Tasty!

Sabrosa Sangria

Date Visited:  August 25, 2019

Stop:  #60

 Our Michigan Wines and Signs tour through Macomb County was scheduled to conclude with our visit to the Washington Street Wine House.  Now it was time for our picnic lunch, and it could not have been a more perfect time, or day, for that.  Kathy and I retrieved our lunches from the truck and walked a block to the Walter and Mary Burke Park, home of Michigan’s tallest flag pole (no lie!).  Because it was such a beautiful day, the park was alive with kids and families, large gatherings, swimmers, kayakers – let’s just say there was a lot of activity.  No one, however, was in the pavilion, situated just a few short feet from the shore of Anchor Bay, so that’s where Kathy and I took a seat and ate our lunch.  A few minutes into our lunch, I noticed a couple that we knew from our church take a seat at the other end of the pavilion.  So, when we finished, we decided to walk over and say “hello.”  We ended up sitting down and enjoyed a nice visit for the next 30 minutes, listening to the guy’s adventures as a kid growing up in the New Baltimore area.  It turned out to be a pleasant end to a wonderful day.

Or so we thought…

On our way home driving west along 23 Mile Road, Kathy mentioned that we would be passing by a sangria tasting lounge that she had been talking about for a few months now.  It was only 2:30 in the afternoon, so what the heck.  Sometimes the best plans are those made spontaneously.  When we got to Van Dyke Avenue, we turned right and headed north for 0.8 miles.  On the righthand side, hidden from view because it sits behind The Bakehouse Bakery, was our intended target – Sabrosa Sangria.  It was a strange location for a place of business, but when we walked in, we were instantly loving the place.  It had a very quaint and homey atmosphere, and it felt like a place where you could relax, engage in conversation, and enjoy drinking some great wine.  It turned out to be all of that and more.

There were only two other people in the place at the time, and they left within ten minutes of our arrival.  We sauntered up to the bar and took a seat, and were immediately welcomed by the only staff member working that day, Lisa.  As it turned out, she was one-half of the husband/wife ownership team.  Kathy and I found ourselves in one of those situations that we have come to love about our quest – drinking some great beverages while shooting the breeze with the owner of the establishment.

The husband-and-wife team, Kevin and Lisa Kutskill, were splitting duties on this day as Kevin was selling sangria from a booth at a local festival while Lisa was holding down the fort at the winery.  Lisa engaged us with so many interesting tales about their winery.  Sabrosa, which means “tasty” in Spanish, specializes in small batch sangrias using 100% all-natural fruit juices.  Kevin is a practicing pediatrician who concocted a sangria from an old family recipe for a dinner party they threw back in 2006.  The sangria was a hit and the Kutskills soon found everyone they knew requesting them to bring the sangria to events they were invited to.  The blend that he concocted that fateful day in 2006 is now bottled under the name Summergria.

Kevin continued to tweak and perfect their sangria recipes for nearly 11 years, and finally decided to share their sangrias with a broader audience.  So, they did their research, found their location, and opened up their winery in July, 2017.  Since then, they have been named best winery in 2018 and 2019 by the Detroit Metro Times – pretty nice recognition for a winery that only opened up in 2017.

So, it was time for us to try these sangrias for ourselves.  Sabrosa features their Four Seasons Series (Springria, Summergria, Autumngria, and Wintergria) and they have 5 specialty sangrias (Beach Day, Peach Blossom, Mulled Harvest, Snow Day, and Santagria).  On this particular day, they only had four sangrias available for tasting – Springria, Summergria, Wintergria, and Beach Day – so choosing was very easy.  Lisa set Kathy and I up with a sample of each sangria.  We were not disappointed.  Each of the sangrias we sampled were very good – each with a very distinct flavor that bursts in your mouth.  Our favorites were the Springria and the Summergria, so of course, we walked out with a bottle of each.

As we sampled the delicious sangrias, we continued our conversation with Lisa.  We found out that Kevin is affiliated with the same company that Kathy works for, and that the Kutskills have a daughter who works for the same company that I work for.  Again, it was one of those experiences that draws us to this quest of ours, and something we sorely missed at our last visit (Washington Street Winery).  Our only regret was that we did not try their featured slushie sangria.  But we did return a few weeks later as Kathy had decided that Sabrosa sangrias would be the featured drink at our daughter, Sarah’s, bridal shower in December 2019.  If I recall, only one bottle made it back to our house, so once again, the Sabrosa sangrias were a big hit!!!

