view archived dining Tastemakers: Michigan Aspearagus/Forty-Five North Riesling Rick Coates
Michigan Asparagus
Usually, when you hear “board of directors,” you think corporation. But even vegetables have board of directors and that is the case with Michigan Asparagus. The popular veggie that is currently sprouting, is valued at $20 million annually in Michigan, and the state ranks third in production with 15,000 acres expected to generate more than 25 million pounds. So why does a veggie need a board of directors? “We are dedicated to spreading the good word about the virtues of asparagus, one of nature’s most perfect foods,” said John Bakker, executive director of The Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board.” “We seek to promote the production and consumption of asparagus grown in Michigan as well as to assist in the agricultural research and development of asparagus farming.” The Village of Empire decided to honor asparagus by launching the Empire Asparagus Festival five years ago. The weekend festival (May 16-18, 2008) is full of fun-filled events such as the 5K Kick Ass-paragus Fun Run/Walk on Saturday and the Asparagus Parade when the only requirement is that your entry “salute the famous green stalk.” Speaking of stalks, you know you are important when they make a film about you. The Northern Michigan premiere screening of the new film “Asparagus (A Stalk-umentary)” will be shown free this Friday night at the Empire Town Hall. To learn more about asparagus and to find great recipes (my favorite is grilled asparagus, marinate in olive oil add fresh ground sea salt and grill for a couple of minutes on each side), check out asparagus.org. For the complete line-up of events, including several asparagus cooking demonstrations at the Empire Asparagus Festival, visit empirechamber.com.
Forty-Five North Riesling
Anyone who has been reading this column since its inception four years ago knows that on numerous occasions I have stepped up on the Northern Michigan wine barrel and spouted the virtues of the wines being made here. Proclaiming them as wines that are world class and of distinction. Sure some of you were probably suspicious of those claims, since I was essentially an industry hack serving as the spokesperson for the Leelanau Vintners Association for seven years. I left that position a year ago and my view of the wines from this region has not changed. A big reason has to do with the continued success that wines from this region have in major international competitions. Most recently the success of Forty-Five North Vineyard & Winery located on the Leelanau Peninsula between Suttons Bay and Lake Leelanau. Never heard of them? Well that has to do with the fact that they are not even open -- they are scheduled to open their tasting room on July 4 weekend of this year. A couple a weeks ago at one of the most important wine competitions in the United States, the Pacific Rim International Wine Competition, Forty-Five North garnered three “Double Gold – Best of Class” medals and a “Best of Show” distinction this week at the 2008 Pacific Rim International Wine Competition in California. “Double Gold” is awarded to only those wines that receive “Gold” ranking from every single judge in its respective category. “Double Gold” medals were presented for the Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir Rosé and Dry Riesling – which also placed second overall in the competition of 2,800 judged wines, earning it the distinction of “Best Pacific Rim White Wine.” That is an impressive feat, especially for a brand new winery to have the “best overall” white wine in a very tough and competitive competition. Steven Grossnickle, proprietor of Forty-Five North gives 100 percent of the credit to his winemaker Shawn Walters. Grossnickle’s decision to hire Walters was a wise one. While Walters has been a part of the winemaker scene in the region for several years, his talents have gone somewhat unnoticed until recently. He also makes the wines for Longview Vineyards in Cedar and has won several medals for those wines. Recently he was asked by a California winery to make their Riesling using grapes from Forty-Five North for a wine to be sold in California. Now, many wine critics are touting Walters as one of the top young winemakers in the country. Thank you Shawn and all the other winemakers from this region who have validated all those past columns and claims I made about the world class wines from Northern Michigan. To get the inside track on purchasing these award-winning wines before they sell out visit fortyfivenorth.com.
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