Did you know they make wine in Michigan. Yes, yes it’s true! And not only that, they make REALLY GOOD wine in Michigan. Don’t believe us? Then you need to listen to our interview with Drew Perry from Simpson Family Estates, home of Good Harbor Vineyards and Aurora Cellars and we’ll set you straight! We had the great honor of interviewing Drew who, like a lot of the winemakers we have talked to, did not start out thinking he was going to make wine for a living. And, like many of the winemakers we have talked to, it was a love of both science and art that attracted them to winemaking. Drew’s story is really interesting, and here’s a little tidbit from our interview. Drew was studying viticulture and enology at Michigan State University where his father was the head of the horticulture department, and his Dad canceled the viticulture and enology program while Drew was still in the major! And it just gets better from there! Drew describes winemaking as a scientific art, and talks about how a winemaker has to understand what is going on in the vineyard to figure out what is going to go into your glass. Please join us for this fascinating interview - you’ll learn a ton!
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Show Notes
Special Episode! Meet the (Wine) Makers #7: Drew Perry! 00:00
Today we are talking to a winemaker who makes wines in Michigan. Yes, you heard us right - they make wine in Michigan. Joining us on the podcast today is Drew Perry, and he is going to tell us all about the wines he makes in Michigan, what makes them both challenging and special, and what he loves about making wine.
Introduction to the Interview with Drew Perry 00:24
Hello, and welcome to The Wine Pair Podcast! I’m Joe, your sommelier of reasonably priced wine, and for this special episode, I am on my own as my wine pairing partner in crime is busy making cakes for her Baby Cakes micro-barkery, which by the way you can learn more about if you head over to her website lovebabycakes.com.
Now, as a quick orientation to our podcast, what we usually do in each episode is learn about, taste, and review three wines that are reasonably priced, which means under $20, and should be easy to find. However, for this special set of episodes, we will interview people who are involved in actually making wine. Because part of what we want to do with our podcast is to educate ourselves and you on different aspects of wine knowledge in a fun, entertaining, and unstuffy way, even fun and entertaining as Decanter magazine has called our podcast, and that is what we are doing today!
A small plug before we get to the interview with Drew - if you like what you are hearing or are interested in hearing our other “regular” episodes, please subscribe to our podcast so you can hear more - especially since you are only getting one half of The Wine Pair Podcast in this episode! You can also go to our website to send us a note or subscribe to our newsletter, you can follow us on Instagram at The Wine Pair Podcast, and, if you like what you are hearing, leave us a nice rating and review!
Ok, let’s get to the interview with Drew Perry
Interview with Drew Perry 01:50
Hi Drew - and welcome to The Wine Pair Podcast.
So, for all of you listening, Drew is the Director of Winemaking for Simpson Family Estates which includes two wineries Good Harbor Vineyards and Aurora Cellars
We are really happy that you joined us, Drew.
I think what I am most excited about is to learn about you, and to learn about something that I know very little about, and that is the growing wine industry in Michigan. When most people think about wine making areas in the United States, they generally think about California, and then maybe Oregon and Washington State, where we are located, and maybe even the Finger Lakes of New York, but I don’t think many people are aware that there are some great wines being made in Michigan.
So I am super excited to learn more about that, but let’s first talk about you.
Interview Questions:
- Tell us a little about yourself - your background, your family, etc.
- Tell us about how you got into winemaking. Was this something you had planned for and pursued, or did it "find" you?
- Did you have a mentor, or someone who taught you the ropes?
- What do you think defines you as a winemaker and makes you and your wines special? Do you have a special wine that is your favorite that you have made?
- Do you lean more towards the art or the science of wine (or both)?
- How much time do you spend with the grapes/in the field vs. with the juice?
- What should people know about the wine industry in Michigan? What makes Michigan wine special?
- Are there challenges with growing wine grapes or making wine in Michigan?
- What is the best wine that is coming out of Michigan? Varietals or styles
- What’s something surprising, interesting, exciting, or funny you have learned about yourself when you were involved in making wine?
- When we were to invite you to Sunday Night Dinner (a tradition in our Italian American family), what of your wines would you bring to pair with the food and why?
- How can people find your wines and follow you (your website, social, etc.)?
- Simpson Family Estates: https://simpsonfamilyestates.com/
- Good Harbor Vineyards: https://www.goodharbor.com/
- Aurora Cellars: https://www.auroracellars.com/
Outro and How to Find Drew Perry 45:49
Well, thank you very much for listening to our interview with Drew Perry - and now we know the truth - they really do make wines in Michigan!
Just in case you are worried about memorizing all of this, don’t worry, you can find out all of this information on our website thewinepairpodcast.com in our show notes for this episode. But so you have it, here are some sites for you to checkout.
- Simpson Family Estates: https://simpsonfamilyestates.com/
- Good Harbor Vineyards: https://www.goodharbor.com/
- Aurora Cellars: https://www.auroracellars.com/
And, we hope you will subscribe to our podcast The Wine Pair Podcast and follow us on Instagram, and visit our website at thewinepairpodcast.com where you can reach out to us and sign up for our newsletter, and you can also reach out to me at joe@thewinepairpodcast.com if you want more information, and we look forward to hearing from you!
But for now it’s time to go, and as we like to say, life is short, so stop drinking shitty wine.
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