Maker: WaterFire Vineyards, Kewadin, Michigan, USA
Place of origin: WaterFire estate, Antrim County, Michigan, USA
Style: Medium dry.
ABV: 11%
Purchased for $18 (Holiday Market)
Appearance: Light gold.
Nose: Mandarin orange, meyer lemon, lychee, woodruff.
Palate: Lemonade, mineral water, navel orange.
Finish: Pineapple, lemon thyme.
Parting words: The WaterFire winery is located in Northwest Michigan, on the isthmus between Torch Lake and Grand Traverse Bay, opposite Old Mission Peninsula. It’s not within the bounds of any of the Northern Michigan AVAs but it is close to all of them. Antrim County is one of the county appellations that were grandfathered in when the new AVA system was rolled out in the 1980s.
Chantal Lefebvre, owner and winemaker of Water Fire does not have natural, organic or biodynamic certification for her wines, but she is firmly committed to growing grapes and making wine in a way that is in harmony with the natural world. I had a fairly long conversation with her about that topic at the 2016 Michigan Wine Showcase in Detroit. Water Fire wines are estate grown and limited production but are some of the best wines Michigan has to offer. They currently produce Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Grüner Veltliner.
2013 was a banner year for white wines in Michigan as you, the attentive Sipology reader, know. 2013 Water Fire Riesling ranks near the very top of great Michigan Rieslings in a year full of them. This wine’s minerality and herbal aromas provide the perfect foundation for the gothic cathedral of acidity that rises up through the palate. I love this wine and this winery. WaterFire deserves to be a household name, and their wines deserve a place at your table. 2013 WaterFire Riesling is highly recommended.
Sipology 