Michigan Gold Medal Reception 2014

By jrubin | September 23, 2014

2014 Michigan Wine Competition Best of Class
This year I was fortunate enough to be invited back to the Gold Medal Award Ceremony and Reception in East Lansing Michigan at the Kellogg Conference Center and Hotel, I was looking forward to this event all year! We had to head out from Metro-Detroit later than I would have liked and thus didn’t get to see the Award portion, I did however get to talk to the winemakers, many of whom are customers or friends of ours. I hoped to gain insight into how the industry trends are going here in Michigan. I was surprised at how many people were there this year, seemed to be even more of a buzz than the year before and after trying all of the Gold Medal wines, I know why!

To start off the evening, you get a packet of tickets that will be your currency for a splash of wine or a tasting, there are ways to get more of your favorite, just tell them double pour and drop two tickets. If you know you like a wine you should always do this to avoid having to wait in line again. I ran into a lot of my favorite wineries: 2Lads, Black Star Farms, Flying Otter, 45 North, and Lawton Ridge just to name a few. We started of with fruit wines (to get them out of the way) and then moved on to Gold and Silver winners. I will say this, Black Star Farms Acturos was simply amazing, deserving the award for the second year in a row undoubtedly, thanks Lee! Overall the wines were top-notch and so was the food and dessert stations, special pairing was done to ensure our pallets did not suffer 🙂

The event was run very smoothly and the wines were fantatstic. My overall favorites were both Chatea de Leelanau 2013 Cabernet Franc Rose, Black Star Farms 2012 Acturos Winter Harvest Riesling, and 45 North Vineyard & Winery Peach Cremant (mmmmmm so peachy).

I hope you have an opportunity to join us for this event one year, and sorry I forgot to take pictures… oooops! Well I do appreciate our wines in Michigan, they are some of the best and there is only more yet to be created (and consumed too)!

I wish I could remember more about them for this blog article but I took poor notes and my memory got worse and worse as the evening went on, go figure. Here is a list of winners.

  • Sparkling: Aurora Cellars 2011 Brut
  • Dry White: Blustone Vineyards 2013 Riesling
  • Dry Red: Peninsula Cellars 2012 Cabernet Franc
  • Semi-dry White: Gill’s Pier Vineyard & Winery 2013 Semi-Dry Riesling
  • Semi-dry Red: Lawton Ridge Winery 2012 AZO Red
  • Dessert: Black Star Farms 2012 Arcturos Winter Harvest Riesling
  • Fruit: 45 North Vineyard & Winery Peach Cremant
  • Rosé: Chateau de Leelanau 2013 Cabernet Franc Rosé

View a complete list here.

Read about it on michiganwines.com

Miwinebarrel is a proud supporter of the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council, visit their website to learn more about our amazing Michigan Wines.

About The Author
Joshua Rubin

I'm the creative guy over here at MI Wine Barrel, in charge of the site, marketing & sales as well as all the details. We love to hear what you think, let me know if you have any questions, comments or concerns. A little bit about me, I love a good Pinot Noir and am a huge fan of the Old Mission (northern Michigan) Wineries. I am the administer of this newsroom so go ahead ask me anything?


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