Avenue The Emerald
VINE TO BOTTLE
DISCOVER THE RICH FLAVORS OF MICHIGAN WINE
GRAIN TO GLASS ORGANIC SMALL-BATCH WHISKEY
FARM TO MARKET
Summer 2014
FLAVOR RIPE FOR THE PICKING
The Emerald Avenue | Summer 2014
SLOW DOWN. ENJOY. After a particularly brutal growing season, Sarah Jollay, now president of Emerald Avenue, wondered how farmers could work together and leverage the natural tourism that calls on Southwest Michigan. “Traditionally, farmers have been resistant to collaboration because they’ve felt protective of their piece of the pie,” she said. “The Emerald Avenue is about working together to grow the pie.” And, oh how that pie has grown. The Emerald Avenue is a collection of family-owned farms and businesses providing succulent fruits and vegetables, oak-aged wines, organic spirits, fresh-baked goods and spectacular views. “The Emerald Avenue is a perfect complement to the nearby sun-drenched beaches, rugged water sports, and renowned
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FARMERS MARKET EXIT 39 | 3 401 Friday Road Coloma, Michigan
Hours: Open May–October Saturdays: 9:30 AM–6:00 PM ET
art galleries that make Southwest Michigan a summer destination,” says Jollay. “Each location offers a unique taste of Michigan.” After a day soaking in the sun, you can sit on the European-styled terrace and sip a full-bodied merlot. The whole family will enjoy a cozy picnic of fresh picked vegetables after they’ve spent the day on the water. Family fun includes cornfield mazes, an animal farm, U-pick fruits and watching apples transform into sweet cider in a cider press. Whether you are shopping, relaxing, partaking in the U-pick experience, or enjoying the wine and spirits, Emerald Avenue offers the best in shoreline getaways.
theemeraldavenue.com
Volume 1, Number 1 Sarah Jollay
Ringleader President Emerald Avenue sarah@jollayorchards.com (269) 468-3700
Dan Peat
Denim Cowboy Director of Strategic Partnerships Kinexus peatd@kinexus.org (269) 927-1799 ext.1184
Kelly Drummond
Chief Pony Wrangler
Mary Burzynski
Wild Adjective Hunter
Danny Williams
Sheriff of Serifs
Sarah LaTarte
Principal Produce Picker
Russell Bodnar
Head Whiskey Connoisseur
Michele Berlin
Navigation of Maps
CONTENTS
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YOUR JOURNEY BEGINS HERE.
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TAKE A SIP OF SUMMER Third-generation winemaker, Tony Peterson, will dazzle you with wine in the Coloma Valley at Contessa Wine Cellars. TOP-PICK DESTINATION The finest in locally grown fruits and vegetables are at your fingertips at Fruit Acres Farm Market & U-Pick. LIQUID SUNSHINE Grandpa’s Cider Mill impresses with an astounding 25 flavors at their cider bar. BREATHE IN A FRESH PERSPECTIVE Among the countless succulent fruits ripe for picking at Jollay Orchards is a slice of country living and festival charm.
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KEEP YOUR SPIRITS HIGH Surrounded by history, each bottle at Journeyman Distillery is full of stories and spirits. DIG IN TO NATURE Renewed and unsullied earth births a lush and flavorful harvest for the certified-organic Molter Family Orchards. HARVESTING FLAVOR For three generations, the Piggott girls have been harvesting 400 acres to bring richness and flavor to your family recipes. TASTE THE SWEET LIFE Uncorking the 12 Corners Vineyards’ harvest will release the essence of Michigan’s Gold Coast.
The Emerald Avenue | Summer 2014
TAKE A SIP OF SUMMER CONTESSA WINE CELLARS At the top of a winding road sits a black and orange tabby cat. She’s been waiting for your arrival. Follow her twitching tail around the expansive European-styled terrace overlooking the rich, green Coloma Valley, and she’ll lead the way to the tasting room at Contessa Wine Cellars. The tasting room is filled owner and third-generation Peterson, entertains visitors. guests by name because if you sure to return for more.
