There‘s Nothing like Mac & Cheese after Thanksgiving

Let’s see, turkey on Thursday, leftover turkey on Friday... so how about macaroni & cheese on Saturday? The longtime favorite is being celebrated by the wineries of the Old Mission Peninsula at their annual Great Mac and Cheese Cook-off.
Taking place Saturday, November 27 at the four wineries on the Old Mission Peninsula, the Mac and Cheese Cook-off has become a must-do event for wine enthusiasts tired of turkey leftovers and crowded shopping destinations.
The day features imaginative mac & cheese creations from nine regional restaurants: Stella, The Trillium, Auntie Pasta’s, the Great Lakes Culinary Institute, Peninsula Grill, The Boathouse, Silvertree Deli and The Blue Slipper.

LOBSTER & WALNUTS
This isn’t your out-of-the-box microwave mac & cheese. These restaurants go outside the box by using lobster, shrimp, Brie, walnuts and Gorgonzola to name a few of the alluring ingredients.
So, if you have ever wondered what wine goes best with mac & cheese, this is your event. In fact, that is how the event got started.
“Our winemaker Bryan Ulbrich had written a description for our Old School” White that said, ‘Goes great with comfort foods like macaroni and cheese,’ and people got a kick out of it,” said Emily Ulbrich of Peninsula Cellars and one of the organizers of the event. “Then Veronica Barclay (a California tasting room consultant) came in one day and mentioned that one of the California wine trails had an event where winemakers made mac & cheese. We thought using our local chefs would be a great way to highlight the complimentary nature of local cuisine and local wine, and show-off the character of the region.”
Participants pay $10 and get a cool event glass with a dancing macaroni logo. Tickets are available in advance at all four wineries and at the Traverse City Visitors Bureau Welcome Center on Union Street. Space is limited and organizers expect the event to sell out.
“If the trend continues we will sell all the tickets,” said Ulbrich. “Each winery holds some tickets to sell the day of, but they won’t last. I suggest advance tickets to be safe.”
Proceeds from the event will go to the regional Migrant Health Worker Clinic. Area wineries have a special relationship with the migrant community and recently released a limited edition signed print of the winemakers in conjunction with Traverse Magazine with proceeds going to the clinic.
So, what wine goes with Mac & Cheese?
“Old Mission wines are crisp, bright, with balanced acidity so our whites sing when paired with rich, creamy cheeses,” said Emily Ulbrich. “The wines of our area just pair beautifully with this style of food.”
As a veteran of this event I have found a few favorites that go great with the cheese creations and, for that matter, a lot of other foods.
At Chateau Chantal I suggest the 2000 Proprietor’s Reserve Chardonnay, with hints of smoke and vanilla; it is perfect with rich cheesy foods. Don’t ignore reds during this visit and Chantal’s Naughty Red matches great with foods that might be considered traditional white wine fare. As winemaker Mark Johnson says, “Throw out the rules with this wine and be naughty.”
When you arrive at Bowers Harbor, their Pinot Grigio is light and crisp and was a great pairing with last year’s Mac & Cheese offering that had lobster in it. Bowers also has a must-do red in their 2896 Langley. The 2002 vintage and winner of Best Red at the Michigan State Fair Competition is limited and the fact is that it will be a few years before the wine is made again.
The oldest winery in the region is Chateau Grand Traverse, where the O’Keefe family has been specializing in rieslings since they opened 30 years ago. A personal favorite is 2002 Dry Johannisberg Riesling. The wine took a Gold at the famed San Francisco International Wine Competition this June. Look for the 2001 Gamay Noir and its tart cherry, black pepper flavors as the perfect light bodied red to go with any cheese or pasta dish.
At Peninsula Cellars the 2002 Gewürztraminer is a must; this spicy white is a major award winner and tackles cheese quite nicely. If you’re lucky and they have the 2002 Manigold Vineyard Gewürztraminer available, snatch that up. However at $50 a bottle don’t look for it at the sampling bar. Don’t pass on their Apple Wine. It pairs great with cheese.
While the day is certainly about the wine, the food is not chopped liver -- well, there might be one macaroni dish with liver -- you never know. The restaurants take this event seriously. The Blue Slipper from Onekama has participated every year since the event’s inception and its mac & cheese dish with lobster took the award for Best With White Wine. They don’t plan to relinquish their title as their kitchen staff has been experimenting all fall with recipes.
This year the Old Mission will be polling participants for the Peoples Choice, Most Unique and The Cheesiest.
All four wineries of the Old Mission Peninsula are within a few miles of one another and the tour takes just a few hours to complete. Participants may start at any winery and should plan on spending time to sample three to five wines at each stop. If you are unfamiliar with the Old Mission Wineries you are in for a real treat; the region has been winning several major awards and has attracted the attention of some of the world’s top wine critics. For info, check out Peninsula Cellars at www.peninsulacellars.com or by phone, (231) 933-9787.


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