2024 Spring Winemaker’s Selections

Spring is here and it is time for you to start making your wine selections for the Spring 2024 allocation. To help in the process, our Director of Winemaking Drew Perry has selected three phenomenal wines, including a member favorite, a one-of-a-kind red blend, and an award-winning rosé.

Member Favorite: 2023 Albariño 

The Good Harbor Albariño has quickly become a favorite amongst our wine club members. Good Harbor Vineyards is one of only two wineries in the State of Michigan with this variety available, as well as the only Northern Michigan winery to grow and produce it.

A grape variety native to Spain and Portugal, Albariño has found a home in a couple of wine-growing regions in the United States - both warm and cool climates - including California, Oregon, and the Leelanau Peninsula.

This wine releases the aromatics of apricot, orange blossom, lemon, and green apple from the moment you swirl it around the glass. The crisp, aromatic finish will have your palate begging for more!

The vibrancy of the 2023 Albariño makes it a great pairing for all types of cuisine. As a recommendation from our Director of Winemaking, this wine would pair well with spicy foods and foods with high fat content. You also won’t go wrong pairing it with fish or oysters!

Past vintages of this wine have been nationally recognized by Robert Parker The Wine Advocate (86 points) and awarded a gold medal at the 2022 Jefferson Cup Invitational Wine Competition.

Award Winner: Pinot Noir Rosé

Just like snowflakes, no two rosés are the same. The Pinot Noir Rosé produced by Good Harbor Vineyards is lighter in style with elegant acidity. 

As the name suggests, this bottle of sunshine is made with 100% Pinot Noir. The fruit for this wine is grown in Benjamin’s Vineyard - the same vineyard where the Pinot Noir for our sparkling Blanc de Noirs is grown. This is also one of the oldest Pinot Noir vineyard blocks for Good Harbor Vineyards.

Leading up to its harvest, the fruit was monitored closely by our vineyard crew and winemaker to make sure the phenolics were to the specifications needed. When it came to processing the fruit, our production crew let the juice cold soak with half of the skins overnight before gently pressing it the next day.

Your nose will be filled with bright cherry and lightly ripe strawberry aromatics while enjoying this wine. The classic cherry flavors that come from Pinot Noir continue to be present on the palate throughout the entire glass. Lighter-style rosés have been known to pair well with more delicate food like leafy, green salads, simple shellfish, or white meat. You can also pair a glass of this delicious wine with quiche, pissaladière, or other savory tarts.

The Pinot Noir Rosé has won several awards. Most recently, it was awarded a Gold Medal during the 2023 TEXSOM Awards. 

One-of-a-Kind: Pinot Noir-Zweigelt

This one-of-a-kind blend is sure to showcase the beauty of Pinot Noir and the Austrian variety, Zweigelt, in Northern Michigan.

The two varieties used in this wine are grown in adjacent blocks in our oldest vineyard - Isobel’s Vineyard. Our production team fermented the juice separately and then combined it based on the barrel selection. The blend was aged for 14 months in 25% new French Oak barrels.

Each pour of this wine will bring aromas of bright Bing Cherry with a backdrop of early-season strawberries. You will also notice a subtle aroma of vanilla that comes from the time spent in the barrels. The cherry aromatics found on the nose will follow you through to the palate along with flavors of raspberry jam.

This blend pairs well with fish cooked in a wine or tomato-based sauce, as well as chicken, duck, or fowl.

Within the past year, this unique wine has been nationally and internationally recognized. It has received multiple high scores including 90 points from Decanter, 87 points from Robert Parker The Wine Advocate, and 89 points from Wine & Spirits Magazine.

You can make changes to your Spring 2024 Wine Club Allocation from March 24th through April 5th. Need help when it comes to customizing your Spring Allocation? See instructions here.