The Michigan Wines We Keep Buying
I’ve noticed something over the years.
The wines I talk about aren’t always the wines I buy.
And the wines I buy aren’t always the wines that get the most attention.
My wife and I belong to Good Harbor Vineyards, and if I look at what consistently gets opened in our house, two bottles stand out above everything else.
The first is their Blanc de Noir.
The second is their Select Cuvée.
Neither choice is particularly trendy.
Neither is the bottle that wine writers seem most interested in discussing.
But they’re the bottles we continue ordering.
Why the Blanc de Noir Works
Most people associate sparkling wine with celebrations.
The problem with that mindset is that good sparkling wine ends up sitting around waiting for an occasion.
The Blanc de Noir doesn’t feel like that to me.
It’s the bottle that gets opened when friends stop by.
It’s the bottle that works on a summer evening.
It’s the bottle that somehow disappears faster than expected.
What I appreciate most is that it feels substantial enough to stand on its own but remains refreshing enough that you want another glass.
That’s harder to accomplish than it sounds.
The Bottle I Didn’t Expect
The bigger surprise for me has been the Select Cuvée.
Over the years I’ve tasted plenty of sparkling wines that were technically good but never particularly memorable.
The Select Cuvée is one of the few Michigan sparkling wines that I find myself actively looking forward to drinking.
Not because it’s expensive.
Not because it’s rare.
Because it’s enjoyable.
That sounds obvious, but I think wine people sometimes overcomplicate things.
At the end of the day, the bottles that matter are the ones you continue buying.
The Membership Test
Being a wine club member changes the way I think about wineries.
When you’re visiting a tasting room, almost everything tastes good.
You’re on vacation.
The weather is nice.
The setting is beautiful.
The harder question is whether you still want the wine six months later.
For us, that’s where Good Harbor has separated itself.
The Blanc de Noir and the Select Cuvée aren’t vacation purchases anymore.
They’re repeat purchases.
And I think that’s the highest compliment I can give a winery.
Not that I enjoyed a tasting.
That I continue to spend my own money on the same bottles years later.