#michiganwinesandsigns #michigan #history #michiganhistory #wine #michiganwine #winetasting #lovemiwine #historyisbetterwithwine

Poor Pour Service

Washington Street Wine House – A Petit Winery

Date Visited:  August 25, 2019

Stop:  #59

SPECIAL NOTE:  Wine fans, dig in.  This blog is the first of 32 straight blogs dedicated to visits we made to wineries over a 5-day period that spanned four months.  The bulk of the visits were due to a wine tour we took in the Petoskey and Traverse City area in November 2019.  More details on that coming.  I tried to throw in some historical markers during our wine tour, but since I was not driving, I had no control and was overruled every time I suggested a marker stop.  So, history buffs, bear with me as we endure the next 32 blogs – there will be plenty of historical markers to come!!!

One of the best things about our Michigan Wines and Signs quest is visiting a new venue, with no expectations whatsoever, and then just being blown away.  But then there are times when expectations are very high, and, instead, we are greatly disappointed.  This was the case with Washington Street Wine House.

Kathy and I left Grand Pacific House and walked one block southeast on Washington Street towards our next destination.  Situated between Main Street and Front Street, Washington Street Wine House was right in the middle of the Farmers Market going on in the street that day.  We decided to browse up and down the street, visiting each of the vendors present that day.  There were a fair amount of people doing the same, and it was fun being out in the sunshine, mingling, and checking out the goods.  We stopped briefly at the Celtic Sisters Candles & Candies Gift shop.  Since Kathy’s grandparents, on her mother’s side, were both born in Ireland, we both have a soft spot in our hearts for Ireland, so this was a must-stop.  Of course, we had to sit in the gigantic chair outside the store and take a selfie before wandering into the store.  We spent a fair amount of time browsing, and memories of our trip to Ireland from a couple years ago kept creeping into my thoughts.  Finally, it was time to walk a short distance up Washington Street to get to the Wine House.

The Washington Street Wine House opened its doors in July 2010.  Cyndie and CJ are the owners, and their path to winery owners grew from a hobby.  Cyndie and some friends had been frequenting a place where they could bottle their own wine.  After four years of learning the art of winemaking, Cyndie and CJ decided to turn their hobby into a business.  Cyndie and CJ were still in the midst of their respective careers, so Cyndie’s sister, Lisa, agreed to run the store.  CJ became the winemaker, and Cyndie managed the business and shared creativity and marketing duties with Lisa.  These are the stories we have heard time and again at many of the wineries we have visited.  A hobby grows into a passion which leads to a business.  When the Wine House first opened, the emphasis was on selling wine and some basic accessories.  Over time, Cyndie and Lisa’s vision expanded as they learned that wine lovers also love wine related “stuff.”  Although their business has expanded to include many wine-themed “gift” items, their core business is still making and selling great wine.

There was so much to love about the Washington Street Wine House – location (downtown New Baltimore just a few hundred feet from the shores of Anchor Bay), a very warm and homey interior décor, and really good wine.  So, how could our visit be disappointing?  One of the things that we really enjoy about our visits to the wineries in Michigan is meeting and conversing with the wonderful owners and servers at each of the places we have visited.  We learn about each of the wines served, the history of the winery and/or vineyard, and enjoy the fun anecdotes usually shared with us about running a winery with its challenges and its rewards.  Unfortunately, we did not have any of these experiences at the Washington Street Wine House.

Despite all the activity going on outside in the street, the Wine House was not very busy.  Yet, we were treated like we were an inconvenience.  It took quite a long time for anyone to acknowledge us at the wine bar, and when someone finally did, it really seemed like the server was agitated about having to wait on us.  There was no conversation.  All his answers to questions we asked were one or two words.  We learned nothing about the wines we were sampling.  The sample size was barely enough to even get a taste, and we had to wait an inordinate amount of time in between pours.  It was actually very shocking, because it was so unexpected.  Just like our visit to Spicer’s (Blog Stop #16), we will chalk it up to our server just having a bad day.  But it did spoil what should have been an amazing visit.

So, let’s get to the wine.  Poor service aside, the wine was very good.  The Washington Street Wine House had a huge selection of wines to choose from – 33 different kinds on that particular day.  Although the samples were very small, the tastings were free of charge.  With so many wine selections to choose from, it was very tough to pick our 5 (each) choices.  Since we did not learn anything from our server about the wines we were trying, at least their wine list provided some info to help us make our choices.  As usual, I went with the semi-sweet and sweet wines (Washington Street White, Enchanted, Water Tower White, Boardwalk Blend, and Peechy) while Kathy went with a broader variety (Ciao Bella, Cheap Date, Razzie Red, Bay Breeze, and Summer Lovin’).  Normally, with so many wines available, Kathy and I would have ordered another flight each, but we were not willing to put up with the poor service any longer so we decided, instead, to purchase some bottles and move on.  We noted on the wine list that we could get a 10% discount if we bought six bottles, so we decided on the following:

