0 items: $0.00


 

Alaina Leech
 
November 2, 2022 | Alaina Leech

2022 Harvest Recap

California had a rough start and finish to the 2022 Harvest Season with early Spring frost, which damaged some buds and an intense Fall heat wave that required a scramble to pick early, both of which contributed to lost crop. Overall it was a dry/warm year which is pretty typical. Michigan 2022 Harvest Season also had a rough start and finish with a cool Spring, which delayed bud break, to a cold October with nine straight days of rain. The cool October, as well as it is being a high acid year, resulted in picking some red late-ripening varieties earlier than planned (Merlot and Cabernet Franc). The majority of the season was great, though, with a long and warm Summer. 
 

Harvest Highlights: 

We've added a new vineyard, Devil's Dive Vineyard, on Old Mission Peninsula, to our lineup. Harvest started by picking Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay from Devil's Dive Vineyard for our first vintage sparkling wine, which will be made in the traditional method and ready for release in 2025. But don't worry, you won't have to wait that long to drink some BOS bubbly, as we will continue making Methode Agricole, our pet nat style sparkling made out of Valvin Muscat grown at Crystal Vista Vineyard in Interlochen.
 
It could not have been a more beautiful and sunny day picking Blaufränkisch from Ten Hands Vineyard on Old Mission Peninsula for our last pick day of the year. It was a full family (and team!) affair! 
 

 

BOS Family Harvest Stats

  • Daves 19th Harvest
  • Jackie's 12th Harvest
  • Della's 2nd Harvest
  • Olsen's 2nd Harvest

 

 

 

So Grateful For Our Growers

We are so lucky to work with such a dedicated group of growers and are thrilled with the fruit quality this year. Each pick date was successful and we're fortunate that all of the growers help each other during harvest. Here's a photo of us at Brigadoon Vineyard on Leelanau Peninsula after a day of picking Pinot Gris. As we always say, good wine starts in the vineyard, and we have our growers to thank for their meticulous farming and vineyard management. 

 

Making Wine at Modales!

We are thrilled to be making our Michigan wine this year at Modales Winery in Fennville. Dave and Andrew Backlin, the talented winemaker at Modales, have been friends since meeting at City of Riesling over five years ago and connecting over their California connections. Andrew is from California and worked for the prestigious Duckhorn Vineyards and Dave having worked for Grgich Hills Estate before moving back to Michigan. They've since bonded over their shared passion for making great wine from biodynamic/organic farming methods and pristine techniques in the cellar.

 

 

Cheers to 2023 bringing more Riesling, Pinot Gris, Valvin Muscat, Chardonnay, Marquette, Blaufränkisch, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petite Sirah your way! 
 
 
Time Posted: Nov 2, 2022 at 1:53 PM Permalink to 2022 Harvest Recap Permalink
Alaina Leech
 
October 12, 2021 | Alaina Leech

Fall-ing In Love with Elk Rapids

Fall is a beautiful time in Northern Michigan. Sweaters, pumpkins, and mums, the gorgeous changing of the leaves, and the most important thing in the wine industry, Harvest. October weekends, here in wine country, are also the busiest time of year. We are excited to participate in that energy at BOS Wine Garden this year and invite you here for a wine and food curation experience, available Wednesday through Sunday. We have limited space inside, so we are encouraging reservations. Our curation experience involves wines from vineyards that Dave has either personally farmed or consulted on in Michigan and California. The wines are artfully paired with carefully selected meats, cheeses, and accouterments. We look forward to sharing with you our passion for farming, design, world-class winemaking, and the vineyards that make it possible! 

We are SO lucky to have amazing neighbors who believe in the same farming, sourcing, and local philosophies that we do, and we think you should spend some time there, too. How fun of a day would it be to do a curation experience at BOS Wine Garden, then head to Short’s (in Elk Rapids) and have lunch from Fried Food Truck, enjoy a hand-crafted cocktail from Ethanology, and then end your day with a relaxing glass of wine at WaterFire Vineyards? Does that sound like the perfect autumn day, or what?! So pull up your boots, throw on a flannel, and sip and nibble the day away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FRIED FOOD TRUCK AT SHORT’S BREWERY

Fried Food Truck is owned by our friends, Chef Adam and Caitlin Raupp. They specialize in sandwiches with local, fresh ingredients (such as eggs from local farm, Up North Heritage Farm!) that are the perfect complement to a Short’s beer. They offer everything from a Pork Roll to a Falafel Wrap (my favorite) and a Great Lakes Walleye Fried Fish sandwich. The husband/wife team is hardworking, down-to-earth, and humble and makes the most out-of-this-world food. Fried Food Truck is open Wednesday-Saturday, 12-7 pm, and Sunday, 12-5 pm.

ETHANOLOGY

Simply put, Ethanology makes the best cocktails, ever. They are another husband/wife team of entrepreneurs. Nick and Geri Lefebre (Nick handles the logistics/operations, and Geri is the distiller/spirit developer) founded Ethanology on the commitment to encapsulate the diversity of Northern Michigan Agriculture. Their focus is to utilize botanicals that represent our region and source all of their ingredients from a 33-mile radius. From local farms to your glass! Ethanlogy’s Fall hours are Thursday from 1-10 pm, Friday and Saturday from 1-11 pm, and Sunday from 1-6 pm. 

