Chilling out with Green Barn Winery #WinePW

My husband and I were driving through Smith's Creek, a tiny little town about an hour north of our tiny little town, when we saw this sign.

We have a winery near us??  You don't say...….

We didn't have time to stop on that day but it leant for some small talk while driving to our destination.

How long has it been here? I wondered.

I wonder if they grow their own grapes or import them from another area?  Frank said.

If they even use grapes, perhaps they only make wine from other fruits.  I replied.

And then we went on to other topics and other adventures and I almost forgot about this winery.

Suddenly, it was July, and I had volunteered to host our Wine Pairing Weekend Group.  I had suggested wines from lesser known areas, thinking that I was going to talk about one of the many wineries on the west side of our State of Michigan.  Little did I know, when I chose the theme, that I would find a winery in my own backyard....now that is an obscure area!  Stop by and take a look at my Invitation Post.

So we went for a ride last Saturday.   The Angel Face had spent the night on Friday and we spent the morning playing in the pool.  It was a hot, sweltering day so it was a perfect day for a ride in the country.

 As we were walking towards the entrance we were surprised to see that there is actually a "Thumbs Up Wine Trail" consisting of several wineries located in the thumb area of Michigan.  Now we have a few more places to explore.  YAY

I was delighted when I entered the store and found a quaint little retail area.

And equally as delighted at how cute the wine tasting room was decorated.

We enjoyed 5 tastings for $5.  The gentleman doing the pours was not very knowledgeable about the wines.  He said that the sweeter wines were more popular than the dry wines.  That did not surprise me. Michigan is not known for it's dry wines.  

None the less I started with the dry reds.  I first tasted a Harvester Red.  I was surprised by it.  It was not half bad.  Then I tried the Barnyard Red which I enjoyed very much.  Both of these wines were blends but the gentleman couldn't tell me much more about them.

I went on to the Whites and was very much surprised at the Dry Summer Night.  I exclaimed on what a nice wine it was and went on to try the Chardonnay which was a bit just okay.

When trying my last pour, I told the gentleman I would like to try his best seller.  He poured me the Wadham's Sangria.  It was sweet, but not cloyingly so, and I could see it pairing very well with a chocolate raspberry dessert.

I asked again about the Dry Summer Night, wondering what varietals were in the blend.  He professed no knowledge and then, almost as an aside, he says "the cashier in there (pointing to the retail side) is the winemaker.  Well....thanks buddy...Why the heck isn't she pouring the wine?!!

We were getting ready to go back into the retail side, when he stopped us and said we got one last "freebie".  He set down, in front of us, 2 glasses filled with "slushies".  I was immediately transported back to my childhood and stops at 7-11 stores where we would get slurpees.  I had not had one in probably 35 years.

We went back into the retail section and I spoke to the winemaker who was not very talkative. Perhaps this is why she is not working in the tasting room.  She did tell me that the Dry Summer Night was a blend of Concord, Riesling and Merlot grapes.  She also told me that the grapes were grown by them in three separate vineyards in the area.  This wine sells for $30.  While I enjoyed the Dry Summer Night, I did not think it was a $30 bottle.

I mentioned to her how much fun I thought the slushie was at the end of the tasting and she informed me that they sold the slushie mix in the store and mixed it with their Michigan Blueberry Wine.  This wine is also made with fruit grown on their properties.

This icy, slushy drink doesn't really pair well with food....except maybe hot dogs, that's what I ate with Slushies as a kid.  But it sure was refreshing while floating around in the pool.

Here are the directions.

It is very sweet. It is perfect on a hot day when you want a popsicle.  That is the kind of cold, sticky,  sweetness we are talking about.

So bottom line is......this was a fun little excursion from my normal pursuits for the wines we share each month in this and other groups.  I wouldn't want a constant diet of it but it was a great change of pace.

Here is what the others are sharing today:

• Jade from Tasting Pour is sharing "Cauliflower Rice Risotto and Brandborg Gewurztraminer". 
• Cam of Culinary Adventures with Camilla has "A Few Firsts with the Infinite Monkey Theorem: From Colorado + From a Can".
• Lori of Dracaena Wine talks about how "Bi-coastal Life Gets Confusing.. Thank Goodness for Wine". 
• David over at Cooking Chat shares "Slow Cooker Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs with Wine Pairings" 
• Jill of L'Occasion is talking about "Midwestern Gardens and Missouri Wine: America's First AVA".
• Gwendolyn of Wine Predator invites us to "Under the Radar Regions: Ventura County says Ghost Wineries Be Gone!"
• Jane from Always Ravenous says "Georgia Frogtown Wines with Pimiento Cheese Peach Toast"
• Cindy of Grape Experiences suggests we "Go Greek! Cinnamon Lamb Stew and Limniona/Xinomavro from Karditsa".
• Nicole of Somm's Table shares "Cooking to the Wine: Scallops and Mint Pea Risotto with Macari Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc"

Please join us at 11 AM ET today for twitter chat as we talk about our finds following #WinePW.  See you there!!