Wedding Crashers

Packard Motor Car Company / Packard Proving Grounds

Date Visited:  June 22, 2019

Stop:  #8

We had just spent an enjoyable time at Unwined Winery, and decided to make an unplanned stop at an historical marker.  When we had set out a couple hours ago, it was with the intention of only visiting the winery.  I hadn’t even checked the MiQuest Map I created to see if we would pass any historical markers along the way.  We had only one objective.  However, on our way to Unwined, my wife noticed a marker that we were not expecting and, not surprisingly, that became our second objective for this trip.

The marker in question is located 1.1 miles north of Unwined Winery on the west side of Van Dyke and marks the location of the Packard Proving Grounds.  There are two driveways that lead to the two main gates entering the Proving Grounds, appropriately named the North Proving Grounds Blvd and the South Proving Grounds Blvd.  The marker itself is located between the two driveways about 150 feet from Van Dyke.  On this particular day, the grounds outside the main gates were covered with parked cars as we soon learned that the facilities were hosting a large wedding that day.  Getting to the sign proved more difficult than expected as we had to meander amongst the parked cars to get to it, but we managed to squeeze in close enough to read the sign and take a couple of pictures.

The sign itself is two-sided, with the “front” of the sign dedicated to providing a brief history of the Packard Motor Car Company.  It describes the origin of the company, which was founded in 1899 in Warren, Ohio and was named the Ohio Automobile Company at that time.  The company was bought by investors in 1902 and moved to Detroit and renamed the Packard Motor Car Company.  The sign provides additional information about the company’s legacy through the 1920’s and 1930’s.

The “back” side of the sign focuses on the Proving Grounds itself.  The Grounds date back to 1926, and by 1929, included many buildings, including the Gate Lodge (the main building alongside the main gates), and several laboratories and warehouses, some of which have been restored and serve as banquet halls for special events.  The Grounds also included a highspeed test track and miles of roads simulating the worst conditions of the day.  Chrysler leased the Grounds during World War II in order to test tanks, and in 1961, Ford Motor Company purchased the property after Packard ceased production (in 1958).  In 2000, Ford and the Packard Motor Car Foundation began preserving many of the buildings and features of the Proving Grounds.  Today, it is a popular tourist attraction with several signs placed around the grounds that provide more details about the history of the Proving Grounds over the years.  It is also a popular venue for weddings, corporate events, car shows, and the Shelby Farmers Market.  You can visit the grounds and read the signs, but need to make an appointment if you want to tour the grounds and explore the buildings.  You can learn more about this historic site on their website, https://packardprovinggrounds.org/. 

My wife and I spent some time exploring the grounds, reading the historical signs, taking pictures, and visiting the area that had been set up inside the Main Gates for the wedding ceremony.   We could see the wedding guests enjoying the reception inside the Garage & Engineering Building.  It was tempting to crash the wedding, or at least get closer to the building to get a look inside, but I regathered my sensibilities, finished taking some great pics, and headed back to our car so we could get on to our own party.  It turned out to be a fun, spontaneous visit.

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

A Need to Relax and Unwined

Unwined Winery

Date Visited:  June 22, 2019

Stop:  #7

If you have a need to get away, to just relax and unwind from whatever life is throwing at you, the next stop on our Michigan Wines and Signs quest just might be the place for you. 

It had been nearly three weeks since our last journey out to visit historical markers and wineries, and on this day, it was a last second, spontaneous decision to try the newest winery in Shelby Township.  We had some time to kill before attending a birthday party later in the evening, so my wife suggested we try this place.  Tired of being cooped up in the house all day, I agreed to go.

Shelby Township is not too far from our house, and most people living in the northern suburbs of Detroit all know where it is located – surrounded by Rochester Hills on the west, Washington Township to the north, Macomb Township to the east, and Sterling Heights to the south.  It is about 15 miles north of the northern border of Detroit, and is home to such notable places as Yates Cider Mill, the southern part of Stoney Creek Metro Park, the Packard Proving Grounds (a national historic place which I will tell you more about in my next blog!!!), and The Rink (the most popular roller skating rink during my high school years, but again, I digress).  Shelby Township’s population is 79,101 (as of 2017) and its beginnings date back to April 12, 1827 when it was set off by an act of the Michigan Territorial Legislature.  A civil government was organized in May the following year. One hundred and ninety-one years later, four friends realized their dream of opening up a winery in the city they grew up in and loved, and they called it “Unwined.”

