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Apple grower, Robinette's
branches out to hard cider and wine... |
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| Up north, fall color will be at its peak this weekend. Harvest is in full swing all over the state, and tasting rooms are the place to be for Michigan wine lovers. Here are news bites from around Michigan wine country:
Robinette Cellars in Grand Rapids follows the template of Uncle John's Fruithouse in St. John -- a revered apple orchard and cider mill adding hard apple cider and wines.
Fruit growers around the state are testing the water with another way to make money, and Alicia Robinette, who married into the fourth generation of this longtime orchard family, says the wines have been a hit since their debut last March.
The longtime apple growers' hard cider is called Barzilla's Brew, named for Barzilla Robinette, who bought the orchard in the early years of the last century. |
The tasting bar is in the cellar of the family's 1881 barn.The Robinettes produce the hard cider, but like Uncle John's, call on other Michigan wineries to produce fruit and grape wines for them. Black Star Farms in Suttons Bay got the Robinettes started with semi-dry white and red table wines, plus pear and cherry wines and dessert wines made from apples and pears. They are in the process of adding St. Julian and Fenn Valley as suppliers, too.
Robinette's Apple Haus is most famous for its fresh cider, caramel apples, fresh doughnuts and Michigan gift boxes. They are open year-round, and are located on the northeast side of Grand Rapids, at 4 Mile and M-37 (commonly known as East Beltline). Robinette's Apple Haus & Gift Barn is a destination spot, especially in the fall.
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-- October 12, 2006 |
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