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2011 has been an exciting year for our Algoma, Wisconsin Winery.
During the summer, we all enjoyed our new terrace, and the Cuisine Concert Series that took place there on Saturday afternoons.
After years of planning, our new production facility is now fully operational. We love "Over There." It's spacious and the vats gleam.
A variety of special events kept us busy and entertained in 2011: the annual Wet Whistle Wine Fest, the annual Ladies' Fest, and a host of smaller but no less fun luncheons and tastings.
The art of transforming grapes and fruit into this magical liquid is ancient and inspired. It is an honor for us to carry on the tradition here at von Stiehl. For us, one of the best aspects of wine is that people like to enjoy it in the company of others. It brings people together.
As 2011 draws to a close, we feel thankful for all that has transpired in the last 12 months. We're thankful for the amazing community here--folks who work with us and folks who visit. We look forward to another good year in 2012, and hope you'll stop by our Algoma, Wisconsin Winery when you have the chance.
Happy New Year!
Fun on the terrace this summer.
It's been busy at our Algoma Wisconsin Winery.
Recently, Marechal Foch grapes were destemmed, crushed, and then pressed into some 67 TONS of juice. It was an impressive endeavor, and a successful one. We're already anticipating the wine to come, though we know we have to wait until Aric, and time, can work their magic.
This week we're crushing Marquette grapes, and after that we'll tackle more Marechal Foch, Frontenac, Merlot, and Cabernet. Fall revolves around the harvest and the crush, as it has for thousands of years. It feels good to be part of such a longstanding tradition.
If you're interested in witnessing the crush, you're welcome to do so. Just head to our Algoma Wisconsin Winery for a winery tour. Bring your camera!
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Before the wine comes the grapes. Before the grapes comes the sun and the rain. To drink wine is to take a sip of nature's bounty.
We hope you'll toast the conclusion of summer this Labor Day with a glass of our Wisconsin Wine.
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The von Stiehl Winery Vineyard.
Weather seems to be getting people down all over the country. Extreme heat on the east coast, dust storms in the southwest, cool temperatures and rain on the west coast,…. Summer expectations are being shattered in every region, day after day, week after week.
There is nothing we can do about the weather, of course. Our choices are to accept our fate or not, to bear heat and cold, rain and drought with grace, or with rage. We here at von Stiehl Wisconsin Winery encourage everyone to remember that weather isn't everything in life. There is wine. There is chocolate.
We have some incredible pairings of wine and chocolate in our Algoma, Wisconsin, Winery Tasting Room these days. It was a tough job determining which wines worked best with which chocolates, but we struggled through. We invite you to sip our Wisconsin wine and bite into artisan chocolate; the experience will make your day brighter.
Kattywompus Konfections supplies us with amazing chocolates, such as dark chocolate bark studded with dried cherries and sprinkled with smoked sea salt, and white chocolate bark with macadamia nuts, mango, and coconut. Their combinations are rich and flavorful, and the chocolates positively melt on the tongue. When paired with a glass of our Cabernet Sauvignon or our Meritage, the chocolates take on a new dimension. Combinations can be positively heavenly.
Come see for yourself. Then throw a summer party featuring combinations of von Stiehl wine and Kattywompus chocolate. And smile.
Every family has their own way of celebrating Father's Day. Father's of young children are often treated to breakfast in bed and homemade cards. Father's of teens might get a nod and a "Happy Father's Day. Can I borrow the car?" Father's of adult children may get a call and a gift in the mail.
Some dads want nothing more than to spend Father's Day with their children, no matter their age. This can mean of day of fishing on Lake Michigan, golfing, or watching a game on t.v. It may mean spending the day in the kitchen with the kids, preparing a great feast, or heading to the closest city for a day of exploration and eating out. You never can tell with Dads.
No matter how you celebrate Father's Day in your family, consider giving dad a bottle (or two) of von Stiehl Wisconsin Wine.
If you live near Algoma or have plans to visit Door County over the weekend, stop by the winery for a bit of wine tasting. The tasting bar is bustling these days, which means the mood is festive. If you find a bottle you like and have a little time to spare, ask us for some "to go" wine glasses, purchase some local cheese and crackers in our store, and enjoy an impromptu picnic on our new terrace. Just be sure you remember to bring a bottle of our Algoma Wisconsin Wine with you when you leave.
We here at von Stiehl wish dads everywhere a Happy Father's Day in 2011.
