posted on: Friday, May 03, 2013 by: parallel44
SPRING! Tammy's Take on the Tundra
Despite the long, harsh winter, it
looks like spring has finally arrived! I don't know about you, but
I think winter definitely overstayed its visit! It feels so
great to walk outside without having to bundle up in the winter
gear. Sunshine and warm weather means more people enjoying wine out
on our patio, free tours through the vineyard and production area,
and our summer concerts getting closer!
Celebrate this warm weather by joining us for our "Tunes at the
Tundra" concert series, every Saturday from June 22nd
through August 10th. The music lineup this year is
outstanding! We've even expanded our concerts to include food
vendors: Port O Call and Firefly Wood-fired Pizzas. Sit back, enjoy
the music, drink wine, and relax. What more could you ask for!?
One thing I really enjoy about Parallel 44 is that we're not
just about wine. Yes, we make amazing wine made with grapes grown
here in Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest. But we also educate people
about grape growing in Wisconsin, provide free concerts and
entertainment for our fans, get involved with community events, and
have a presence all across Wisconsin. We take pride in making the
finest quality Wisconsin wine and
providing you with an enjoyable experience every time you visit
Parallel 44.
I remember living in Green Bay and not knowing much about
Parallel 44. Now that I work here, I can't believe I lived only 20
minutes away from such an amazing place and never knew it!
Most people hear 'located in Kewaunee' and their eyes glaze over.
But if they only knew that in just a short drive, they could be
walking up and down rows and rows of grape vines and immersing
themselves in wine country, they would probably be here in a
flash!
To make the trip even more worth it, check out the Stangelville
Trail. This wine, cheese, and meat trail is comprised of Parallel
44 Winery, Krohn's Dairy Store, and Konop's Meats, all whom provide
you with some of the best products around! The cheese curds
and hot sticks are amazing! Trust me, it's tough working right by
them without stopping in every week!
As the weather continues to warm up, I encourage you to visit
Parallel 44. Relax on the patio and stroll our vineyards. And of
course, drink some delicious, award-winning wines! Come see why I
love being at Parallel 44!
posted on: Tuesday, April 23, 2013 by: parallel44
Four reasons I love
Parallel 44 wines
Being a newcomer to the wine
industry really is fantastic because of how exciting the various
facets of wine making can be. There is most definitely something to
be said about the anticipation of a new vintage as it comes off of
the bottling line. Nevertheless when it comes down to it I maintain
that the best part is the UNbottling line (my kitchen counter). So
let me briefly tell you four of the thousands of reasons I LOVE
LOVE LOVE the wines sold here at Parallel 44.
1. Fruit
Forward
When it comes down to it, the
special cold climate grapes that we grow here in Northeast
Wisconsin generally lend themselves to creating wines that show
subtle (and sometime blatantly obvious and delicious) fruit
expressions. When I first entered the wine industry a couple of
years ago I was blown away at the number of combinations of flavors
that a single grape could produce. Frontenac grapes, for example,
are used in four of Parallel 44's red wines and expresses
everything from Blackberry & Currant to Sweet Cherry, and even
Chocolate! The commonality between the wines, however, is their
depth of flavor and rich bold personalities.
2. Crisp
Acidity
Our climate is special! Our
combination of grape varietals, weather, soil, and rainfall all
lead to dynamically crisp (and occasionally citric) wines! "This
broad slope associated with the escarpment is blanketed with
well-drained glacial sediments and influenced by unique
microclimates and weather patterns moderated by the escarpment and
by its proximity to the waters of Green Bay, Lake Winnebago and
Lake Michigan. This combination of factors mimics some of the best
grape-growing regions in the world, including that of Bordeaux,
France. Wineries associated with Wisconsin's escarpment already are
winning medals in national competitions." (http://dnr.wi.gov/wnrmag/2010/10/ledge.htm)
3. Food Friendly
Like food!? Me too. Finding a wine that compliments that special
dish you're making can sometimes be an exceedingly difficult and
intimidating endeavor. When winemaker Steve Johnson makes P44 wine,
not only is he thinking about the bouquet, color, and expression of
the wine, he's also worrying about how that wine will interact with
various foods (plus about a thousand other things). Our
wines bring out bouquets, flavors, and textures that wouldn't
generally be as noticeable in the wine or food alone.
