L Mawby Sparkles

We are spending the week in Traverse City relaxing on the beach, enjoying the gourmet food, and of course tasting wine! Since today was dreary and a bit cold, we decided to head on up to Leelanau Peninsula for some wine tasting. The first winery we stopped at was L Mawby. This winery is an annual favorite of ours because it is so unique among Michigan wineries. L Mawby only produces sparkling wine. No still Rieslings, Cab Francs, or Chardonnays-- only sparkling wines. We arrived mid-week, in the early afternoon and there were a steady stream of tasters, tourists, and paying customers. The minute we entered, we felt welcome. The tasting room staff each welcomed us and directed us to the patio for the complimentary tasting. Once on the patio, we found room at the bar and got ready for the bubbly! Our pourer was super friendly and asked if we had been there before. Of course we have been coming for several years, but the couple next to us was new to wine tasting. She was equally attentive to each of us, taking the time to asnwer questions and giving a brief overview of L Mawby and the wine producing area. They start everyone with a complimentary pour of Sandpiper. They start here because it is a middle of the road sparkling wine with enough fruit and sweetness to appeal to everyone, but with enough complexity to show that L Mawby is serious about sparkling wine. From there, they guide you through your second complimentary pour based on your preference of sweeter or drier. As usual, my wife went with sweeter and was given Fizz--their sweetest selection. I opted for the drier option and was given Blanc de Blancs--a drier more acidic wine. I will do more in depth reviews of each wine in later columns (trust me, I took copious notes!) After your complimentary tasting, you are invited back into the main tasting room and given the option to do a paid tasting. I can assure you that you are not pressured to do a paid tasting. Although we opted for the paid tasting this time, we have skipped it in the past and did not feel uncomfortable. For $5, you can try any two wines along with your choice of goat cheese or whitefish pate and crackers. This is a steal because you get two full pours and a healthy portion of food. In order to cut down on the amount of alcohol we are consuming (this is only the first of many wineries on Leelanau Peninsula), we typically share. I chose the Cremant Classic and Blanc de Noirs along with the goat cheese and crackers. I was not disappointed. More on the wines in a future post. L Mawby produces two lines of sparkling wine. The L Mawby line is made using the traditional Champagne Method, aged in the bottle, and made with grapes only from the region. The M Lawrence line is made using the Cuve Close Method, in stainless steel tanks, and blends local grapes with out-of-state grapes. Overall, the winery and tasting room was fantastic. They even encouraged us to roam the vineyards with wine in hand. I recommend this winery for anyone who likes Sparkling Wine and wants to experience wine country with midwestern hospitality.