage and the Ice Cider make nice pairings to help cut through the strong blue cheese flavor and go nicely with the creamy texture.

Hope this list helps you decide which cheese and wine to serve at your next party. It sure helped me! All of the wine on this list can be purchased in our tasting room or at our online store. Click here to shop! Cheers! 

Through the Vines and Behind the Scenes: Part One

I am now three weeks into my new position as Marketing Manager for Bowers Harbor Vineyards (BHV) and wow, I have learned a lot! I came into this position having been familiar with BHV for years, as I’ve helped in the tasting room here and there during busy seasons and events, am an avid wine drinker myself and have a passion for the bustling wine scene here on Old Mission Peninsula. I have years of experience in the marketing world, which is also something I love and the opportunity to combine two of my biggest passions at my favorite winery is like a dream come true. I’m so excited to be here and learn all about the wine making process and everything behind the scenes. So hi! I’m Alaina Dodds and I look forward to meeting all of you when you visit us!

Visiting a winery and doing wine tastings with your family and friends is so much fun, right?! I’ve witnessed couples, singles, regulars, first-timers, bachelorette parties, anniversaries, groups of friends and families enjoying their time at BHV in just the past few weeks. I love watching the enjoyment on everyone’s faces.

It is our job to make working in the wine industry look and feel fun and carefree. We want you to come into our tasting room and truly relax, learn something, have some laughs and go home a little happier than you were before (and tell your friends about us).

What I have never really thought about…until now, is how much work actually goes into ONE bottle of wine! Or how much happens behind the scenes to ensure that the guests have a variety of high quality wine to choose from and that the staff is educated on the entire selection. The labor of wine is intensive, finicky, tough, stressful and oh so rewarding.

The grapes shown in this photo below are the Chardonnay grapes grown in the block of vines right in front of the tasting room. The first picking of these grapes will be in mid-to-late September and will make our 2017 vintage of Cuvee Evan Blanc de Blanc. This is really exciting because the fist vintage of this wine was in 2005, then 2009, then 2014 and this year’s will be our 2017 vintage which won’t be available until 2020, due to the three-year aging process. We follow the traditional champagne method (methode champenoise), which is universally acknowledged as producing the highest quality and most age-worthy sparkling wines. 

The Chardonnay grapes are currently measuring 8-10 degrees brix and we want them to be at 19 brix before we harvest. Because we have had some cooler weather this summer, harvest will be a bit later than usual. We pick these grapes earlier in the harvest season because they retain more acid and not too much sugar. Acid helps the fruit characteristics come forward and also helps to have longer aging potential. This block of chardonnay grapes was planted in 1991 and has 750 vines. It’s incredible to think about how 26 years of growth and 750 vines of grapes can produce just a few kinds of wines. Our first picking of this block will be used to make our Cuvee Evan Blanc de Blanc and our second picking (once the residual sugar levels have increased) will make our Chardonnay RLS Reserve.

I know you don’t want to wait all the way until 2020 to try our Cuvee Evan Blanc de Blanc, good thing you don’t have to! We just released our 2014 vintage, we only have 90 cases though! You can pick up your own bottle ($38) or case when visiting our tasting room or by purchasing online here.

See you next time when we take another journey through the vines and behind the scenes at Bowers Harbor Vineyards! 

The Pure Michigan Promise

One of the goals of Michigan’s tourism industry is to excel at customer service, to provide each visitor to our state an exceptional experience at every location they visit. It’s no coincidence that this is one of our goals at Bowers Harbor Vineyards as well.

This is called The Pure Michigan Promise:

We promise to take pride in exceeding your expectations with a heartfelt and unforgettable experience, leaving you eagerly anticipating your return to Pure Michigan.

 

This past fall, Michigan’s Tourism board ran a competition where communities or organizations across the state created and shared short videos to demonstrate what this promise means to them.

We were excited to submit a video that demonstrates what the promise means to us and how we deliver on it to you, our guests, our friends, our family.

While we did not make the top five videos, we were thrilled to enter our video and even more so, we are thankful to be a part of a community that cherishes and truly demonstrates The Pure Michigan Promise every day.

To view the top five entries, and to see the final compilation please click here.