4. Locally Grown and Fermented
When it all comes down to it
Parallel 44 is a family owned and operated agricultural business. I
can't speak for everyone but I'd much rather buy a wine from a
family in my community - especially if it can have a real and
positive impact. One can even drive out the winery and learn how
their wine came to be from ground to glass. Beyond that, Parallel
44 wines express the "Terroir" or "Sense of Place" of Northeast
Wisconsin! Our soil, our dynamic climate, the delicious
grapes….what else could a Wisconsinite ask for!? If you'd like to
experience Wisconsin like a Wisconsinite then take a spin out and
see what all the fuss is about. Is the drive too long? Check out
our online store above!
YOU'RE ALL FANTASTIC - Cheers!
Mick Scheuer
Winery Ambassador
Marketing Assistant
Parallel 44 Vineyard & Winery
posted on: Friday, March 08, 2013 by: parallel44
Hi Everyone!
My name is Maria and my husband, Steve, and I started Parallel 44
Vineyard and Winery back in 2005. My love of wine started much
earlier, however...I started to appreciate wine as a child when my
father had truck loads of grapes delivered to our garage where he
and his friends made wine together. The smell of the grapes being
crushed was intoxicating and the color of the juice was so vivid.
My father was born and raised in Italy, so wine was part of his
heritage. As a child, wine was enjoyed at meals and as part of
family celebrations - it was tradition! For my family, wine was
about conversation and enjoying each other's company. This
tradition lead to some of my greatest memories and joys that I have
carried into my adult life.
I met my husband Steve right after college and we quickly shared
our love of wine with one another. We even took our honey moon to
Napa Valley - it was a great memory. Although our careers in law
took us in a different direction, wine was still a source of
pleasure. This source of enjoyment lead us to wonder what it would
be like to grow grapes here in Wisconsin (the place where both of
us were born, spent our childhood, and now our adult lives!). When
we first looked into this venture in the late 90's, grape growing
in this cold climate was still in its infancy. After years of
researching grape growing and the right location to plant grapes,
we planted our first vines in 2005. After that, things went quickly
and we opened our winery in 2007, and are now into our almost
6th year of business. It has been an adventure with ups
and downs. Although the romance of the industry can draw you in, we
have been able to temper it with practicality and I believe we have
turned this venture into a real business. We pride ourselves on
making well balanced Wisconsin and Upper Midwest wines that all
people can really enjoy. It is my personal hope that our wines are
out there creating joy, great conversation, and wonderful memories
- just as wine has for me!!
So you might ask… what do you do here at Parallel 44!?! My role has
evolved over the years and has included everything from chief
toilet scrubber to CEO! Quite the range, if I do say so myself. If
I actually had to define my role, I would say I am the person who
oversee it all and "gets it done." I have to add a disclaimer - I
do not make the wine or grow the grapes, but I have done everything
in between (with the assistance of Steve - who is the creative
one!!). Over the years, we have been lucky enough to bring some
amazing people on board (many of whom you have already heard from).
These people have assisted us greatly and have made Parallel 44 an
amazing venture that I am proud to be part of. I currently continue
to oversee the general operations of the business including the
financial operations, Marketing, and our brand management.
Steve and I also have three amazing children, who were only babies
when we started the winery, but that keeps me running all the time
- I am sure you parents out there can appreciate what I am saying.
When I am able to step back and think about it all (which I hardly
ever do) I have to admit, my life has been blessed with so many
amazing adventures. So until we speak again, wishing you great
adventures which hopefully include Parallel 44 wines!
Maria Milano
Owner & CEO
Parallel 44 Vineyard & Winery
posted on: Monday, March 04, 2013 by: parallel44
Coming UP NEXT!
We'll be hearing from Parallel 44's Maria Milano! One of the
vineyard's owners, Maria will be talking about how she went about
fulfilling one of her favorite childhood dreams!
posted on: Monday, March 04, 2013 by: parallel44
Blog post #4 - Bob's Introduction!
