A painting that I painted a few years ago during a “Wine and Canvas” event.
Being from Michigan’s wine country, there’s nothing better than a good red wine with a seasoned steak cooked over an open fire. We tend to choose a steak with extra fat marbled in the meat for tenderness and flavor when we grill. Maybe you do too. People often know how to choose a good steak, but they aren’t sure which bottle of wine will go well with their meal. Yes, I said a bottle. I’m not a fan of the plastic wine bags and boxes, although they do travel well and keep the air out of the wine. We take a real bottle and cover it in a mesh bag to keep the bottle from breaking. Wine will add depth to the flavor of your meal, and impress your wine loving friends (many whom don’t drink beer.)
Here’s an easy to remember rule of thumb. According to Wine Folly, the fattier the cut of steak, the darker the wine (color=the amount of tannin). Though I often limit myself to packing from the wine choices we have on our shelf, we do loosely follow this wine rule. If I’m hitting the grocery store (Meijer’s) on the way to camp, I give some thought to what will pair well with our Saturday night BBQ. Read on for a few really tasty Michigan wine recommendations.
Fall is a wonderful time to take a color tour in our area, and we often end up at a new winery for a tour and tasting. Now that Mike has restored our vintage Mustang, we always want to take a drive – anywhere! Lemon Creek Winery is one of our old favorites. They make an award-winning, dark red Cabernet Franc that my husband loves. It pairs really well with rich, red meat dinners. If you like a dessert wine, their Cherry Wine tastes just like cherry pie so I serve it as a dessert. Or with a dessert. It went REALLY well with some not-too-sweet dark chocolate truffles last Valentine’s Day.
Tabor Hill is another favorite, local winery of ours. They are known far and wide for their demi-sec red and white wines, which are both semi-dry. People who say they don’t like wine, and those who are just starting to develop their pallet, often like these two wines which are served at the White House. For those who have developed an appreciation for drier wines, the affordable table wines we like are Red Arrow Red and Pinot Gris. The downside to camping with a white wine, like a Pinot Gris, is chilling it. Pack your white wine in a “wine-cozy” to keep it from breaking. This will also keep it cold when it is out of the cooler on the boat, or at the beach!
So how do I serve the wine in on a camping trip? Our answer is plastic, collapsible wine stemware. We have also packed the little wine glasses that you get during a winery tour, but they add weight and can break so we “rough it”. You’ll need to pack a tool that includes a wine bottle opener and a separate pour spout cork. If there is, by chance, any left overs the next day, add it to a stew.
Meijer stores carry all of the wines mentioned above. While you’re there, pick up some Faygo pop for the kids! It’s fun to try new foods, so I’m always looking for something new to try. Today, I happened to see a California wine called Happy Camper, and it sounds delicious! Maybe it’s just the name? Having watched this video, I’m ready to have a taste. The owner says that KOA campgrounds and others carry it in their store. I may give our local KOA a call. Have you ever tasted Happy Camper wine? If so, how did you like it?
I love to hear how people live. Let me know what wines you like to bring on a road trip, or to the campground. Do you use a river to keep the wine chilled? What do you serve it with at camp? Don’t forget to follow my page. Happy Camping!
Countdown To Camping 