Saldaje - St Ambrose Cellars

What’s the Buzz?! – May 19th Weekend

by stambrose | May 17, 2017 | Music, News, Tasting Room

It’s May 17th, and we’re really getting into the swing of summer here at St. Ambrose Cellars. You may have heard some of the big news – we’ve got beer! – and I’m sure you’re excited to come try No Frills IPA, if you haven’t already. This is a limited edition first run – so you’ll want to get out here and grab a glass before it is gone! The men in the back are working hard on adding more delicious beers to our taps, and we’ll have more info on those once they are ready to go.

But there’s other stuff happening too!

Festival Season Has Returned

The return of the sun means the return of the busy festival calendar here in Northern Michigan. As usual, St. Ambrose Cellars will be out and about pouring our favorite beverages at your favorite festivals. We’ve got a couple events lined up in the next two weeks:

Empire Asparagus Festival

One of our favorite events, the Empire Asparagus Festival is this weekend and we’ll be there with XR Cyser and a rotating selection of other meads filling the other three taps. Don’t miss the world famous parade at the Asparagus Festival, it’s a delight. There will also be a pig roast on Friday night, and music from outstanding artists like K. Jones & The Benzie Playboyz throughout the weekend.

Learn more at their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EmpireMichigan/

Crystal Mountain Beer n’ Brat Festival

Next weekend – Memorial Day Weekend – we’ll be pouring out at Crystal Mountain for their Beer n’ Brat Festival. Roll your self away to Crystal Mountain, turn the page on spring, and work on your night moves with Lookin’ Back, a Detroit-based Bob Seger Tribute Band and some sweet St. Ambrose mead!

Learn more at their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/440232256367987/

Michigan Wine Month

As we announced last week, it’s Michigan Wine Month and in honor of this grand occasion we’re offering four of wines and meads at a special 30% discount. These Michigan grown, Michigan made wine and meads will make a great addition to your cellar. Grab our Marsanne Viognier, Dancing Bare, Rose Ambrosia, and 2011 Riesling Reserve at this special discounted price now through the end of the month!

Music This Weekend

Benzie’s home for the best jams is going to host three musical blockbusters again this weekend.

The action kicks off on Thursday with the Famous Curtis band and our Open Mic night. It’s also Thirsty Thursday, so you can take home a growler of your favorite mead or our new No Frills IPA beer for 35% off! It’s a great way to try something new, and stick around to watch the show starting at 6PM with Jim & Wanda Curtis.

On Friday, we’ve got hometown favorites The Feral Cats returning to the tasting room stage. The fur will be flying when these cats get scratching. As always, no cover for our musical performances. Enjoy a glass of wine, mead, or beer and a build your own charcuterie board while they slay you with some tunes.

On Saturday, “Michigan’s darkest ukulele band” – SALDAJE – is back in action. These St. Ambrose favorites are sure to pack the house for another night of mystical music and storytelling. We love when Saldaje makes time for the tasting room, and you won’t want to miss this performance.

$7.77 Draft Meads

If you can’t make it to the tasting room, and you can’t find your favorite drafts on store shelves near you with our store locator, don’t forget that we ship to 37 states through our online store. All draft meads are now just $7.77 (plus shipping) through the web! Our line of wines and meads are also available through the store. Check out the full list here.

Five Questions with Saldaje

by stambrose | Jan 12, 2017 | Music

1. You’ve got a lot of influences (like the ones listed on your site – Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, Suzanne Vega, Nina Simone, Eastern European, Arabic and Celtic musics) that is verrrry diverse, which is cool. But how did that come about? Do you have a family history with any of those regions that drove you to explore specific regions or style? Just an interest?

We do share a strong dose of Eastern European blood. I believe the thread that connects all of our influences is passion, and a sort of dark romanticism. Saldaje is a fusion of all the music our hearts were ever broken to.

2. How challenging has it been over the years to merge all of those diverse interests into your sound?

It happens naturally, it is not generally something we set out to do. The songs just come.

3. What’s your favorite thing about performing at St. Ambrose? You’ve been here a few times recently, so we assume you must enjoy it 🙂

St. Ambrose is a special place that just keeps getting cooler, bees are magical and mead is good!

4. Where’s your favorite place to shop for the awesome band wardrobe? Custom made? Thrift shops?

Ahh, the wardrobe…my favorite part…I design and make much of it. We are also avid thrift store up cyclers. I am a visual artist as well, so how we are painted on stage is important to me. Shaun is just dapper in general.

5. Any awesome new projects in the works?

We are presenting a special, winter-themed show at Higher Art Gallery in Traverse City in February that will involve a bit more theatrics. We are also recording a new CD, probably out next year.

Check out some Saldaje performances in the videos below!

And visit their website here

Friday Night Flights

by stambrose | Mar 31, 2016 | Live Music, Wine

This Friday at St Ambrose will feature two hot dishes~ one is our returning musical guests, Saldaje, the “darkest ukulele band in Northern Michigan”. Saldaje is comprised of two talented artisans, Melonie Steffes & Shaun Anchak, whose self described style is “New Old World, Apocalyptic Folk, Cabaret”, and what we like to call too good to miss! With influences like Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, Suzanne Vega and Nina Simone, this duo call us out from the cobwebs of winter and thrust us into this vernal season with their contradictory dualities; dark and ethereal, sinewy yet robust.

We’ve also recently released our 2014 Late Harvest Riesling, and on Friday, April 1st, we will be pouring it alongside its cousins; a treasure trove of our Riesling Reserves, for our Friday Night Flights of Fancy. Paired with a delicious oblation of goat cheese and an impressive balsamic, strawberry & riesling relish for $12, the flight features this Late Harvest from 2014 as well as the 2011, 2012 & 2013 Riesling Reserves. Our newest vintage combines a stunning floral, fruit forward crispness with finishing notes of citrus for a beautiful late harvest wine we think you’ll want to savor as much as we do.

Plus, if you come in for music on Friday you’ll get to elect the next president! (April Fools)… But we do guarantee you a place of refuge from endless political commercials. You can say that twice and mean it!