Hey there Tundra fans, my name is Bob and I'm the Vineyard
Manager and Cellar Assistant at Parallel 44. I'm originally
from a small hamlet in the middle of the state called Wautoma, and
I've been living in the northeast part of the state since I
attended St. Norbert College in De Pere. No, I didn't
get a vineyard managing degree there, but I'm sure the
communications degree I did earn will come in handy
eventually. Blogging counts as communication doesn't it?
So what does a vineyard manager do exactly? A Vineyard
Manager tends to the needs of the grapevines in any given
vineyard. It's my job to ensure that the vines consistently
produce a quality crop from year to year. It's not always
easy. Last season was quite a challenge with our early spring
and drought that followed. That early spring thaw last year
was followed by a cold snap that damaged many fruit crops, grapes
being but one. I'm sure you all heard that Door County's
famed cherry crop was nearly wiped out because almost all of the
cherry blossoms were killed by frost. Some of our vines were
hit by those frosts as well, but unlike cherry trees, grapevines
have a backup plan. If the first shoots of a grapevine are
killed by a frost, another grows to take its place, and though that
backup shoot won't have as big of a grape cluster, it will usually
have one nonetheless.
After the vines struggled through those spring frosts, they were
hit with that historic drought last summer. We do have the
advantage of having irrigation at Parallel 44, and while that
helped our vines out to some degree last year, we don't have air
conditioning in the vineyard, and the withering heat did still
stress the vines. I can hear you all saying right now
"struggling and stressed vines make for for great wine!" And
yes, we did have extremely high quality grapes this year, but
correlation does not imply causation. Or in other words,
while long ago in Europe it was observed and noted that struggling
vines often produced higher quality grapes, we have since learned
that there is much more to it, and that the the higher quality of
grapes is not a direct result of the vines struggling. I know
it's romantic to think that suffering grapevines make for high
quality grapes and therefore great wine. Hey, struggling and
starving artists make the best poems, music, and art, so applying
this logic to grapevines should work too right? Nope.
Come to think of it, I doubt the concept really holds up in the art
world either. Well if struggling vines doesn't make for the
best grapes, what does? That's a future blog post, this is my
intro blog! I'll just say that much like quality wine itself,
vines that produce quality fruit are also balanced. Oh, and
sunlight plays a major role too, but that is a future blog post as
well.
Vineyard Manager is only one of my jobs, the other is Cellar
Assistant, and that is a very kind title indeed. Inside the
industry, the job is usually referred to as "Cellar Rat". If
one thinks of the wine word in the culinary sense, winemakers are
the chefs, and cellar rats are the line chefs and
dishwashers. We power wash oak barrels, check the acid and
sugar levels of the juice or wine, and clean out stainless steel
tanks among other things. If you've ever taken a tour at
Parallel 44, you've seen stainless steel tanks with small ports
that look like a submarine hatch that are about a foot and a half
wide. That's how I get into the tanks to clean them
out. I know they don't look very big, but I'm like a cat, and
if I can get my head through an opening, I can get the rest of me
through it. This is not a job for the claustrophobic!
It's not really a job for people who don't like getting dirty
either because ironically enough, cleaning things makes you
dirty. I've gone home many a time with my hands and clothes
stained so purple that it looked like I murdered Barney the
Dinosaur. I don't mind, it is all worth it to see humble,
pressed grape juice as opaque as apple cider transform into clear
and pristine Parallel 44 wine. Plus it tastes all the better
knowing how much work went into that single glass. Well
that's enough for this post. I look forward to sharing more
of my experiences in the vineyard and winery. Until next
time...Cheers!
posted on: Wednesday, February 20, 2013 by: parallel44
COMING UP NEXT!
We'll be covering our Cellar
Assistant and Vineyard Manager Bob! Come on back to learn all about
Parallel 44 grapes and how he became a master of the vine! :)
posted on: Monday, February 18, 2013 by: parallel44
Blog Post #3 - Tammy's Introduction!
