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Feature Article
Eileen and Walter Brys, relatively big fish in the Michigan wine scene, were hooked by the qualities the region offered for a new winery.
Brys Estate: The influence of soil
"For us to jump into the sea in Michigan made a lot of business sense because we could be recognized for our commitment to what we're trying to accomplish in producing high-quality wines."
~ Walter Brys, Brys Estate proprietor
by
Eleanor & Ray Heald
October 23, 2006
After early retirement from a career in Texas real estate development, 57 year old Eileen and 60 year old Walter Brys (rhymes with fries) decided to fulfill a dream of owning a winery. The Michigan natives considered vineyard land in Texas, Willamette Valley Oregon, New York State's Finger Lakes region, Sonoma County, Santa Barbara and even Napa Valley before ultimately investing in Michigan's Old Mission Peninsula.
Brys Estate’s superb 2005 Pinot Noir won “Best of Class Dry Red” at this year’s Michigan Wine & Spirits Competition.
Appellation America Michigan Regional Correspondents Eleanor & Ray Heald recently spoke with the Brys and their 31-year-old South African born and educated winemaker, Cornel Olivier, about the growth of their Old Mission Peninsula AVA winery. In the last year, Brys Estate witnessed a production increase from 2,800 cases to 4,300, an increase that seems to be due to garnering more than local attention.
Eleanor & Ray Heald (ERH): Why did you choose Michigan's Old Mission Peninsula (OMP) as the place to open your winery? In other words, what did you believe that you could do on OMP that you couldn’t do by investing elsewhere?
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