Raise a Glass
to TC’s New Art & Wine Festival
By Rick Coates 8/17/09
After a five-year stint in Traverse City, the popular Epicurean Classic has moved to St. Joseph, Michigan (90 miles east of Chicago) along the Lake Michigan shoreline. Festival organizers were wooed by sponsors who wanted the event closer to a major metropolitan area. The departure of the Epicurean Classic has opened the door for others to try and fill the void.
The first “replacement” event will take place this Saturday in the form of the Traverse City Wine & Art Festival. It will take place on the spacious grounds of the Grand Traverse Commons in front of Building 50 under a large tent from 5 to 10 p.m.
The evening will feature wines from 22 wineries on both the Leelanau and Old Mission peninsulas and will include culinary offerings from several Traverse City and Leelanau restaurants. The festival will also focus on the arts with a juried arts show hosted by the Artcenter of Traverse City, along with several musical performances highlighted by Thom Jayne and The Nomads, along with Jay Webber.
“The Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association is excited to be building a major wine festival that will showcase the amazing wines of our region against the beautiful backdrop of the Grand Traverse Commons. We feel that the blend of art, food and wine is a natural combination that highlights three things we do very well in Northwest Michigan,” said festival chairperson Jaclyn Eikey. “With the addition of some really eclectic music and entertainment, I think it will be an experience like none other offered in our area. The proceeds from this year’s party will help us build a festival that we feel will become one of the highlights of summer in the Traverse City area.”
VIVE LA DIFFERENCE
One big difference between the typical wine festivals in the area and the Traverse City Art & Wine Festival will be how the wines are presented.
“Most wine festivals are tasting events, where you get small samples and try several different wines,” said Andre McFarlane, spokesperson for the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association. “Here we will be offering full pours of wines from the region. We are going after a different type of experience.”
That “experience” is not about duplicating the Epicurean Classic (which did not focus solely on local but had an international food and wine approach to it) but rather celebrating emergence of the region as the Midwest “Capital of Culture.”
“I was pleasantly surprised during my visit to the area as to not only the quality of wines, but also in the quality of food and restaurant offerings in the region,” said Bill Daley, food and wine critic for the Chicago Tribune. “Equally impressive were the cultural offerings of the area, this region will surely become one of the most sought-out by those who travel looking for quality wine, food and cultural experiences.”
Daley is not alone, as a plethora of California wine critics have visited the region in recent years singing praises for area wines.
“The Pinot Grigio and Rieslings I tasted on the Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsulas were as good and in some cases better than any I have tasted in the world,” said Wilfred Wong, San Francisco wine critic and competition tasting judge. “It never surprises me when wines from there do well and win major awards at international competitions. When my colleagues are shocked I simply smile and tell them I visited and tasted first-hand and met with the winemakers there and I know it is a special place.”
Syndicated wine columnist Dan Berger, whose work appears in Decanter, Robb Report and numerous newspapers, agrees with his counterparts.
“I was the chief judge at a major international wine competition in California when a wine from Northern Michigan took home best of show honors. We were all stunned,” said Berger. “I have visited several times since and Michigan wines are coming of age.”
BOTH PENINSULAS
So for Don Coe, managing partner of Black Star Farms, with locations on the Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsulas, along with a Traverse City tasting room, this type of event has been long in the making.
“We have seen how our industry has went from being somewhat unknown to now being a focal point for the tourism and agricultural industries,” said Coe, who also is a Michigan Department of Agriculture Commissioner. “Since the inception of the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association we have discussed the concept of an event that embraces both peninsulas but despite their geographical closeness to each other we always felt that it was not socially responsible to have an event where people had to drive between both peninsulas so this event in Traverse City is something we have been trying to do for several years.”
While festival organizers see the wines from the region as the “headline act” for the Traverse City Wine & Art Festival certainly the art and cultural components for the evening are of equal importance.
“The artists of the Artcenter are thrilled to be part of this exciting festival,” said Jennifer Hutchinson, board president. “It offers an opportunity to display their work and equally afford the community a chance to view the fine artists of the region”
Another highlight of the evening will be the music and headliner Thom Jayne and the Nomads from Okemos, who blend a unique fusion of didgeridoos, trumpets, guitars, fiddles, and African percussion, the Nomads are a hard-to-categorize blend of world music, jazz, and celtic influences. Joining them will be Rojo Loco (complete with Latin dancers) and regional folk favorite Jay Webber. The music will be punctuated by original dance from the Michigan Dance Collective and poetry and storytelling by the Beach Bards.
