Summer sipping in southern Leelanau

By Pat Stinson
Sun contributor

On Lake Street in Glen Arbor, clusters of friends, fresh off a motorcoach, made their way south along the sidewalk. Some paused to browse at shops. Others ambled slowly toward a destination — a trio of wooden buildings known as “world headquarters for all things cherry.”

Here, in the land of Cherry Republic, the gift shop was hoppin’, and the deck of the deli-bakery was filled with patrons dining on sandwiches and ice cream cones.

But the siren call of the Stomp House was loudest on this day.

We sailed over the tasting room’s wraparound porch, the site of Wednesday night wine sampling parties. Inside the Stomp House, we walked the plank floors past wooden shelves stocked with cherry wine, Boom Chugga Lugga soda pops and tart cherry juice concentrate. We paused at a cooler of cherry hummus, cherry feta cheese, cherry guacamole, sparkling cherry juice and cherry pop.

Finally, we awaited our turn at the bar. Thirsty grandchildren sampled Cherry Ginger Ale fresh from the tap as grandparents, parents and friends sipped cherry wine and hunkered over tasting menus to select their next sips. The wait was short, and we spent it reading homespun humor on wooden signs hung ’round the room’s perimeter.

Bartender Elly Reynolds invited us to choose among 10 fermented beverages and six cherry soda pop flavors. As she made her suggestions, we listened carefully, never guessing it was her first day on the job. The Michigan State University student has lived her entire life in Traverse City.

“I’m not sick of cherries yet,” she replied, when asked about her inaugural morning. “I think I have a taste for it.”

We began with Abbondanza, a blend of cherry wine and fermented juices from three kinds of grapes. The cherry-pop color was fun and the tart, light flavor had a clean, cherry finish. We followed it with Balaton. The all-fruit (100 percent Balaton cherries) wine had an intense cherry nose, medium-red color and deep cherry flavor, with cinnamon-clove notes. Next up was Cherry Red, with 80 percent red grapes and 20 percent cherry wine. This wine had legs and a deep red color. Our last “spirit” was the cherry port, “Shook,” with a deep, concentrated cherry color and flavor. Pair its sweetness with dark chocolate. (Bowls of dark chocolate cherry-nut mix and palate-cleansing wafers are provided.)

We finished our visit with a taste of Black Cherry Cream Soda. The bright-red pour had a beautiful, if momentary, head. (One of us may have slurped it up while the other wasn’t looking). The pop was sweet without being cloying and offered the vanilla-y taste that defines the flavor. We were happy to note that Cherry Republic soda pops are made from local water, Michigan sugar beets and Leelanau cherry juice.

Visit Cherry Republic wine-tasting rooms on South Lake St. in Glen Arbor, or on East Front Street in Traverse City.

Great reviews, Cedar’s Longview

Several scenic routes lead to Longview Winery in Cedar, our next stop. The winery is adjacent to Cedar Rustic Inn, a family-style eatery at the corner of county roads 651 (a.k.a. Good Harbor Trail) and 645 (a.k.a. South Schomberg Road). Maps found on websites for the Glen Arbor Sun and Longview provide the easiest routes.

We chose the cross-country drive.

From M-22, we headed east on County Road 675, past paddlers on the meandering Crystal River and under a canopy of leaves that parted as we passed the Foothills Café and Motel. We followed the road as it veered south, skirting cottages and homes along Glen Lake’s eastern shore, and spied the picnic area at Old Settlers’ Park and nearby Laker Shakes. Resisting the urge for ice cream cones, we made the turn east at La Becasse restaurant onto Burdickville Road, a.k.a. County Road 616. The road runs through rural countryside dotted with farms, makes a jog in Maple City, and climbs a hill to a distant, breathtaking view of Lake Leelanau, before it plunges down the far side and into Cedar.

At the light in Cedar we turned north on County Road 651, over the river, and just past the blinking light to our destination.

Rachel Hale greeted us from behind the polished mahogany counter. The recent Indiana State University graduate (major in marketing, minor in art) was hired by Longview’s winemaker-owner Alan Eaker. He and his wife, Linda Ackley-Eaker, (both artists), plan to use her skills in the tasting room and in Linda’s bronze foundry.

Hale patiently helped us as we sampled most all of the wines, and we purchased three we couldn’t leave without: the 2010 Chardonnay, the 2010 Rustic Red and the Cherry Wine. For the record, we are not Chardonnay drinkers, but we keep trying them, just in case. Longview’s un-oaked, fruity version was delicious that night with our barbequed turkey sandwiches, though we really meant to drink it the following evening with salmon. (We couldn’t wait.)

The Best-of-Class and Gold Medal-winning Cherry Wine is one of several Longview wines to win state and/or international competitions. The boutique winery’s estate wines can be purchased at the winery or online and are available in Traverse City at the Cherry Stop or Blue Goat. Plans are underway to make the wine available at Cedar Rustic Inn next door.

For Cherry Republic information or a list of events, visit www.cherryrepublic.com. Find Longview Winery online at www.longviewwinery.com.