Let me start by introducing
myself. My name is Tammy, and I'm the Hospitality Manager at
Parallel 44. What does a Hospitality Manager do, you
ask? Well, let's just say I try to keep the Tasting Room
organized & running smoothly while creating a fun &
exciting experience for our visitors. I plan &
orchestrate events, both at the winery & offsite, as well as
tackle numerous random items on a To-Do list that never seems to
end! J
So how'd I end up at this amazing
winery? I first earned a degree in Psychology with a minor in
Music from Lawrence University, all the while working in hotel
management. After working in the hotel industry for over 10
years, I decided to pursue the #1 Item on my Bucket List - Teach in
Spain. Upon returning home after an incredible experience
abroad, I moved to the beautiful thumb of Wisconsin, otherwise
known as Door County. I dabbled a bit in restaurants &
wineries until as luck would have it, this past May I received a
job offer from Parallel 44.
Who wouldn't want to work at this
family-owned winery where an emphasis is placed on producing
delicious wine from grapes grown right here on the Frozen
Tundra?! Every day I come to work, I drive past our 10 acres
of vines where we grow grapes that can actually survive these crazy
Wisconsin winters. Believe it or not, these grapes can
survive temperatures as low as 30 below!!! We may not be
California or France, but that doesn't mean our grapes can't
produce award-winning wines!
I remember the first time I visited
Parallel 44. It was during the very first Frozen Tundra Wine
Fest. I joined hundreds of wine fans in the outdoor wine
celebration, a must do for any hardy Wisconsinite!
Coincidentally, four years later, I find myself organizing the same
exact event! If you've never experienced the Frozen Tundra
Wine Fest, let me tell you, you are missing out!
Join us from noon to 6 pm on
February 23rd for the 4th Annual Frozen
Tundra Wine Fest. Whether you're a wino, a die-hard beer fan,
or perhaps you prefer a cold, non-alcoholic beverage, the Tundra
Fest is an experience for everyone. Sample our wine and enjoy
food provided by The Marq. Check out the local vendors that
will be sampling their products - Dos Chiles, Kattywompus
Konfections, Trust Local Foods, & Jams Jellies and More.
There will be live music, tours, fun, & more! Everyone
that comes to the Tundra Fest gets to take home a complimentary
Parallel 44 stemless wine glass! Bring family, bring friends,
or just come solo & meet other wine fanatics! Buy a
bottle of wine to enjoy on the patio, or grab a glass and dance to
the music. One of my favorite memories from the first Tundra
Fest was the shot glasses made out of ice. It was so much fun
that we decided to bring them back! Be one of the first 100
people & you'll get this unique opportunity of having wine
served in an ice shot glass! Talk about truly celebrating the
Tundra experience! You don't want to miss it, trust me!
I'd like to finish with a challenge
to you. If you've never been to Parallel 44, I urge you to
stop by. Tour our vineyard, check out our production area,
& taste our award-winning wines. Come chill with us out
on the Tundra!
posted on: Monday, February 11, 2013 by: parallel44
UP NEXT!
Hospitality Manager - TAMMY!
Tammy will be introducing herself this week Saturday! Check back
in to learn more about the people that make Parallel 44 tick and
learn a whole bunch about the growing wine culture in
Wisconsin!
posted on: Friday, February 08, 2013 by: parallel44
Steve's introduction!
Cheers to all you Parallel 44 wine fans. I figured it was
about time to touch base with you about what I am up to in the
winery this time of year, and to enthusiastically invite you to
converse with me. I want to know what YOU want to know about
the life and times of the winemaker here on the Frozen Tundra.
There are so many things to talk about regarding wine growing
and wine making. It can be simple, it can be incredibly
complex, it can be exhausting. Sometimes it is like the
movies, but most of the time it is much more challenging than it
appears. The life of a winemaker involves intuition,
patience, perseverance and a passion to always improve with each
vintage.
But before I converse with you in future posts about the trials,
tribulations, and joys of winemaking, I thought I would tell you a
little about why I became a winemaker. The reasons are as
many as there are wines to drink, but let me start with just a few
reasons stemming from my youth.
Winemaking takes passion. The genesis of my passion for
winemaking always comes back to my very first memory of wine.
At the age of seven, I vividly recall the smell of fermenting
grapes in my parents' basement on a warm September Sunday morning
in De Pere, Wisconsin. Just the smell of fermenting grapes
can be intoxicating to the senses. Seeing, smelling, hearing,
and even tasting the natural conversion of grapes to wine
fascinates me. As the winemaker, you are creating, in
essence, a one of a kind product that will never be exactly
duplicated. You are attempting to best express and preserve for
years to come, the nuance of Mother Nature's thumbprint on that
particular growing season. Every year the expression will be
different, sometimes dramatically, sometimes just nuanced, but
nevertheless different every year.
