Two Decades of a Fruitful Partnership

July 1, 2016

CHERRY FESTIVAL AND CHATEAU GRAND TRAVERSE TEAM-UP FOR LIMITED WINE

For 20 summers, Chateau Grand Traverse winery has produced a special limited edition wine to celebrate the National Cherry Festival in Traverse City.

“It’s hard to believe that much time has passed already,” said Ed O’Keefe, president of Chateau Grand Traverse (CGT). “It started when we went to Cherry Fest 20 years ago and talked to them about getting local wines into the festival. Back in 1996, most wineries up here weren’t even in business yet; they mostly started around 1998 and later.” O’Keefe and CGT ended up being pioneers for the emerging local wine industry, and Cherry Festival was simply another important piece in the puzzle.

“Chateau Grand Traverse really positioned themselves to be the first winery to bring wine culture to Traverse City,” said Susan Wilcox Olson, media manager of the National Cherry Festival. “We’ve had a longtime partnership with Eddie, and we’re thrilled to have the presence and the partnership with the CGT label.”

When CGT and Cherry Fest began collaborating, CGT initially tried hosting a small wine festival alongside the Cherry Festival but found that the winery could make even more impact by focusing on what it did best. “I think people get so overloaded this time of year with everything that’s going on, so this — the annual Cherry Festival wine — became our special way of making things more inclusive, and to help get local wineries to become a part of Cherry Fest,” said O’Keefe.

Every year in late April or early May, CGT reps visit their retailers and distributors to apprise them of the wines that will be on the way for the summer season — the Cherry Festival wine included. “Then we ship in early June, just before Cherry Fest, so that the limited edition wine is out in the market and ready to go,” O’Keefe said.

The annual Cherry Festival wine is only produced as-needed, per customer demand. It’s a semi-sweet blend of cherry wine and white wine with a light flavor that’s an easy accompaniment to most any summertime cuisine. “The white wine is usually a riesling, but sometimes we add in another wine to add character,” O’Keefe said.

The Cherry Festival wine’s label artwork has become something of a collector’s item; CGT chooses the art from submissions to the Cherry Festival’s commemorative print program, to which both professional and amateur artists submit work each year. “Eddie and his team are always privy to the submitted artwork,” Olson said.

“As soon as Cherry Fest allows us access to the art, we go in March or April to choose the label design,” O’Keefe said. “This year, because of the 20th anniversary, we went back, and we’re using the very first label art we used for the first Cherry Festival wine.” He added that some people make a point to make sure they buy the Cherry Festival wine every year, so they can line up the bottles with the different labels. “I’m not sure you’d want to actually drink a 20-year-old cherry wine; it doesn’t age the same way,” he said. “But I think that’s a really neat thing to do.”

Now 20 years in, the partnership has proved a welcome one for both the festival and for Chateau Grand Traverse. “It works well for us because we get such nice exposure, and Cherry Fest gets a sponsorship fee in return for our use of their name,” O’Keefe said. “Plus it’s a good item they can rally around during the festival, and it fits a great niche.”

Olson agreed. “The distribution of the Cherry Festival wine around the Midwest is so important to our region and to the festival,” she said. “I certainly hope that as we approach Cherry Festival’s 90th year this summer, we’ll be able to continue on with Chateau Grand Traverse and celebrate the 100th Cherry Fest with something magnificent from them.”

For more information on the National Cherry Festival, visit cherryfestival.org. For more on Chateau Grand Traverse, visit cgtwines.com. The 20th Edition National Cherry Festival Wine is available online, as well as at most local beverage retailers, including Meijer and Tom’s Food Markets.