Dizzy Daisy

By Mike Lerchenfeldt

Founded by Harold Kociba, Dizzy Daisy Winery is an outstanding experimental vineyard serving up expertly handcrafted, robustly flavorful experiences for patrons in Michigan’s emerging thumb area, one of pure Michigan’s popular and hottest camping, leisure, travel and vacation destinations.

Located at 1288 Crown Rd. in a historic farm along with vineyards, this nostalgic winery and tasting room sits right across the street from the vast, productive fields of Michigan’s thumb area, making it an attractive birthday, anniversary, or weekend gathering spot for residents and vacationers alike.

Kociba is the nose and award-winning vintner, drawing on a background in dairy farming and grape growing. What started as a hobby and retirement project eventually became a business for him. Since its opening in 2006, the 1,200-square-foot former dairy space was transformed into its official location for the wine production and barrel storage.

The stylishly renovated 275-square-foot tasting room features the furnished outdoor patio. Adorned with a striking contrast of sea foam green wall paint and barn wood trim accents, the heavy, 18-foot-long oak bar and lighting give the tasting room a cozy, rustic, vintage aesthetic. It is filled with wide, comfy bar stools that beckon customers to stay and relax for a while.

“Our mission is to provide the best quality wines for our customers,” says Theresa Byrne, Dizzy Daisy Winery manager. “All of our grapes and fruits are handpicked, and hand sorted.”

Byrne says that customers love the tasting room’s cozy concept, unique and intimate vibe, as well as the winery’s innovative, wideranging menu featuring tasty, creative twists on classic wines available by-the-glass in addition to a brief list of cool craft hard ciders.

Continued on next page rstcome, first-served basis, although reservations are available for parties of six or more.

Byrne says their excellent winemaking program comes from an experienced, passionate, talented, and trusted family who runs their farming estate with pride. The by-the-glass menu is flexible, allowing regular customers to experience different flavor profiles of wines. And all the wine is very food friendly. Wine menus are available at dizzydaisywinery.com

Treat yourself to a unique, farm experience and the flavors of the season with one of their four best-selling wines. You’ll certainly find wine to tickle your fancy – and discover Michigan thumb’s rural charm – at Dizzy Daisy’s Winery.

Strawberry

Byrne says their Strawberry fruit wine is slightly sweet and delicious like the strawberry jam grandma used to make. Made primarily from strawberries, this type of wine has a refreshingly light, medium bodied, and fruity flavor profile with distinct strawberry aromas. The strawberries give the wine a very complex, balanced, and rounded flavor. Byrne says the Kociba farm has produced strawberries for decades, and it seems logical that this wine has become one of their most popular wines. This wine also has complex notes of raspberries and cherries as well as hints of floral and herbaceous notes. Serve heavily chilled and enjoy with salads and dark chocolate.

Black Currant

This intriguing type of fruit wine is made primarily with black currants, a type of small, dark purple berries known for their richly tart-yet-sweet, deeply intense, and clean fruity flavor. It is a very complex, medium bodied wine that is perfectly balanced, pairing well with most meats. This wine contains a unique aroma of rich tropical fruit and intense black currant. Byrne says the creation of Black Currant is due partly to Kociba’s Polish background since this fruit is widely cultivated in Poland, Germany, France, and Russia.

Bad Axe Passion

The flavor notes of concentrated mango, zesty citrus and tropical fruits are dominated by passion fruit, which adds a distinct sweetness to round the overall exotic and fruity profile, while the citrusy undertones provide a refreshing acidity and balance to this white wine making it easy to drink. This wine is not overly sweet. Byrne says if a customer likes Moscato, this rejuvenating wine could become their new favorite. Bad Axe Passion is named after the town where the vineyard exists.

Double Dare

The Double Dare has explosive notes and aromas of luscious blackberries and ripe dark plums. This nottoo-sweet, light red wine has a balanced fruity and juicy profile. The robust plum flavor contributes to the wine’s depth and complexity. Double Dare is on the lighter side in terms of the broader selection of red wines and defies people’s perceptions of what type of wine to drink with a steak. It is a blended wine with plenty of aging potential. It is aged in oak barrels which gives it a subtle oak hint. Byrne says it is called Double Dare since it was originally made with two of the best growing grapes in the vineyard.

About The Author

Mike Lerchenfeldt is a Metro Detroit-based freelance writer and English/language arts teacher. He loves biking, running and walking. He has traveled to Japan and New Zealand through teacher exchange programs.