Tickets are limited and may be purchased online (www.lpwines.com) for $20 per person and will be available for pickup on the day of the event at the festival. Admission includes two wine tickets with additional tickets available at $4 each. For additional information call the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association at (231) 256-2829.
to TC’s New Art & Wine Festival
By Rick Coates 8/17/09
After a five-year stint in Traverse City, the popular Epicurean Classic has moved to St. Joseph, Michigan (90 miles east of Chicago) along the Lake Michigan shoreline. Festival organizers were wooed by sponsors who wanted the event closer to a major metropolitan area. The departure of the Epicurean Classic has opened the door for others to try and fill the void.
The first “replacement” event will take place this Saturday in the form of the Traverse City Wine & Art Festival. It will take place on the spacious grounds of the Grand Traverse Commons in front of Building 50 under a large tent from 5 to 10 p.m.
The evening will feature wines from 22 wineries on both the Leelanau and Old Mission peninsulas and will include culinary offerings from several Traverse City and Leelanau restaurants. The festival will also focus on the arts with a juried arts show hosted by the Artcenter of Traverse City, along with several musical performances highlighted by Thom Jayne and The Nomads, along with Jay Webber.
“The Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association is excited to be building a major wine festival that will showcase the amazing wines of our region against the beautiful backdrop of the Grand Traverse Commons. We feel that the blend of art, food and wine is a natural combination that highlights three things we do very well in Northwest Michigan,” said festival chairperson Jaclyn Eikey. “With the addition of some really eclectic music and entertainment, I think it will be an experience like none other offered in our area. The proceeds from this year’s party will help us build a festival that we feel will become one of the highlights of summer in the Traverse City area.”
VIVE LA DIFFERENCE
One big difference between the typical wine festivals in the area and the Traverse City Art & Wine Festival will be how the wines are presented.
“Most wine festivals are tasting events, where you get small samples and try several different wines,” said Andre McFarlane, spokesperson for the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association. “Here we will be offering full pours of wines from the region. We are going after a different type of experience.”
That “experience” is not about duplicating the Epicurean Classic (which did not focus solely on local but had an international food and wine approach to it) but rather celebrating emergence of the region as the Midwest “Capital of Culture.”
“I was pleasantly surprised during my visit to the area as to not only the quality of wines, but also in the quality of food and restaurant offerings in the region,” said Bill Daley, food and wine critic for the Chicago Tribune. “Equally impressive were the cultural offerings of the area, this region will surely become one of the most sought-out by those who travel looking for quality wine, food and cultural experiences.”
Daley is not alone, as a plethora of California wine critics have visited the region in recent years singing praises for area wines.
“The Pinot Grigio and Rieslings I tasted on the Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsulas were as good and in some cases better than any I have tasted in the world,” said Wilfred Wong, San Francisco wine critic and competition tasting judge. “It never surprises me when wines from there do well and win major awards at international competitions. When my colleagues are shocked I simply smile and tell them I visited and tasted first-hand and met with the winemakers there and I know it is a special place.”
Syndicated wine columnist Dan Berger, whose work appears in Decanter, Robb Report and numerous newspapers, agrees with his counterparts.
“I was the chief judge at a major international wine competition in California when a wine from Northern Michigan took home best of show honors. We were all stunned,” said Berger. “I have visited several times since and Michigan wines are coming of age.”
BOTH PENINSULAS
So for Don Coe, managing partner of Black Star Farms, with locations on the Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsulas, along with a Traverse City tasting room, this type of event has been long in the making.
“We have seen how our industry has went from being somewhat unknown to now being a focal point for the tourism and agricultural industries,” said Coe, who also is a Michigan Department of Agriculture Commissioner. “Since the inception of the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association we have discussed the concept of an event that embraces both peninsulas but despite their geographical closeness to each other we always felt that it was not socially responsible to have an event where people had to drive between both peninsulas so this event in Traverse City is something we have been trying to do for several years.”
While festival organizers see the wines from the region as the “headline act” for the Traverse City Wine & Art Festival certainly the art and cultural components for the evening are of equal importance.
“The artists of the Artcenter are thrilled to be part of this exciting festival,” said Jennifer Hutchinson, board president. “It offers an opportunity to display their work and equally afford the community a chance to view the fine artists of the region”
Another highlight of the evening will be the music and headliner Thom Jayne and the Nomads from Okemos, who blend a unique fusion of didgeridoos, trumpets, guitars, fiddles, and African percussion, the Nomads are a hard-to-categorize blend of world music, jazz, and celtic influences. Joining them will be Rojo Loco (complete with Latin dancers) and regional folk favorite Jay Webber. The music will be punctuated by original dance from the Michigan Dance Collective and poetry and storytelling by the Beach Bards.
Tickets are limited and may be purchased online (www.lpwines.com) for $20 per person and will be available for pickup on the day of the event at the festival. Admission includes two wine tickets with additional tickets available at $4 each. For additional information call the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association at (231) 256-2829.
