Von Stiehl Winery - Algoma, Wisconsin

 

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.

 

Von Stiehl Wisconsin Winery has the perfect gift for folks with a Sweet Tooth (Sweet Teeth?).

Members of our Sweets Club receive five gifts a year. Each one contains 2 bottles of semi-sweet or sweet wine, and a sweet treat. We pair the wines with the sweet, and they are meant to be enjoyed together.

This is a great gift for anyone who likes to drink wine, from budding wine drinkers to folks who've had many years with the bottle. Our Sweets Club introduces wines to novice wine drinkers. It helps seasoned oenophiles get out of ruts by introducing wines they might not choose on their own. In addition, it educates recipients on the wonderful science of pairing wine and desserts (not always an easy task, but so worth the effort).

Plus, the Sweets Club is a gift that arrives at regular intervals throughout the year. It's a wonderful way for folks who live far from the recipient to stay in touch: each time the recipient opens the wine and sweet, they'll think of you. Likewise, it's a wonderful way to connect with friends and family who live nearby: when the shipment arrives, you can enjoy it together. That's what we call a "win, win" situation.

So give a gift of Wisconsin Wine this holiday season; sweet wines for the sweetest people in your life.

Picture this, five times a year.

 

 

The von Stiehl Wine and Cheese Club makes the best gift ever. Really.

Four times a year, members of our Wine and Cheese Club receive a delicious package in the mail. Each box contains a block of Wisconsin cheese and 2 bottles of our Wisconsin Wine that have been selected to complement the cheese. Tasting notes accompany the wine, and a selection of other tasty goodies are also included.

Present the gift announcement with a bottle of our Wisconsin Wine and a block of cheese - we'll help you make a good selection when you visit our Algoma Winery and Tasting Room. Your friend will be delighted, and you'll probably enjoy that bottle of wine and that block of cheese together, right then. A few months later, your friend will receive a gift box of wine, cheese, and goodies in the mail. This will happen again, and again, and again.

Each time your friend opens the box, he or she will think of you. If you live close to one another, you may be invited over to share the contents. If you live far from one another, our Wine and Cheese is a way to stay connected.

Why limit the holidays to just once a year? With our Wine and Cheese Club, you can enjoy them, and share them, winter, spring, summer, and fall.

For additional information, please see our Wisconsin Wine and Cheese Club brochure.

Give a von Stiehl gift box to someone you love this holiday season.

 

 

The Thanksgiving feast is close at hand. Soon we'll be tucking into roast turkey, stuffing, hot buttered rolls, and greens. We'll be cooking for days, or traveling for hours, and joining together with friends and family no matter where we are. It's a busy time of year, but a good time of year.

For us, it's impossible to think about our Thanksgiving feast without wondering which of our Wisconsin Wines we'll enjoy with it.

Each year, many people are haunted by these and other age-old questions:

 

• "Which wine will go best with the appetizers?"
• "Which wine goes best with roast Turkey?"
• "Which wine goes best with candied yams?"
• "Red or white?"
• "What should I serve with dessert?"

 

Aside from the strong belief that you can't go wrong with von Stiehl Wisconsin Wines, we support your right to serve what you like. Don't worry about convention.

If you're hosting many people, consider opening several different bottles and letting your guests decide for themselves. After all, extra wine will keep, and you want your guests to be happy. We know people who only drink red wine. They drink it on hot summer days, they drink it with hot, spicy food, they drink it on its own. They drink it because they like it. Likewise, we know people who prefer white on any occasion - with a big slab of red meat, with a big bowl of hearty pasta, and on its own.

We believe certain wines and foods complement each other. We are not alone. But if you have friends who like what they like, let them drink what they like on Thanksgiving. Or give them a choice. Open a bottle of our Chardonnay and a bottle of our Naughty Girl with the appetizers. Open bottles of our Satin Red and Riesling with the main meal. Open Doc Steihl's Cherry Bounce and our Raspberry Framboise with dessert. You'll find out if your guests prefer one bottle over another.

If you have your heart set on pairing wine with your meal, stop by our Tasting Room in Algoma and ask for advice. We'd love to work with you.

Our Riesling would go well with a Thanksgiving feast.

 

 

It's no secret that we love wine here at von Stiehl, our Algoma, Wisconsin, Winery. We believe that our wine can stand alone. That said, it need also be noted that food brings out the best in wine. Together, food and wine make life worth living.

We offer wine and cheese pairings and wine and chocolate pairings in the tasting room of our Wisconsin Winery. These are tasty, but they really just whet the appetite. If cheese and wine can taste so good together, how would roast chicken and vegetables taste with wine, or filet mignon? The possibilities are endless. The mind reels.

Next weekend, let us cook for you. Join us for our Ladies of the Vine Fall Gourmet Luncheon, November 12 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The day begins with a tour of "Over There", our new production facility. We'll then move to our rathskeller, where we'll enjoy a 5 course luncheon. Each course will be paired with one of our Wisconsin Wines.

This is an event for ladies. Call your closest friends, your co-workers, your sisters and cousins. Call your mother. Call your daughter. Spend a few hours in good company, enjoying good food and good wine. If you're hesitating, ask yourself "Why not?".

 

Please call 1.800.955.5208 to make your reservation.

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!

 

Ah, it's that time of year. The time when green leaves in Algoma and Door County Wisconsin transform into glorious shades of red, gold, orange, and yellow. The heat of summer dissipates, and cool, crisp days invite outdoor activity. It's the perfect time to run away to a cabin in the woods or by the lake.

Von Stiehl Wisconsin Wine augments every weekend getaway. Grill a steak and share a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon after a long hike through the trails of colorful Door County. Sip on our Dry Apple "Wrap" after a long bike ride. Spend all day outside then curl up by the fire with a glass of our Oak Aged Cherry Kirsche.

Autumn and von Stiehl Wisconsin Wine. They go together.

The 2011 Wet Whistle Wine Festival was held last Friday and Saturday at our Algoma, Wisconsin Winery. The weather was glorious - sunny, and neither too hot nor too cool. Thanks to everyone who helped make the festival happen, and to all who came.

Festival goers heard some great music and tasted some fantastic Wisconsin Wine. They went underground and toured our historic, limestone caverns, and then went to our new production facility, "Over There", and sampled some of our higher end wines, poured by members of the Schmiling family. A lucky few festival goers had the opportunity to participate in our Grape Stomp; it's always fascinating to see what the stomp brings out in people. Competition is fierce, but so is the fun.

Throughout the Wet Whistle Wine Festival, people mingled with friends and meandered through the Art Fair. They ate and danced and celebrated the harvest of our Wisconsin Wine. We're already looking forward to next year.

 

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.

 

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.