We’d love to hear what The Pure Michigan Promise means to you! Contact us, comment below or on our Facebook page!  Maybe you will make it into next year’s video!

Wine Art Label Competition

The 2nd wine label art competition has started! Are you an artist? Enter your label design for the Mission Point Lighthouse wine only available at Bowers Harbor Vineyards. Click HERE for the application and instructions. Don't delay! Deadline is March 10th!
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Our 2nd wine label art contest/fundraiser design winner reception party will be Friday, March 31st 2017 at Bowers Harbor Vineyards!  Come out and be an art label judge! This is a fantastic fundraiser for the Mission Point Lighthouse. Lots of fun and raffle prizes too.

Questions or for information email missionpointlight.friends@gmail.com or
email MPLFmedia@gmail.com

Customers pour in to local vineyard to raise funds for Cherryland Humane Society

Anyone that has been to Bowers Harbor Vineyards probably noticed a little doggy influence at the winery. Otis, a Labrador Retriever, Cooper and Brix, both Bernese Mountain Dogs have been a part of the vineyard and now have wines named after them.

On Sunday, November 6th, Bowers Harbor Vineyards hosted Bow-Wow-ers Harbor Vineyards Dogs and Wine event benefiting the Cherryland Humane Society, a local non-profit, no-kill shelter in Traverse City where all animals are vaccinated, microchipped, and spayed or neutered. “Our connection with our furry friends lead to this event,” states Kristy McClellan, Director of Operations for Bowers Harbor Vineyards. “We teamed up with the Cherryland Humane Society to raise money, gather volunteers and even adopt some dogs, all while enjoying a fantastic glass of wine.”

The event raised over $1,500 directly for the Cherryland Humane Society plus gave 4 dogs and 2 cats new loving homes. “On behalf of the Cherryland Humane Society, I would like to thank the owners and staff of Bowers Harbor Vineyards for making this event possible,” states Heidi Yates, Executive Director at the Cherryland Humane Society. “We are truly grateful for such wonderful support.”

The day was topped off with a visit from local celebrity, K-9 Piper, wildlife control at Cherry Capital Airport, when he generously “manned” the doggy kissing booth.  “Piper was the star of the event,” says Kristy, ‘everyone was lining up for a smooch from the Airport K-9.”

 

Those who couldn't make the event are invited to go to www.cherrylandhumane.org/donate to contribute.

Harvesting

More Harvest Pics

We expect this harvest somewhere around 80% of the 2013 crop. Our vines were some of the best looking on the peninsula, although drosophila/bees/sour rot got to some of the vines. Bunches are large, berries range from tight to fleshy!  Cheers!

      

    

    

 

 

 

 

Bowers Harbor Vineyards Continues to go Green!

As a commitment to preserving the environment, Bowers Harbor Vineyards recently invested in a solar energy system, installed by Harvest Energy Solutions.

When Spencer Stegenga, proprietor of Bowers Harbor Vineyards, looks to the future he wants the best for his sons and future generations. He has been diligent to do his part and willing to invest in environmentally friendly practices to protect the land and waterways around the family business. “We have been committed to the most environmentally friendly practices in our vineyards since we opened in 1991; we compost, recycle, carpool and create habitats for numerous creatures on our property” states Stegenga.

As Bowers Harbor Vineyards celebrates their 25th anniversary, they have taken their environmental practices up a level.  Stegenga mentions, “The tasting room is now entirely powered by the new solar panels installed on the property. It was the logical next step to our commitment to green and friendly energy solutions here at Bowers Harbor Vineyards.” 

Harvest Energy, a Michigan-based solar energy distributor, installed the 18kW rooftop system that supports the energy used in the tasting room.  “We truly enjoy working with the fruit growers (and wineries) in Michigan to design a solar energy system that meets their needs,” said Mark Olinyk, President and CEO of Harvest Energy Solutions.

Bowers Harbor Vineyards is Environmentally Verified in both Farmstead Management and Crop and Soils by the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program.  The Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program is an innovative, proactive and voluntary program that helps farms of all sizes and commodities voluntarily prevent or minimize agricultural pollution risks.

With all of the green efforts and the installation of the new solar panels, Bowers Harbor Vineyards is now able to provide a completely sustainable product, from grapes to glass.