As we headed south on Van Dyke Avenue, it was more difficult finding the winery than I thought because there is no roadside signage to tip you off to its whereabouts.  Even though we had the address, we still overshot the entrance by at least one driveway.  The winery is located in the King Country Plaza strip mall on the west side of Van Dyke, about 0.7 miles south of 22 Mile Road.  The winery is the space occupied at the far north end of the strip mall.  There is plenty of parking, and they even have a nice outdoor sitting area if you are interested in enjoying the weather while you drink wine.  The owners did a wonderful job of remodeling the space to make it very comfortable and appealing.  The day we visited, they were running a video loop of the remodeling process on one of their TVs, and I found it fascinating to watch and learn about what the owners had to do to make their vision a reality. 

The wine bar runs along the north wall of the room, and they have several seats available at the bar as well as several tables spaced throughout the room.  They even have a nice little room set up for small private parties.  One of the most interesting things about the space is that all of the wine served and sold there is made onsite in the back rooms.  We learned that the owners – two married couples who are best friends – started making their own wine in their basements as a hobby.  After perfecting their many different wine selections, they made the decision to open up a winery and make their wines available to the public, which they did for the first time in February, 2019.  Three of the 4 owners still work full-time jobs, so one can only imagine the challenge of doing that while trying to get a winery off the ground and running.  I can honestly say that their effort was well worth it because this place is a real gem.

Their wine menu included 33 different selections that were grouped into 5 categories – Limited Edition wines, Signature wines, Sweet wines, Dessert wines, and Specialty wines.  They offered a full spectrum of wines – whites and reds, dry and sweet, grape based and fruit based, and ports.  With so much to choose from, it was a tough decision to narrow it down to 6 choices, which constituted a Full Flight (six 2-once pours of wine or 1-once pours of ports).  The price was very reasonable at $12.  You could also get a Half Flight ($6) or any full glass of wine (5 oz. of wine, 3 oz. of port, prices varied from $5 per glass to $8 per glass).  They even have Wine Slushies for $5!!!

After a few minutes of pondering, my wife decided on Zippy Zin (a pomegranate Wildberry white zinfandel), Mon Che’ri (a black cherry pinot noir), Craze (cranberry with chianti), Bliss (a blueberry shiraz), Toasted Caramel (a port), and Raspberry Mocha (a port).  I went for the California Cat (a California Muscat), Perfection (a peach chardonnay), Sensation (a Strawberry Riesling and the 2019 Parch Madness Champion!!!), Rockin Rose (a raspberry white zinfandel), Blast (a blackberry Merlot), and the Orange Chocolate port.  I have to admit that I really enjoyed my selections, and my wife couldn’t stop raving about the Toasted Caramel port and the Raspberry Mocha port.  In total, we tried 12 different wines/ports, each very flavorful and enjoyable to drink.  We also enjoyed the discussions we had with the owners, who were all working the winery that day.  It was so interesting to hear their story, to hear the challenges they encountered and the effort it took to make the winery a reality.  It really added to the experience – it felt personal. 

As always, now came the tough part – what wines do we buy?  My wife takes notes and jots down her thoughts after each wine she tries, and draws stars next to wines we should consider buying.  After assessing her “worksheet,” we decided we were going to buy 7 bottles to take home.  However, we were disappointed to learn that they could not sell the ports yet since they had not received government approval of their labels yet.  What a bummer – that knocked 3 bottles off our list, but gave us an excuse to come back!!  Ultimately, we walked out with a bottle each of Perfection, Sensation, Zippy Zin, and Blast.  Like the name of that last wine, we truly had a Blast at the Unwined Winery.

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