Grape-to-Wine Conversion Chart

Ever wonder how many grapes it takes to make a bottle of Silver Leaf wine? How many grapes are in a glass? How much wine does one vine yield? We've answered these burning questions and more in this handy-dandy conversion chart.

Grape-to-Wine Conversion Chart:Grapes waiting to be harvested in our vineyard

1 grape cluster = 1 glass
75 grapes = 1 cluster
4 clusters = 1 bottle
40 clusters = 1 vine
1200 clusters = 1 barrel
1 barrel = 60 gallons
60 gallons = 25 cases
1 vine = 10 bottles
1.2 vines = 1 case
30 vines = 1 barrel
400 vines = 1 acre
1 acre = 5 tons
5 tons = 332 cases
76.5 vines = 1 ton
1 ton = 126 cases

That's a whole lot of grapes! 

Private Barrel Tastings

Join us for private barrel tastings at our winery during the whole month of July. Our private tastings are on Saturdays and Sundays only and available only by appointment. 

The prviate tastings include an 18 oz wine glass as our gift to you. We will serve gourmet cheese, olives and crackers with 3 samples of our wine (including our Meritage Red, barrel aged 2010 Chardonnay and 2010 Pinot Noir) straight from the barrel. Join us for wine discussions with the winemaker and proprietor, Mark Carlson. 

The cost is $35/person or $60/couple. Please call ahead and reserve a time for you and your friends: 231-271-3111 

2011 Small Plates Event

Thank you to all who joined us for the Leelanau Peninsula Vintner's Association's 2nd Annual Small Plates Event on Saturday, June 18th! We had a wonderful time with an evening full of 60 awesome guests, delicious food and great wine. Guests at 3 separate seatings enjoyed excellent petite crab cakes with a red pepper coulis (prepared by Chef Joshua Deters from The Village Inn in Suttons Bay) paired with our Silver Leaf 2009 Chardonnay.

Guests enjoying the Small Plates Event

Chef Joshua Deters from The VIllage Inn in Suttons Bay

Photo courtesy of Kathleen Swinehart

For more photos from Silver Leaf's Small Plates and other wineries, check out Kathleen Swinehart's Flickr photos.

Art in the Vineyard Returns

Join us for Art in the Vineyard as we welcome back famous artist, Stan Fellows, July 27th through August 7th! Stan is back this summer for another 10 days of art workshops at Silver Leaf! He will be painting in the vineyard and conducting clinics on oils, acrylics and watercolors.

If you're not yet familiar with Stan's work, you would probably recognize it on some of our beloved wine labels. Stan Fellows has been an illustrator for over 35 years, painting for magazines, corporate clients, and children's books. Clients from the past few years include: Martha Stewart Living, Harper's Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, Audubon, National Geographic, Field & Stream, The Chicago Tribune, The Boston Globe, NYU, Notre Dame, United Airlines, Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines, (what’s with all the airlines?...) Kiplinger's, Arts & Antiques, Simon & Schuster, and for six years he has worked monthly for the Wall Street Journal's Friday wine column (Whew! That was a lot!).

You can watch Stan paint while visiting our beautiful vineyard. Clinics will be limited, so make sure you call us to reserve your spot. For more information, call our tasting room at 231-271-3111. Cost: $45. Class details will follow soon.

In the meantime, check out a few of our favorite Stan paintings... 

 

American & French Oak Barrel Tasting Program

Coming this Summer...

We thought some of our followers and customers of Silver Leaf Vineyard & Winery might be interested in learning about wine barrels and how the type and age of the barrel affect the taste of the wine. We've put some information together to give our patrons a better understanding of what takes place while using oak for aging our wines. 

This summer we will be conducting barrel tastings on our crush pad outside the winery, where we will be discussing in-depth the fermentation process, the use of yeast, racking, oak aging, both French and American and the bottling process. The current plan is to serve cheese and wine during these discussions. We hope you'll join us! 

*Special thank you to our friends at Lake Effect Cooperage for help redoing our wine barrels. 

Taste The Passion: February 5th & 6th, 2011

Love is in the air as you celebrate Valentine's Day at the "Taste the Passion" weekend February 5 & 6, 2011. This special weekend celebrates wine, chocolate and love in anticipation of Valentine's Day! The combination of winter's beauty in Leelanau with the special pleasures of life always makes for a wonderful weekend.

The weekend starts on Saturday as participants head to their first winery stop to collect a souvenir glass. Then the fun begins with special pours and tasty chocolate treats offered at wineries between the hours of 11am and 5pm on Saturday, and Noon and 5pm on Sunday. However, because one cannot survive on chocolate alone (tempting as it may sound), savory dishes will be served at a number of tasting rooms.

Tickets for "Taste the Passion" are just $30 each. As with all Leelanau Peninsula Vintner's Association events, attendance is limited to give participants an opportunity to become better acquainted with our wine and wineries

Meet the Winemaker Dinner featuring Silver Leaf

Join us at Uncorked (inside of The Cherry Stop) in downtown Traverse City on Tuesday, November 9th. Our very own Mark Carlson, owner and winemaker, will be featured at Uncorked's second "Meet the Winemaker Wine Dinner."

Enjoy 6 local wines with 6 easy-to-prepare foods, specially paired to each wine. Not only will you be able to sample our wines, but you'll have the opportunity to ask questions about the winery, the winemaking process, and the growing wine industry in Northern Michigan.

Tentative Menu:

• Chardonnay '08 & Chardonnay '09: Cheese, Grapes & Bread (comparative tasting education)
• Pinot Gris: Linguine with Clam Sauce
• Dry Riesling: Vegetable Cutlets with Cilantro Chutney
• Purple Foot: Rolled Flank Steak
• Chafia Cherry: Double Chocolate Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Tickets are $20 per person and reservations can be made ahead of time. Call Uncorked at 231.929.3990 and check out their website for more information about the Meet the Winemaker Dinner!