WATERFIRE WINE

As the first sustainable vineyard in the Midwest, it’s safe to say that WaterFire cares about the Great Lakes and the environment. They go to great lengths to protect the landscape around them, using no herbicides and low-risk pesticides that minimize air and water impacts. Their wines are fashioned in small batches from grapes they farm themselves and are absolutely delicious. Owners Chantal Lefebvre and Mike Newman planted the first vines in 2009 after converting the property over from a cherry orchard. They specialize in regionally underrepresented European varieties, Sauvignon Blanc and Grüner Veltliner, and superb Rieslings. This fall, they are featuring the 2020 Dry Riesling, and it’s a must-try for sure. In addition, they are hosting their annual Harvest Party on 10/23. WaterFire Vineyards is open Tuesday - Saturday from 12-7 pm and Sunday 12-5 pm. 

Avoid the crowds on Old Mission and Leelanau Peninsula this fall and spend a relaxing, intimate day with us. We’d all love to welcome you!

Time Posted: Oct 12, 2021 at 9:42 AM Permalink to Fall-ing In Love with Elk Rapids Permalink
Alaina Leech
 
July 8, 2021 | Alaina Leech

Good Wine Is Made In The Vineyard

The Bos Wine team wholeheartedly believes that good wine is made in the vineyard. Dave is so passionate about farming that he has made it his life’s work. It’s translating into incredible wine, which is why we are so excited about the Tasting Room opening so that you all can try the literal fruits of his labor. Dirt is his specialty, and by that I mean, biodynamic and organic farming. He caught the good dirt bug while living out in California’s wine country and managing vineyards that practice biodynamic farming. So what exactly is biodynamic farming? 

A biodynamic vineyard is farmed with all components of the vineyard as one whole entity, using natural materials and composts and eliminating chemicals. From pruning to harvesting, the biodynamic calendar controls the farming practices. In day-to-day practice, the goal is to create a farm system that is minimally dependant on imported materials and instead meets its needs from the living dynamics of the farm itself. The farm's biodiversity is organized so that the waste of one part of the farm becomes the energy for another, which increases the farm’s capacity for self-renewal and ultimately makes the farm sustainable. Time to Dig into Goodness!

Dave has managed the farming and consulted on many vineyards in California that are biodynamic certified. Now, he is working hard at changing farming here in Northern Michigan by helping local vineyards move towards organic and biodynamic farming practices. The proof is in the wine!

We thought it would be fun to take you through a little tour of the vineyards we work with to get a sense of the terroir, the farmers, and the specific varietals used to make Bos Wine. 

Michigan Vineyards

Ten Hands Vineyard faces a cool East Bay, situated on the northeastern shore of Old Mission Peninsula. The soil is sandy loam with mixed concentrations of clay and gravel.  The glacier movements mixed the soil, so it both drains well, has very little concentrated sand, contains moderate humus, and is slightly alkaline in pH.  For fruits, including grapes, this is ideal. Tom and Claudine enhance the soil with annual compost additions by planting a vast mix of grasses and legumes in the row middles. We are using their Chardonnay and Riesling varietals. 

Next door to Ten Hands Vineyard is Vineyard 15, named after its owner, Vinnie Johnson, who some of you may know as “The Microwave,” which was his nickname while playing professional basketball on the Detroit Pistons. His number was 15. Tom Petzold is also managing Vineyard 15, and we are using the Blaufränkisch grapes for our rosé. This is a younger vineyard, and Dave is excited to continue to grow the organic and biodynamic practices here. 

Brigadoon Vineyard on Leelanau Peninsula is where we are getting our Pinot Gris. It sits up a bit higher and has sandy loam soil with a westerly facing slope. Its owner, Adina Klim, takes great joy in farming and has a real passion for it. Dave has been helping them from the viticultural side and will be continuing to plant vines there. 

Rounding out the Michigan vineyards is Crystal Vista Vineyards, owned by Mike and Darlene Heuser, outside of Interlochen. The varietals grown here are Valvin Muscat and Marquette, and Dave’s especially excited about these winter-hardy varietals because he has never worked with them before. These two do a great job farming their vineyard, which is the only vineyard on the block. 

California Vineyards

We get a lot of our Syrah from Golden Vineyards located in scenic Mendocino County, and Dave consulted with them for many years. We continue to work closely with Julie Golden and get Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon from her in the future. Golden Vineyard has been Demeter (biodynamic), and Organic certified for over 20 years.

The first wine we ever made was a single-vineyard Syrah, our 2010 Phoenix Ranch. Phoenix Ranch is located northeast of the town of Napa on a gentle hillside composed of pebbly ash and loam soils. The vineyard is farmed biodynamically by Brian Phoenix, bringing out site-specificity and the most complexity possible in the fruit. 

Dave started working with the Apallas family, owners of Soda Creek Vineyards, in 2011 when they hired him as a biodynamic consultant to eliminate harmful chemicals and instead rely on organic solutions for weed and pest control. In addition, the beautiful gardens and farm animal inhabitants (chickens and goats) create biodiversity and help maintain a thriving ecosystem.  Soda Creek Vineyards is located in Napa, California and our Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc come from these vineyards. This is a timeline graphic that they have on their website, and I love it:

A combination of other backyard vineyards makes up DEO. Dave carefully chooses the best Cabernet Sauvignon from the best vineyards for this wine. Each vineyard chosen is approximately ½ acre and is located from St. Helena to Calistoga.

We hope that you see (and taste!) our passion for vineyards and wine through our boutique label. We are beyond excited to showcase our Michigan and California wines in our tasting room in Elk Rapids, Michigan.

Time Posted: Jul 8, 2021 at 9:26 AM Permalink to Good Wine Is Made In The Vineyard Permalink