Vineyard Adventures

Wow.  

That was fun.

Mr. Grand and I just returned from a fabulous weekend adventure at Blustone Vineyards, 

an absolute dream of a place, created by our good friends, Tom and Joan Knighton.

Tom and Joan had a dream.

And in November, 2012, it became a reality. 

(I lifted this photo right off their Christmas card because I could never take anything more perfect)

They opened the doors of their BlustoneVineyard Tasting Room last fall

and began welcoming wine lovers to sample their award winning wines.

It's sleek and modern 

and warm and cool, all at the same time.

The setting is spectacular- 

Just a few miles inland from Lake Michigan, 

 atop a rolling hill, 

surrounded by hardwoods and fir trees 

and grapevines and cherry orchards and bucolic farms....

Napa has nothing on this setting!

Acres and acres of glorious views in all directions.

This was a special weekend for the Knightons.  

The wineries of the Leelenau Peninsula in Northern Michigan were hosting a "Sip and Savor" Event 

to entice people to come visit the area wineries 

and taste the wonderful Michigan wines, paired with specially selected foods.

1,000 tickets were sold (sold out!)

and the Knightons asked us to come up, along with some other good friends 

to help greet the guests and pour them wine.  

And act like we knew what we were talking about... (That was the only hard part!)

We had visited the Vineyard before, in its planning stages 

and again for the wedding of Tom and Joan's son Matt and his bride, April. 

You may remember Matt and April 

from this post about the Wedding Shower we hosted for them last summer.

They're pictured here in another photo lifted right off their Christmas card, 

because, again, I could never take a more perfect photo.

My assignment was pretty simple.

Greet the guests, pour them a taste of the award winning 2011 Blustone Pinot Grigio 

and dish them up a sample of a delicious, spring three cheese pasta 

which paired perfectly with the wine.

I only had to do this about 400 or 500 times, 

because my partner, Patti greeted the other 400 or 500 people...

The Sip and Savor Event featured a Hat contest 

and lots of guests were in on that, like these two pictured above with Patti.

Mr. Grand, with his superior intellect and oenophilic passion 

was assigned to learn about all ten Blustone wines 

and to serve tastes of those to the guests.

Blustone Wines have only been bottled for a few years 

and they have already won numerous awards in international wine tasting competitions.

This 2010 Blustone Chardonnay has won two gold medals and one silver medal 

and I have served it at home, to many rave reviews.

I love it because it was aged in stainless steel instead of oak

and it has such a fresh, fruity crisp taste.

"Unoaked" or "Naked" Chardonnay is making it's mark in the wine world

 and it's wonderful - it's all about the fruit.

Here are some folks on the wine trail, some with siilly hats ...

Check out the views from inside!

Very hip.

Love this two sided fireplace... 

Imagine it in the fall, with colorful leaves blazing out on the hillsides.

During the quieter moments, Patti and I were able to enjoy our own wine tasting, 

served by our handsome hubbies. We had so much fun!

The cherry trees were just about ready to burst into flowers.  

 Here's Tom, checking the grapevines for buds...

Be sure to visit the Blustone Website to learn more about this little corner of paradise.

Oh, and here's the view of Lake Michigan from the Knightons home-

Can you say spectacular?



Linking to:
Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style
Oh, The Places I've Been at The Tablescaper