We are thrilled to announce that six of our Wisconsin Wines recently won awards at the 2011 Tasters Guild International. We submitted six wines, and all six won!
Tasters Guild was established in 1987 and currently boasts 40 active chapters throughout the country. Each chapter sponsors a variety of food and wine events throughout the year. Tasters Guild also conducts an Annual International Wine Judging each spring, when experts review and award new releases.
This year, our Algoma Winery took home gold medals for our new White Stileto and our Cabernet Sauvignon. We took home silver medals for our Naughty Girl Wine, Cherry Bounce, and our Crimson Royale. And we took home one bronze medal for our Risque Riesling.
It is gratifying to have the quality of our wine recognized by experts in the field. Yet feedback from our customers is no less important to us. Come see for yourself - visit our Algoma Winery and try some of our wine. Ask us to pour you a glass of White Stiletto or our Naughty Girl Wine. Plan to come to one of our Cuisine Concerts later this summer, or to Ladie's Fest in early July.
We make our wine for you to enjoy, and we are truly honored by the awards granted us by Tasters Guild.
Please visit Tasters Guild for more information about the organization.
The new production facility at our Algoma, Wisconsin, Winery is almost finished. It's been a long journey. Planning has been underway for years, ground breaking took place last October, the roof went on in December, and gleaming stainless steel containers were put in place last week. Phew.
We want to thank everyone who has has helped us along the way: our staff, our architects, our amazing builders, and the folks who stopped by to taste our Wisconsin Wine and cheer us on.
We're looking forward to a great summer filled with our new Cuisine Concert series, our Ladies' Fest, and our Wet Whistle Wine Fest. We hope you'll fit us into your summer plans, either for one of our special events or for a little wine tasting here at von Stiehl Winery in Algoma, Wisconsin.
Looking good!
As many of you know, our Algoma Wisconsin Winery is the oldest in the state. Visitors may tour of the beautiful underground arched limestone caverns where we store our wine - a remnant of the days with this 19th century building was home to Ahnapee Brewing.
Mother's Day is May 8, 2011. We suggest you go beyond brunch and flowers and spend the day with your mom. Bring her to the oldest Winery in Wisconsin - von Stiehl - to tour our historic facilities and sample a variety of our Wisconsin Wine.
If the weather is fine (and we sure hope it will be), bring a picnic to enjoy on the shores of Lake Michigan. Von Stiehl is steps away from Lake Michigan and the mouth of the Ahnapee River. It's a beautiful place to spend Mother's Day with your mom.
Tours of Von Stiehl Winery are offered several times a day from May through October. Tasting is available daily year round.
Stroll around our grounds with mom.
Our Wisconsin Wine Club is a great gift for anyone - including you.
Once each quarter, our Algoma Wisconsin Winery ships out a gift box containing a selection of our Wisconsin wine. Recipients never know what will arrive - red wine, white wine, fruit wine, or a combination. A big hunk of tasty Wisconsin cheese will be shipped along with the wine, and another food item as well.
This month we sent out Naughty Girl Red and our Dry Cherry wines. Organic Muenster cheese from Organic Valley Dairy accompanied the wine, as did a box of small, buttery, spring onion crackers. The combination of the wine, cheese, and crackers was really fine. We work hard to find successful pairings (it's a tough job…). All you have to do is open the box and enjoy.
Our Wisconsin Wine Club is a great idea for anyone who may be feeling tired of the same old wine and cheese they always purchase. It is easy to get into a rut when selecting wine - we tend to go with what we know. It is also easy to spend hours standing in front of the cheese counter, trying to imagine which cheese will best complement the wine. In short, it can be an exhausting process, and if the end results don't meet expectations, it can be downright dispiriting.
We hope our Wisconsin Wine and Cheese Club will bring a little joy into your life. It's fun to give presents and it's fun to get presents. Give the gift of wine and cheese to someone you love. Then give it to yourself!
For more information about our Wisconsin Wine Club, please call 1-800-955-5208.
The next time you're in Algoma, stop by our Wine and Gift Shop.
Our Algoma Winery was recently featured on The Taste Spot's first edition of Taste Travel, during their travels through our great state of Wisconsin. Karen shines as she is interviewed while pouring tastes of our Algoma Wine. She talks about our resident ghost (take our winery tour and learn all about him), Cherry Bounce, and the origins of our Naughty Girl wine.
Check it out at The Taste Spot.
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