 
|
|
Feature Article
Shawn Walters, winemaker at Forty-Five North Winery has a history of numerous gold medal wines before arriving at his current position.
New Headliner on
Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula
Shawn Walters, winemaker for up-and-coming Forty-Five North Vineyard and Winery explains why the Michigan AVA is a world class wine region, which is just being discovered by more than the locals.
by
Eleanor & Ray Heald
August 22, 2008
Within the last year, six new wineries opened in Michigan, bringing the state total to 56. One of the six, Forty-Five North Vineyard and Winery, is already making headlines. Winemaker Shawn Walters, 38, a northern Michigan native with farming in his ancestry, made gold medal winning wines for Longview Winery on Leelanau Peninsula before taking the helm at Forty-Five North.
The winery name is derived from its location on the 45th Parallel North, in the heart of the Leelanau Peninsula. Its success comes from the heart of owner Steven Grossnickle, an Indiana ophthalmologist and Lasik surgeon who purchased a former 100-acre cherry farm near Lake
Leelanau in 2006. Grossnickle’s vision of establishing a winery amid the northern Michigan landscape he loves seems to be taking shape.
In four truckloads, Grossnickle moved a 120-year-old barn from Kent County, Mich., in the western part of the state, and is reassembling it for Forty-Five North’s tasting room. Recent statistics reveal that more people learn about the wines that they ultimately purchase from positive experiences in a tasting room. That’s Grossnickle’s plan, backed up by the winemaking of Shawn Walters. Our conversation with Walters reveals the whole story.
The winery name is derived from its location on the 45th Parallel North, in the heart of the Leelanau Peninsula. Its success comes from the heart of owner Steven Grossnickle, an Indiana ophthalmologist and Lasik surgeon who purchased a former 100-acre cherry farm near Lake
Leelanau in 2006. Grossnickle’s vision of establishing a winery amid the northern Michigan landscape he loves seems to be taking shape.
In four truckloads, Grossnickle moved a 120-year-old barn from Kent County, Mich., in the western part of the state, and is reassembling it for Forty-Five North’s tasting room. Recent statistics reveal that more people learn about the wines that they ultimately purchase from positive experiences in a tasting room. That’s Grossnickle’s plan, backed up by the winemaking of Shawn Walters. Our conversation with Walters reveals the whole story.
Appellation America: First off, what is your formal winemaking education?
To read the rest of this article (and much else besides), please become an Appellation America Subscriber. It's easy and low-cost!
