Lagers and Bloggers

Fenton Winery & Brewery

Date Visited:  June 23, 2019

Stop:  #10

We left Warwick Hills excited to visit our next stop on this beautiful June Sunday, so we traveled west on E. Baldwin Rd. to Fenton Road, and headed south until we got to North Long Lake Road.  We made a right-hand turn and just a few feet west of Fenton Road, found the driveway leading to the Fenton Winery and Brewery.  The Winery and Brewery is located on a large plot of land with many trees surrounding the parking lot and buildings.  The first building you see is a cedar building that serves as a wedding and banquet hall, large enough to accommodate 280 guests.  The winery and brewery are located behind the banquet hall, so be sure not to make the same mistake we did when we followed another couple into the cedar building thinking they were entering the winery only to find out that we were crashing a private party instead.  The upside to that was that we got to see the beautiful outside patio area with a huge brick fireplace – a perfect venue for an outdoor party.

The Fenton Winery and Brewery was founded in 2007 by the husband and wife team of Matt and Ginny Sherrow.  Matt and Ginny are native Michiganders (born and grew up in Waterford) and have lived in Fenton for the past 13 years.  They are very devoted to their community, and that has led to many relationships and a loyal following.  The first Fenton Winery and Brewery was located in a strip mall on North Leroy Street in Fenton.  In 2012, with their hearts set on owning their own property and buildings, the Sherrow’s bought the property at their current location and by June, 2014, after much hard work and hours of restoration and renovation, they opened the doors to their new gem.  It is quite an impressive facility, set amongst the trees, with an outside sitting/eating area and a Beer Garden to boot.  What Matt and Ginny have accomplished is inspiring to future beer brewers and wine makers with an eye on someday opening their own brewery and/or winery.  We did not have the opportunity to meet Matt or Ginny on this day, but it would have been so fascinating to talk to them and hear their story.  Fortunately, you can learn all about the history of the Fenton Winery and Brewery at https://fentonbrewery.com/about/.

Once Kathy and I figured out that winery was behind the banquet hall, we were pleased to see that they had an outdoor sitting area where we could enjoy this glorious day.  It was quite warm, but there was a nice breeze and enough shade that we could comfortably sit outside without sweating too much.  Since it was lunchtime, we decided to grab something to eat so we asked for their food menu as well as their beer and wine menu.  This was my first true test matching my love of beer with my growing interest in wine.  Kathy kept asking if I was going to try the beer, and I am quite sure I shocked her monkey when I said I was going to sample their wine, and only their wine.  Afterall, this is a Wines and Signs quest, not a Lagers and Bloggers quest.

The menu had an assortment of appetizers and snacks, pizzas, and sandwiches.  We started with the Pretzels and Bar Cheese appetizer, which was awesome.  I’m a sucker for soft pretzels, and adding warm bar cheese is like icing on the cake.  For lunch, Kathy and I decided to each get a sandwich and we would split half with each other.  So, Kathy ordered the Brie and Turkey sandwich (and the broccoli salad), and I chose the FWBLT (and the chips and salsa).  Both sandwiches were outstanding – very tasty – and really hit the spot.

The wine list included 15 different selections, not including the Sangria.  The wines were listed in two categories – Dry Wines (7 choices) and Sweet Wines (8 choices).  Kathy and I made the choice rather simply – we went with the Sweet Wines.  I ordered the first four wines on the list (Cocoa Merlot, Breeze Pomegranate, Moonlight Moscato, and Crisp Green Apple) while Kathy ordered the second four (Solo Blackberry, Wild Wildberry, Grin Raspberry, and Opulence Ruby Port).  The Sampler Tray, which included four 2-once pours of wine, was reasonably priced at $8 per tray.  We enjoyed all of our selections, but there were 3 that really stood out, so naturally, we had to buy a bottle of each – the Crisp Green Apple, the Solo Blackberry, and the Grin Raspberry (our favorite of the three).  Kathy had mentioned earlier that she wanted to try the Fenton Red Merlot, so we asked our server if she could get us a small sample.  Naturally, Kathy loved it so we added a bottle of that to our haul. 

Overall, we really enjoyed our visit to the Fenton Winery and Brewery.  There was so much there to like – the food, the wine, the service, the outdoor seating area, the history behind the winery and brewery.  But there is so much more to experience that we did not have time for – we did not sit inside the bar area (it was very dark, and I did not notice any windows, so kind of curious what the atmosphere would be like on a cold winter’s day when they don’t have the garage door open to the outside).  I would also love to taste their beer, and there are at least two or three other food items that I am anxious to try.  Furthermore, I would love to experience the Beer Garden.  So, what does that all mean?  A guarantee that we will be back, hopefully sometime in the near future.  Maybe to celebrate Octoberfest in their Beer Garden!!!

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