On the Road with the Grape Guy
Report from - Tasting Brengman Brothers Wines at Brengman’s Restaurant … September 1, 2012
08 Sep 2012- Details
- Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy
Now here’s a novel idea: own a restaurant outside of Detroit and have your vineyard a few hours north (not on your winery property). On the first day of September I find myself at Brengman’s Inn Land Restaurant in Richmond, Michigan, having a burger and brew for $4.50 (yes there’s a decimal point between the four and the five), their regular Saturday special, with my in-laws, when my father-in-law announces that Brengman’s owns a winery up near Traverse City and proceeds to tell the waitress who I am. Soon after a few tasters appear on the table … as I taste through the wines my brother-in-law says with a smirk, “can we hurry this along, I have to get to work.” I return the facial express and say, “I am at work.” Touché.
The Brengman Brothers winery is located on Lake Leelanau, part of the Leelanau Peninsula of Michigan wine country neat Traverse City … it is the left arm of the U that encompasses the Old Mission Peninsula – both areas I visited a few years ago. The winery “just” opened so I must have just missed it on our journey through the two peninsulas. Brengman Brothers is a 45-acre vineyard growing vitis vinifera grapes, mostly of the white variety (something I garnered from the ‘literature’ on the table).
As for the wines, five were offered to me for tasting, 3 whites, a fruit wine and a red (Syrah) … three of these wines I thought rather good – the others were passable, but not my cup of vino (so to speak) – three others around the table also agreed.
To read about the wines I tasted click here.