with laughter as winemaker, Tony He knows many visit once, you’re
With a lush landscape and well-appointed buildings, you forget that busy I-94 is just a few miles away. Their tasting room serves a vast selection of fine wines in an elegant space reminiscent of an Italian villa. Enjoy a glass of Contessa Wine Cellars’ limited bottling of Tre Tenores, a full-bodied Bordeaux red, from the terrace and you’ll revitalize your senses with the gentle feel of fresh country air. From the casual taster to the serious collector, Contessa Wine Cellars is a stop every wine lover should make. Tony Peterson perfected his craft while working as an apprentice in his father’s winery, and his love of winemaking is represented in every glass. A friendly and knowledgeable staff will guide you through a tasting of red, white and fruit wines to help you find the one that is perfect for your palate or your favorite recipe. But the incomparable Black Raspberry Wine is one that should be on your bucket list! Contessa Wine Cellars lives by its motto: Life is there … you just have to taste it!
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Contessa Wine Cellars
EXIT 39 | 3235 Friday Road Coloma, Michigan
Hours: Open 7 days a week Noon–5:00 PM ET
contessawinecellars.com (269) 468-5534
TOP-PICK DESTINATION FRUIT ACRES FARM MARKET & U-PICK Lean back in the bouncing wagon as it carries you deep in the orchard to the ready fruit of the season. Reach up to a well-pruned branch and pluck a perfectly sun-ripened gem. Take a bite and let the juices drip down your chin. For over five generations, the 200-acre orchard at Fruit Acres Farm Market & U-Pick has been harvesting some of the sweetest fruit in Southwest Michigan—including sweet
Select the perfect fruit each and every time. apricots, sweet juicy peaches, crisp apples, black sweet cherries, sour pie cherries and plums. Nothing beats stopping by Fruit Acres U-Pick Farm so you can select the perfect fruit each and every time. Between the rows of mature fruits and vegetables, you’ll breathe in the freshest air in Michigan, air that’s punctuated with the scent of ripe fruit. Bring a picnic to share and let the kids run and laugh in the playground while you enjoy conversation or harvesting. The Fruit Acres Farm Market, located right off I-94 exit 39, boasts more than just a large assortment of locally grown fresh fruit and vegetables. You’ll also have your pick of gourmet jams, jellies, honey, sauces and pickles among artisan gift items like handmade soaps and candles. Whether you want to pick each luscious fruit yourself or simply stop by the market, Fruit Acres has the perfect flavors for your recipes, preserves, pies and eating right off the tree!
Fruit Acres Farm Market & U-Pick EXIT 39 | 3 452 Friday Road Coloma, Michigan
Hours: Daily, June–October 9:00 AM–7:00 PM ET
fruitacresfarms.com (269) 208-3591
Fruit Acres Farm Market & U-Pick
The Emerald Avenue | Summer 2014
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GRANDPA’S CIDER MILL As soon as you open the door, the aroma of freshly made apple cider doughnuts takes over your senses. The on-site bakery also features fruit pies and famous Michigan Melts. It’s a mouthwatering and warm bakery scent in harmony with the viewable four-step cider press at Grandpa’s Cider Mill—Wash. Grind. Press. Bottle. Enjoy. That’s the last step left off the display signs at the cider press. But there’s no way around that one. Even the toughest cider critics will find a blend to enjoy at the cider bar that serves 25 custom flavors.
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Grandpa’s Cider Mill EXIT 39 | 2 941 Friday Road Coloma, Michigan
There are just a few rules at the tasting bar: 1. Belly Up to the Bar 2. Keep an Open Mind 3. Taste, Rate and Pick Your Favorite There are favorite flavors like Caramel and Peach, and the obvious flavors of Oatmeal, Rum and Red Hot Cinnamon. But the surprising mixes of Cantaloupe, Mango or Peanut Butter will impress your palate in ways you never thought a cider could.
Hours: Open 7 days a week 10:30 AM–5:30 PM ET
The market also offers a wide variety of gourmet food items including jams, jellies, and fresh local honey. Among the treats are delightful artisan gifts and craft items like delicate ceramic measuring cups in the shapes of tiny nesting chicks, etched silver tea-bag spoons and wooden train sets. In every corner and shelf, there’s a little something special at Grandpa’s Cider Mill. Outside, there’s something very big—the Dinosaur Sculpture Garden. Kids of all ages love to view these large iron sculptures that have an educational component with information about each giant beast.
grandpascidermill.com (269) 468-3700
Laughter blows through the trees and vines as easily as the country breeze.