1.     Razzie Red (no-brainer – raspberry wine!!!)

2.     Enchanted (another fruit wine with raspberry and dragon fruit blend)

3.     Water Tower White (white cranberry wine – YUM)

4.     Summer Lovin’ (anything with cherry in it is usually a no-brainer, but with lemonade too?  Oh yes!)

5.     Boardwalk Blend (OK – raspberry AND peach.  No need to say more)

6.     Peechy (peach wine is my favorite, and this was a very good peach wine!)

I think our whole experience would have been a lot better if we had had the opportunity to be served by Lisa or Cyndie, and with so much else going for it, I am sure we will visit Washington Street Wine House again.  In the meantime, the one anecdote we learned about this winery came from its website:

The full name of the winery is Washington Street Wine House – A Petit Winery.  Upon occasion, it’s been brought to our attention that we’ve misspelled ‘Petit’… not exactly.  Indeed, it would have an ‘e’ on the end if we were using the proper French spelling, however Cyn & Lisa’s maiden name is ‘Petit’.  Licensed as a Small Winery, it seemed very fitting to incorporate ‘Petit’ into the name of the business, even without the ‘e’.

#michiganwinesandsigns #michigan #history #michiganhistory #wine #michiganwine #winetasting #lovemiwine #historyisbetterwithwine

The Finest Hotel in New Baltimore

Grand Pacific House

Date Visited:  August 25, 2019

Stop:  #58

 Kathy and I wrapped up our visit to St. John’s Lutheran Church and embarked on the next leg of our journey across Macomb County.  Okay, so maybe “embarking on our next leg” is a bit of an embellishment.  Our next stop was actually only about 2 blocks away, or 800 feet.  We drove southeast on Maria Street to Alfred Street and made a left.  One block later, we came to Washington Street and made a right.  This was when we first realized the magnitude of activity that was going on in New Baltimore that day.  Washington Street from Main Street to Front Street was shut down to accommodate the weekly Farmer’s Market.  Parking was at a premium so we actually had to drive around a bit before we were able to fine a parking space.  We were lucky to get a spot on Washington Street in front of Fin’s Eatery & Spirits.  This was convenient because our next 3 stops were all within a short walking distance from each other and the spot we found was right in the middle of them all.

Our first stop was across the street from where we parked and was a beautiful Italianate-style building known as the Grand Pacific House.  The historical marker is mounted to the face of the building, just to the right of the main entrance to the Museum.

So, in my previous blog, we learned that by the late 1800’s, New Baltimore had become a popular place for city dwellers to escape the drudgery of city life for recreation and relaxation.  They would arrive by rail or by steamship knowing that cottages, hotels, beaches, and salt baths awaited them.  One of the finest hotels in the area was the Grand Pacific House.

The Grand Pacific House was built in 1881 for Frederick C. Losh and is the last remaining hotel from that era.  The building has a deep foundation made of limestone that was shipped to New Baltimore from Kelly’s Island (located in Lake Erie near Sandusky, Ohio).  The rest of the two-story building was constructed by local bricklayers using bricks made at Streit’s brickyard.  This hotel had a lobby, dining room and kitchen, and a saloon on the first floor.  On the second floor were eight guest rooms.

Frederick died in 1890 and his wife, Emma, continued to run the hotel.  As the Golden Age in New Baltimore began to wane, business at the Grand Pacific House began to slow.  Emma sold the hotel to her brother, Amos Springborn, in 1909.  In 1910, Amos converted the hotel into a boardinghouse, and shortly after that, it became a private residence.  In the 1920’s, the saloon portion of the Grand Pacific House was converted into a soda fountain and candy store.  The transformation of the building continued in 1927 when Ed Maliskey converted the former saloon into a hardware store, which he ran until his death in 1972.

Many businesses occupied the building until the New Baltimore Historical Society purchased the Grand Pacific House in 1986, using fundraisers and private donations to generate the required funds.  The historical marker was erected in 1995.  Today, the building serves as a museum.  Due to COVID, the museum has very limited hours – currently open on Saturdays from noon until 2:00 pm.  Among many artifacts and highlights in the museum is the newly renovated 1940’s style kitchen.

The museum was closed the day we were there, so there was not much to do other than snap our usual array of photographs and walk down the block to our next destination.

#michiganwinesandsigns #michigan #history #michiganhistory #wine #michiganwine #winetasting #lovemiwine #historyisbetterwithwine