The United States of an African

Originally posted August 2017.

What happens when I have an intense week? Well, I plan a Saturday trip to a local winery and vineyard with girlfriends for some wine tasting. There’s nothing like good company. Add some wine and a sunny summer afternoon, and you’ve got relaxation. 

This was my first time visiting a winery, period! For someone who loves her glass of dry reds and semi-sweet whites, I can’t believe it took me this long to visit.

Side note: I asked for a wine rack for Christmas and my sister got me a 25 bottle wine rack!! So excited to one day fill it all up!!

Extra side note: I planned a trip to Chicago earlier this year to attend a wine festival and got pretty, uh, “nice”.

Basically, I love wine.

Anyway, so we visited the Sandhill Crane Vineyards in Jackson, Michigan. That’s about an hour and a half west of Detroit. It’s been around for 14 years and has grown immensely in popularity in the past 6 years, with award winning wines. It was started up by a retired police officer who created a business out of his hobby of wine making. 

The venue is so inviting and cozy. Everyone who works at the winery was so friendly and welcoming. It helped that my friends and I got a lot of compliments on our outfits and general appearance. One of the hostesses, took us on a tour of the grounds, from the cafe to the cellar to the room which hosts events.

After the tour, the ladies and I were seated on the patio. Each tasted 8 different wines of our choice; from dry to semi-sweet to dessert wines. My favorite were the Riesling and the Cabernet Sauvignon. I bought a bottle of the Cabernet. Hopefully it’ll spend some quality time on the rack if I don’t give into temptation and open it up.