Hosting a holiday party?
Opt for versatile Leelanau wines that can compliment that matches the celebration for Christmas and New Years.
No matter your favorite Leelanau winery, supporting local businesses make the holidays better.
Bel Lago is bringing multiple wines to the holiday party that represent all of the tastes of the seasons.
Bel Lago’s Ice Wine is ready for the best time of the year as the local winery released this years edition earlier this week.
“It‘s just a really cool wine for a special occasion ... It’s so sweet. It’s more like a dessert,” Bel Lago Head Winemaker Blake Lougheed said.
The ice wine is a rare Leelanau product that is serve in a small and sleek bottle.
Bel Lago also has versatile wines with food.
“If you never know what food you are going to have ... the most versatile food wine is one that’s not overly sweet or overly acidic,” Lougheed said.
Bel Lago’s two neutral white wines that age in natural oak barrels are its Dry Riesling 2021 and Auxerrois Reserve series that present a relatively lower acidic profile compared to fruitforward tasting wines.
“Those wines might go with any food in the world, which is why it’s great to bring it to a Christmas party where you have a lot of different foods,” Lougheed said.
A sparkling version of Auxerrois Reserve is available for popping when the clock hits midnight on New Years.
“It has a lot of same growing characteristics (as champagne) ... I think we grow more of that grape than definitely anyone in the state possibly more than anyone in the country,” Lougheed said.
Boathouse Vineyards
“If you feel Michigan wine is important these are the three wines that you should be buying including pinot noir, cabernet franc, or a 100% syrah,” Boathouse Vineyards viticulturist Doug Olson said.
Olson was brought on in 2022 to revamp the Boathouse viticulture program and improve wine making at the Lake Leelanau Winery.
The journey has pursued red wines intensely with a goal of making high-quality red wine in northern Michigan.
Olson believes Boathouse Reds are in the perfect spot to try during the holiday season.
Boathouse recently released a 100% pinot noir (2022 vintage). Another tasty wine is “Boathouse Red” which is a blend of 60% cabernet franc and 40% merlot, which are all organically estate grown for 15 to 17 months.
Olson also praises the Boathouse Syrah, a rare wine that almost nobody else in northern Michigan makes. Olson and the crew brewed one large barrel that created 45 cases of the rare wine.
“Those three wines I’m really proud of,” Olson said.
He explained harvest was great with higher quality and average yield.
“We should be getting some great wine out of this harvest,” Olson said. “The grape doesn’t travel any farther to get into the bottle than they traveled after they were in the bottle. There is really something special up here because not many people do that for a small producer. Those three wines are your ticket home for everything they’re gonna make everything seem different and they’re going to change opinions. They’re going to make people believe differently in Michigan wine.”
Black Star Farms
For Black Star Farms in Bingham Township, bringing bubbly is a must for any holiday party.
Chris Lopez, Black Star Farms tasting manager, said a crowd pleaser is the bubbly Merlot, a seasonal sparkling wine that is usually sold out by New Years.
This sweeter wine is one of the first grapes harvested every year, which represents a fun celebration of the harvest season.
For the boujee wine drinkers, a high end Blanc de Blanc or Blanc Noir are a party must for traditional sparkling wines.
“They are really awesome... because the wine is bottle fermented, it’s got that really creamy bubbly,” Lopez said.
As for dinner, Lopez recommends Arcturos Noir and cabernet franc, or the newly released A-capella Pinot Noir that will go great with prime rib or beef.
Blustone
Tom Knighton of Blustone Vineyard in Lake Leelanau offers his insight into bringing the perfect wine for the holidays.
Knighton said it’s always appropriate whether it’s Christmas or New Year’s to bring a bottle of bubbly including Blustones “Bluseco” which is a blend of the glera grape, Blustone is one of the only wineries in the United States that grows the glera grape, which is the authentic Italian Prosecco grape.
For dinner, Knighton explained which wine you should drink depends on what you are having.
The Knighton family has a tradition of having prime rib of buffalo and recommended finding the best red including Blustones’ carbernet franc merlot.
“It’s a beautiful deep, rich red wine with very soft but pronounced tans that stands up well to the prime rib,” Knightson said. “The other thing that goes well with just about anything on the table is pinot noir, even if you were having turkey or goose or whatever there’s so many different things that people serve at Christmas time. Pinot Noir is a light-bodied red wine.”
Another option is the 2023 chardonnay that will compliment all of the fixings on the dinner table. Blustone’s Blanc Noir is a light pink sparkling wine made out of 100% pinot noir that goes along with a Christmas meal that’s going to be heavily with beef.
Amoritas Vineyard
Matt Goodell of Amoritas Vineyard is ringing the new year with bubbly and will definitely bring a bottle of sauvignon blanc and pinot noir which should pair nicely with multiple dishes.
“Also dry riesling would be good for collards, and many other fragrant dry white varietals that our region is well known for. Pinot grigio would be good for black eyed peas. Aside from that, there are so many different foods and celebrations around the holidays, really the Leelanau Peninsula produces a ton of wines that would be excellent for any meal, party, or gift exchange,” Goodell said.