BREATHE IN A FRESH PERSPECTIVE JOLLAY ORCHARDS Next to the little old red schoolhouse rests a distinctive family experience located on a farm that has been cultivating fruit since 1857. Laughter blows through the trees and vines as easily as the country breeze. Among the U-pick orchards of sweet cherries, black raspberries, peaches and apples, you’ll discover the joys of true country life.
Down the road sits a vintage converted gas station where visitors shop Jollay Orchards products among gourmet food, treats and coffee. Sit in the large picnic area to enjoy Mexican-style tacos with spicy chorizo paired with chips and apple salsa. Relish the cool and creamy Sherman’s Hand Dipped Ice Cream, crowned with Jollay Orchards Dutch Apple Topping.
Families and friends gather around a grill and relax on tree-shaded picnic tables loaded with fresh-picked produce. Children run in and out of buildings in Western Town while toddlers giggle in delight when petting the fluffy sheep in the animal farm. Fathers and sons launch lures into the catch-and-release fishing pond. Friends view the orchard from atop a 1947 Eli Bridge Ferris wheel where baskets are filled with fruit plucked from leafy branches.
Both locations offer bottled Jollay Orchards products you can enjoy year-round and combine flavors not to be found at your grocery chain—preserves in Hot Raspberry, Peach Amaretto and Jalapeño Pepper and dressings with Michigan honey and raspberries.
Jollay Orchards EXIT 39 | 1 850 Friday Road Coloma, Michigan
Hours: Visit jollayorchards.com for hours and to plan your trip.
jollayorchards.com (269) 468-3075
The Emerald Avenue | Summer 2014
JOURNEYMAN DISTILLERY The village of Three Oaks offers a quaint and cozy small town experience that harkens to a time gone by. With quiet downtown streets full of unique shops and restaurants, it’s easy to venture in and out of markets on your way to the Journeyman Distillery inside the historic Featherbone Factory. Built in the 1890s to make buggy whips and corsets, the Featherbone Factory now houses a distillery full of handcrafted touches— each detail is artisan made, from the lively spirits to the rustic decor. Every step on the
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Journeyman Distillery EASTBOUND EXIT 4a, WESTBOUND EXIT 12 109 Generations Drive Three Oaks, Michigan
original maple factory floors echoes with the steps of workers who came before. Behind the tall glass of the tasting room stands tall, shining copper distilling vats that churn out small-batch whiskey and spirits made from organic Midwestern grains. Local musicians fill the space with soft melancholy songs while patrons share meals at the expansive Viking table. Outside, a spirited game of bag-toss is played where no score is kept.
Hours: Sunday–Thursday: Noon–10:00 PM ET Friday–Saturday: Noon–11:00 PM ET
A visit to Journeyman Distillery is filled with bursts of flavors, sounds and spirited education. Touring the distillery floor is a rare opportunity to see the small-batch, organic, handcrafted distilling process—complete from mashing the grain to the final glass pour. After your tour, you’ll want to shop their store for a bottle and visit their bar, where you can pair a master-crafted cocktail with meals created from local food sources. Each drop savored is a moment steeped in history.
journeymandistillery.com (269) 820-2050
DIG IN TO NATURE MOLTER FAMILY ORCHARDS At last, the land rested after four generations of heavy farming that relied on biochemicals to treat pests and ensure productivity. Aaron and Kari Molter, generation number five, finally had the chance to return the land to organic methods that would naturally maintain a healthy soil that produced quality fruit and produce.
Everyone has a stake in the success of Molter Family Orchards.
Molter Family Orchards EXIT 39 | 6 740 North Branch Road Benton Harbor, Michigan
As a co-op supplier, Molter Family Orchards not only farm their certified-organic acreage, they offer an educational environment so others can learn organic growing methods. Most visitors can be found wandering the plowed rows and sampling the in-season produce and goods. Molter’s is a CSA supplier (Community Supported Agriculture), and area residents buy shares in its harvest to support the farm. In return they receive 20 weeks of boxes full of fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs. Everyone has a stake in the success of Molter Family Orchards. With a lush and verdant field ready for a country picnic—Molter’s even provides the blankets—you can fully appreciate their harvest of apples, peaches, asparagus, cucumbers, cherries, sweet corn, bell peppers, strawberries and so much more.