I also have fond memories as a teenager of sitting at my
grandparents' dinner table in Green Bay for holiday meals.
There, I had the privilege and pleasure of drinking Cella Lambrusco
from a tiny little glass. Certainly not a highly acclaimed
wine, but a perfect example of how best to learn how to appreciate
wine. Wine is best when enjoyed: in moderation, with
food, and with interesting people to converse with. From time
immemorial, we as social creatures have come together to enjoy the
fruits of the harvest and learn more about each other over a glass
of wine. Few things are more rewarding than this!
Then when I was in law school, I began to dabble in winemaking
with Door County cherries, Oconto County blackberries, and wild
grapes from the countryside. Many of these wines would not
have made you crave for more, but once in a while there would be a
successful vinting of a wine. The pleasure of giving a bottle
of wine that you personally crafted to friends and family is very
rewarding. The downside is that your wife can become
frustrated by the messes left from making wine in your
basement. Hence another of the many reasons why Parallel 44
started over seven years ago with our first planting on May 5,
2007.
I leave you with an invitation to converse with me more about
what you enjoy about wine and what you want to know more
about. My only suggestion is that you converse with me over a
glass of wine grown and vinted here on the Frozen Tundra.
Cheers fellow wine fans.
Steve
Owner & WInemaker - Parallel 44
posted on: Friday, January 25, 2013 by: parallel44
Mick's introduction!
It's been quite a while since anybody has posted to this blog,
but get ready for a whirlwind of excitement and knowledge! Over the
coming weeks and months the owners and employees of Parallel 44
Vineyard & Winery will be posting about a variety of topics
ranging from grape growing and wine making to the culture and
business of wine in general.
I suppose a good place to start for each of us would be an
introduction!
My name is Mick and I have one of the most awesome (and slightly
pretentious) titles in the history of the wine business. I am the
Winery Ambassador and Marketing Assistant for Parallel 44. I'm
responsible for our Wine Club, Social Media, and a number of other
customer and sales related tasks. I graduated from the
University of Wisconsin - Green Bay with a B.B.A in Marketing and
Management, and a minor in German. Initially I thought I would be
getting into brewing, but the explosion of the wine industry in
Wisconsin and its underlying culture drew me in. I've been working
at Parallel 44 since October of 2011 and have learned a great deal
from the owners and my coworkers since I started - and that's just
one of the many reasons a family-run winery is a great place to
work. Why I do what I do is another story. One of my life's
greatest passions is the study of people and of culture around the
world. Wine has been a part of the human experience in a big way
for thousands of years, so it isn't too much of a stretch to
understand why I love wine. In fact, the oldest winery ever found
was dated to be from around 4100 BC, and several ancient cultures
claimed the discovery of wine to be their own. In the end, the
point I'm trying to make is that everyone here at Parallel 44 loves
what they do because we have the privilege of carrying on a human
legacy of culture that began in antiquity.
Being a part of the wine boom here in Wisconsin is especially
gratifying. In March of this past year, Wisconsin's peninsula was
designated an American Viticultural Area (AVA) called the Wisconsin
Ledge. This means that our region is unique in its grape-growing
and wine production (You will be hearing more about our AVA in the
coming weeks). With this designation comes more wineries, and with
more wineries comes a culture shift! Parallel 44 specializes in
growing cold-climate varietals of grapes. Long story - short, our
grapes are very special, and can survive up to -30 degrees.
Our growing climate and our grape varietals lend to the
production of a number of fantastic wines. We pride ourselves on
our wine's crisp acidity, fruit forward expression, and "Food
Friendliness". These are just a few things that make Parallel
44 such a fantastic gem tucked away in the countryside of northeast
Wisconsin. If you haven't already, stop in and try some of our
wines or check out our online store!
Mick Scheuer
Winery Ambassador & Marketing Assistant
Parallel 44 Vineyard & Winery
(920) 388-4400
