by stambrose | Jan 14, 2016 | Mead, News, Wine
Your (occasionally) weekly look at some of the news in the mead, wine, and craft beverage industry – distilled down to the good stuff by the folks at St. Ambrose Cellars.
What Percentage Are You Actually Drinking?
We’ve all woken up with a headache and found something other than ourselves to blame. What if I told you … you might have been right?
It might not be off by much, but your wine bottle might be off just a bit on the ABV of the product. According to a study published in the Journal of Wine Economics, which tested more than 91,000 bottles tested from all over the world, the vast majority inaccurately listed the alcohol content. In most cases, 57.1 percent, the bottles were boozier than their labels said. Another 32.2 percent of the bottles contained less alcohol than listed.
And that’s absolutely legal. Here in the United States, laws allow wines with less than 14% ABV to by off by 1.5% on their label, and wines with more are allowed a 1% leeway. This makes a lot of sense, in reality, as the percentage can vary slightly between batches and tanks. You can read more here.
Former Wolverine Winning in Wine
You might remember Charles Woodson as the first primarily defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy during his legendary career at the University of Michigan. Or perhaps you remember his exceptional NFL career and Super Bowl triumph with the Green Bay Packers. But soon, you might be remembering him for his wine. Woodson has been involved with wine-making for several years, and you can learn more about his adventures here.
Watson the Winemaker
Remember Watson, the IBM Supercomputer that took on Ken Jennings in Jeopardy? Well, he’s gotten into the wine game too now. Will Watson replace human winemakers and usher in the Age of the Machines as a boozy SkyNet? Should we stockpile goods for his inevitable conquering of mankind? Find out here.
Michigan Mead Laws
You can learn about the movement afoot to help Michigan mead-makers reduce red tape and out-dated laws in this article from the Detroit Free Press.
by stambrose | Jan 13, 2016 | Music
A talented gem from Manistee County, Cheryl has been active in the live music scene since 2001. Her acoustic set includes a variety of soft rock, oldies, ballads, & original music.
Vocalist Cheryl Wolfram is nothing less than superb; her voice has an addictive flower child quality that recalls the great pop singers of the ‘60s.
We’ve hosted Cheryl before at the Cellars and she always deliver an eclectic, crowd-pleasing performance.
We hope you’ll join us Friday night (music starts around 6) for a wonderful evening of mead, cheese plates, music, friends, and fun!
by stambrose | Jan 11, 2016 | Mead
Honey bees are not big fans of the snow and cold. Our honey farm and meadery are located in Beulah, MI. Benzie County is not known for dry and mild winter weather. As you may have deduced, honey bees are not big fans of Benzie in the winter. So, where do all our buzzing little friends go when the seasons turn? Vacation, of course.
Our snowbird bees take a nice trip down to the warm Florida panhandle when the snow starts flying here. Since they are busy as bees (being bees this makes total sense) and don’t like to spend the winter just relaxing, they get to work in the swamps of the panhandle producing Tupelo Honey. No, not the song – though their buzz produces a great cover version if you listen just right. Tupelo honey (which is going fast – but you can try to snag some at our sister site) is a rare honey with an exquisite, almost buttery, flavor and a gorgeous light color. It’s great on your toast and in your tea, but it’s also great in our tanks and tasting room.
Tupelo Ambrosia mead is a staple of the lineup here. One of our traditional still meads, it has won awards around the country, including a gold medal in the “Varietal – Semi-Sweet” category at the 2015 Mazer Cup.
Tupelo was one of the first meads produced at St. Ambrose Cellars. Using this special harvest of tupelo honey gathered in Florida during one winter so many years ago, we crafted a mead which has a sublime flavor, very fruity and floral.
This refreshing and modern expression of the world’s most ancient fermented drink features a tropical bouquet and flavors of the rare tupelo honey from which it was made, and a natural sweetness balanced by bright acidity.
After a short absence, we’re glad that Tupelo is back in the tasting room full-time. The latest batch was released just a few short weeks ago and is ready and waiting for you to stop by and grab a taste.
Tupelo Mead on Untappd
by stambrose | Jan 6, 2016 | Live Music
The holidays may be over, but the party season never ends here at St. Ambrose Cellars. If you’re looking for some fun this Friday night, the tasting room will be hosting local favorites the sensational Alfredo Improvisational Quartet! Let’s let them give you a taste of what to expect:
Alfredo was born in a kitchen with a mouthful of cabbage. The product of singer/percussionist Al Pityo and guitarist Frederik Stig-Nielsen’s improvisational dreams, the band has grown slowly over time. Like the chef who can’t but taste the salacious creations made in his kitchen, Alfredo has been gobbling up other local musicians with a penchant for the unknown and craving for the uncertainty and fear of true over the edge jamming and like that chef, Alfredo has gained in mass. After two years, now there are four. Bass player Chris Kuykendahl joined in the fall of 2013 and drummer and soulful vocalist extraordinaire Bill Frary joined in the summer of 2015. Most importantly, the members of Alfredo have decided—whether tacitly or not—never to take themselves too seriously. You shouldn’t either.
The music will start around 6PM in the tasting room. You’ll want to be on time because Alfredo is sure to bring a crowd! Our Friday night live music lineup runs all winter. Come catch some of the best acts around in the cozy confines of our tasting room just outside Beulah, MI – with no cover charge. Sounds like a great idea for a date night, doesn’t it?
Upcoming Music:
January 8 – Alfredo Improvisational Quartet
January 15 – Cheryl Wolfram
January 22 – Jen Sygit
January 29 – Wink Solo Patch
by stambrose | Oct 7, 2015 | Mead
It was an award-winning weekend for our stellar lineup of meads at the Michigan Mead Cup this weekend!
Our expertly crafted Northern Michigan meads took home the following awards in an awesome competition:
Bronze Medals
Royal Reserve in Traditional Mead
Razzmatazz in Melomel Mead
Rose Ambrosia in Michigan Melomel
Gold
Black Madonna – Other
Evil Twin Draft – Made in Michigan Other Mead
You can find the full lineup of results at the following link:
http://www.michiganhoneyfestival.com/mead-cup.html
Big thanks to the fine folks at the Michigan Honey Festival for having us!