Hours: Visit molterfamilyorchards.com for hours and to plan your trip.
molterfamilyorchards.com (269) 252-9916
The Emerald Avenue | Summer 2014
HARVESTING FLAVOR PIGGOTT’S FARM MARKET & BAKERY Where US 31 ends, fresh produce begins. A welcoming array of fruits and vegetables receives each visitor. The day’s harvest displays bursts of colors in the red raspberries, shining blueberries, green cucumbers and bright zucchini. Michigan honey glistens in glass jars from the mid-day sun. Inside Piggot’s Farm Market & Bakery, their crop has been bottled and canned in delightful and unexpected combinations—Peach and Jalapeño Jam and Apple Barbecue Preserves. The scent of freshly baked treats wraps around your senses.
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Piggott’s Farm Market & Bakery EXIT 30 | 3 824 East Napier Avenue Benton Harbor, Michigan
Hours: Daily, May–December 9:00 AM–7:00 PM ET
Fresh. Local. Delicious. It’s clear their motto is more than words; you can taste its truth in each delectable bite. The market and bakery is perched on the edge of Piggott and Girls Farm, a third-generation, 400-acre estate that was started by Laurel and Francis Piggott in 1949. Laurel and Francis’ six daughters grew up and worked on the farm, which is now run by granddaughter Laurie and her husband George McManus III. They’ve created a relaxed patio off the bakery so patrons can enjoy their fresh treats in the midsummer sun. An additional roadside stand in St. Joseph, Michigan makes Piggott’s Farm Market & Bakery convenient to Lake Michigan shoreline events.
piggottsfarmmarket.com (269) 876-9269
TASTE THE SWEET LIFE 12 CORNERS VINEYARDS
The landscape beckons to a place and time far away from mid-America.
As you pull up the smooth, inky black road that cuts through the crisp green backdrop, you can hear the quiet strumming of a guitar playing behind casual conversation and the clinking of glasses. A small band is playing on the patio, while several groups discuss the virtues of the tannins in their stemless glasses. When you look out on the rolling hills of the estate, you can see exactly the charm that the small group of friends, who grew up in Michigan, recognized in the site just four miles off Michigan’s famed Gold Coast. The landscape beckons to a place and time far away from mid-America. The neighborhood of Twelve Corners, Michigan is the vineyard’s namesake, and is surrounded by historic farms and old-growth trees. But beyond the physical beauty of the land lies its real treasure—the rich earth that delivers the luscious fruit of 12 Corners
12 Corners Vineyard Eastbound Exit I-196 N, Westbound Exit 34 1201 North Benton Center Road Benton Harbor, Michigan
Hours: Monday–Thursday: Noon–6:00 PM ET Friday–Saturday: Noon–7:00 PM ET Sunday: Noon–5:00 PM ET
Vineyards’ 115-acre estate, planted with both vinifera and hybrid grapes. Whether you’re looking for a dry, a sweet or something in between, 12 Corners’ winemaker, Glen Greiffendorf, has created an exceptional bottle for you. There’s a peach wine that recalls the sweetness of summer, a chilled, crisp white to enjoy while cooling off from the heat of Michigan’s beaches and even a rich merlot for those cool fall evenings in front of the fire. Located along the Emerald Avenue in Benton Harbor, and with additional tasting rooms in South Haven and Grand Haven, 12 Corners Vineyards offers easy accessibility to enjoy Michigan wines. Can’t make it to the wine room? Join the Wine Club and a bottle will come to your door each month.
12corners.com (269) 927-1512
The Emerald Avenue
EVENTS CALENDAR Every day is worth celebrating on the Emerald Avenue— no need to wait for a special occasion! Year-round and seven days a week you can: Enjoy a wine tasting at 12 Corners Vineyards and Contessa Wine Cellars
T ry a cider tasting at Grandpa’s Cider Mill
Tour the historic Journeyman Distillery
Jollay Orchards has a Summer Jamboree each Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and a Harvest Festival in September and October. Follow the harvest calendar below for the best time to visit the U-pick farms and roadside markets along the Emerald Avenue.
APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV APPLES BLACKBERRIES BLUEBERRIES CHERRIES GRAPES MELONS PEACHES
Fruits
PEARS PLUMS RASPBERRIES STRAWBERRIES ASPARAGUS CORN CUCUMBER EGGPLANT GARLIC CARROTS GREEN BEANS GREEN ONIONS KALE
Vegetables