Midwest Wine Press

Michigan By The Bottle Tasting Room Grand Opening

by · January 27, 2013

The grand opening of the Michigan By The Bottle Tasting Room

The grand opening of the Michigan By The Bottle Tasting Room

The new Michigan By The Bottle Tasting Room had its grand opening on January 19th in Shelby Township Michigan, just outside of Detroit.

The new tasting room, which shares the name of owner Cortney Casey’s website on Michigan wine, features wines from Gill’s Pier Vineyard & Winery, Northport,  Aeronautique Winery and Sandhill Crane Winery, both in Jackson; Domaine Berrien Cellars, Berrien Springs; Peninsula Cellars, Traverse City; and Chateau de Leelanau, Suttons Bay.

Michigan By The Bottle Tasting Room is the only tasting room in the state that focuses exclusively on Michigan wines.  Cortney’s husband, Shannon, is a partner in the venture.

When asked about going from being a wine writer to owning her own tasting room, Casey said, “As for seeing my dream come to fruition, it definitely feels surreal. This is something I pictured in my head for so long. There were a lot of challenges leading up to opening the doors, and many more every day as we feel our way in these first few months, but we’re thrilled to expand our role in the industry and help introduce metro Detroiters to what the state’s wineries have to offer.”

Casey estimates a few hundred people attended the grand opening which was held as an open house event over the course of the day. Stephanie Schlatter, the current featured artist in the tasting room, signed posters for guests.

Owner Cortney Casey pours wine at the Michigan By The Bottle Tasting Room

Owner Cortney Casey pours wine at the Michigan By The Bottle Tasting Room

Michigan By The Bottle receives regular shipments from the featured wineries, Casey said.  All the wineries Casey works with are self distributed or have limited distribution. In Michigan, wineries with annual production of less than 50,000 gallons a year are allowed to sell directly to licensed retailers and wholesalers.
“We also can order products from our partner wineries that we don’t typically carry in the tasting room for any customers looking for something in particular,” Casey said.

Photos courtesy of Stephanie Schlatter

[wp_geo_map]

Tags:

Mark Ganchiff

Mark Ganchiff is the publisher of Midwest Wine Press, the leading source of news on the growing wine industry in the central United States. Mark has been a wine judge at the 2012 and 2014 INDY International Wine Competition, the 2014 Cold Climate Wine Competition, the 2013 Mid-American Wine Competition, the 2012 Illinois State Fair Wine Competition and the 2013 Michigan Wine Competition. He also enjoys speaking at wine events including the Cold Climate Wine Conference, the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association Annual Meeting, the Midwest Grape and Wine Conference and the Wisconsin Fruit and Vegetable Conference. Mark's articles about regional wine have appeared in Vineyard & Winery Management, WineMaker and several regional magazines. Mark is a Level One Sommelier in the Court of Master Sommeliers. He lives in Louisville, but also has a residence in Chicago.

You may also like...