News - St Ambrose Cellars

Mead & Wine in the News : January 14, 2016

by stambrose | Jan 14, 2016 | Mead, News, Wine

Your (occasionally) weekly look at some of the news in the mead, wine, and craft beverage industry – distilled down to the good stuff by the folks at St. Ambrose Cellars.

What Percentage Are You Actually Drinking?

We’ve all woken up with a headache and found something other than ourselves to blame. What if I told you … you might have been right?

It might not be off by much, but your wine bottle might be off just a bit on the ABV of the product. According to a study published in the Journal of Wine Economics, which tested more than 91,000 bottles tested from all over the world, the vast majority inaccurately listed the alcohol content. In most cases, 57.1 percent, the bottles were boozier than their labels said. Another 32.2 percent of the bottles contained less alcohol than listed.

And that’s absolutely legal. Here in the United States, laws allow wines with less than 14% ABV to by off by 1.5% on their label, and wines with more are allowed a 1% leeway. This makes a lot of sense, in reality, as the percentage can vary slightly between batches and tanks. You can read more here.

Former Wolverine Winning in Wine

You might remember Charles Woodson as the first primarily defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy during his legendary career at the University of Michigan. Or perhaps you remember his exceptional NFL career and Super Bowl triumph with the Green Bay Packers. But soon, you might be remembering him for his wine. Woodson has been involved with wine-making for several years, and you can learn more about his adventures here.

Watson the Winemaker

Remember Watson, the IBM Supercomputer that took on Ken Jennings in Jeopardy? Well, he’s gotten into the wine game too now. Will Watson replace human winemakers and usher in the Age of the Machines as a boozy SkyNet? Should we stockpile goods for his inevitable conquering of mankind? Find out here.

Michigan Mead Laws

You can learn about the movement afoot to help Michigan mead-makers reduce red tape and out-dated laws in this article from the Detroit Free Press.

What’s on Tap This Weekend

by stambrose | Sep 4, 2015 | News

It’s Friiiiiiiiiiiiday! And a holiday weekend!

There’s plenty going on this weekend here in Northern Michigan. Of course, we’ll be open from 12PM – 8PM today, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday for those of you in the area. Make sure to stop by and do some tasting – you can count it as research for what you’ll want to drink at The Crush next weekend.

We don’t have any live events scheduled at the tasting room this weekend, but we will have beautiful weather, tasty drinks, and the ever-popular patio seating open for you to enjoy one more summer weekend with our great staff.

Sutton’s Bay Floatilla

If you’re looking for somewhere to paddle on Saturday, check out the Sutton’s Bay Floatilla! Join a few thousand of your closest friends and try to reclaim the world record for the largest floatilla in this fun-filled afternoon. The current record of 3150 was set in September 2014 in Upstate New York. Join this fun, family-friendly paddling event! All paddlers are required to wear USCG approved life vests. Every participant or parent/guardian must sign a waiver. You can learn more at http://www.sbfloatilla.com.

Baseball

The Traverse City Beach Bums will be closing out the regular season with a three game homestand against the Frontier Greys. Head down to Wuerffel Park and enjoy the last weekend of Bums baseball, along with a fireworks show, on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Tickets are available here.

K Jones & The Benzie Playboys

Concert on the Lawn: With K. Jones & the Benzie Playboys, who bring the roots of southwest Louisiana’s creole, Cajun & zydeco music to the Old Art Building, Leland at 7pm. Tickets: $15 adults, $5 students. mynorthtickets.com

And finally, you can just enjoy the summer weather, the sun, and the beaches!

We hope to see you out, and have a great holiday.