We all know winter means snow and cold, but what happens when the temperature reaches -8 and it feels like -25? This is about the time when your alcohol actually freezes. Regardless of the temperature "Northern Lights Out" from Garden Bay Winery hits the spot! Not quite an iced wine, not quite a port, nor a dessert wine, this is the cold weather fruit wine. This is what you drink when it is ice cold out to stay warm or just to give you that warm fuzzy feeling inside.
"Northern Lights Out" is made with blackberries and not fortified, which increases the alcohol content to 17%. This wine is perfect after dinner, in the cold, or just chilled drinking on those warm summer evenings that we all are wishing for right now. You'll taste the alcohol content in this wine and due to the higher content they sell it in a 375mL bottle.
The Garden Bay Winery is located at 11858 W US-2, Cooks, MI 49817 about 15 miles west of Manistique. In October my wife and I visited the winery and tasting room on the way home from our Upper Peninsula trip. It was quite the adventure that took us all the way to the bottom of the Garden Peninsula to find out the tasting room was actually off of US-2. At the winery they have a fantastic selection of wine ranging from all types of fruit wine, light to full bodied reds, an array of whites that won't disappoint and they even have an iced wine. The staff is extremely friendly and welcoming; they always have a story to share. It is the off season now for the winery but they will resume operation on May 21. You may be able to find their wines in select party stores in the UP and Northern LP. Garden Bay Winery is a must if you are passing through the UP on US-2!