5389. Hit all the wineries on the Door County Wine Trail -- Door 44 Winery

 I had great plans at hitting all the Door County Wine Trail wineries by my 46th birthday. Since my cousins didn't make their annual trip to Door County this year, I knew it wasn't happening. I only had 4 wineries to go and I figured I could knock off Door 44 Winery on our trip for cherries and apples since my cousins have been there before.

Door 44 Winery is a branch of the Parallel 44 Winery in Kewaunee. It is located North of Sturgeon Bay off of Hwy 42. It is open daily 10-6. I wanted to stop on way to Jorn's Sugar Bush but we got a late start so I convinced the hubby to stop on the way home. It is $10 for 4 samples

When you enter Door 44 Winery, a hostess will give you a run down of the winery and the wine tasting. I found it all very stuffy and pretentious. I was just there to try some wine and check it off my list. They are known for their Ice Wines.

I went to the bar and made my selections of wines. Many of the wines on the list were on the dry side and had no fruit wines. Definitely not my kind of winery. 

I struggled to find 4 wines to samples. I went with the following

Frozen Tundra White which is a semi-sweet wine that has tropical fruit undertones. It was too dry for me. 

Frozen Tundra Original which is a semi-sweet Rose with ac citrus finish. It is their biggest seller. It was better than the Frozen Tundra White but still too dry for me.

Frozen Tundra Red which is a semi-sweet red. For a red, it wasn't bad. I just didn't like it well enough to buy a bottle. I would probably have a glass if I would go back.

Pink Frosting which is a sweet rose peaches and apple notes. It was actually the best I tasted but I won't drink a whole bottle. It would be another one that I might have a glass of if I came back with a group.

Door 44 was not my favorite winery on the Door County Wine Trail. My cousins and Andrea said the same thing. However don't let our opinions stop you from trying it. It is a popular winery but just not my style.

7 down, 3 more to go to complete the Door County Wine Trail. Maybe I will get it before I turn 50. 

5389. Hit all the wineries on the Door County Wine Trail -- Lautenbach's Orchard Country Winery & Market

I have been to Lautenbach's many times. I may have even did wine tasting on my first trip there back in 2012. That was a whirl wind trip of fun and snacking I don't remember if we did the wine tasting or just sampled snacks. To properly ensure I have tasted their wines, I was bound and determined on our yearly cherries and apple run to do their wine tasting. 

Lautenbach's Orchard Country Winery and Market is located on Hwy 42 just south of Fish Creek. It is open daily during fall and summer and Thursday-Monday during the off season. It is wildly popular for cherries and apples. They even have a cherry pit spitting zone too. That is fun.

The wine tasting is in the back of the main barn. For $5 you can choose 5 samples for your flight or $10 for you can get 5 regular wines/ciders. The problem is there is at least 40-50 different wines and ciders to sample so to pick 5 is tough. I didn't realize there was a back side of the sheet, despite it saying more on the back, so I ended up doing two tastings.

The first tasting I went with

Cherry Riesling -- This was a semi dry wine. It definitely was on the drier side. Not a huge fan

Cherry Blossom -- This was a semi-sweet cherry wine. It wasn't bad but I have a favorite cherry so it is hard to find other cherry ones I like

Lingonberry -- This was my first adventure into Swedish lingonberries. I would have a glass but definitely not worth buying an entire bottle

Autumn Harvest -- This was an apple cranberry blend. It wasn't bad but I am on a mission to find a really good apple wine. This was not it.

Cranberry -- It is cranberry wine. It didn't wow me. I would have a glass but again nothing I would buy a bottle of.

The second tasting I went with

Bing Cherry -- This was good but Cherry Bounce was still better. I contemplating getting a bottle but I still had a bottle of Cherry Bounce.

Pear -- This was quite tasty. I might have bought a bottle if it was for the pear cider.

Honeycrisp Apple -- It's a decent apple. Still not the really good apple that I'm looking for. I would drink this again. 

Hard Core Apple -- This was a hard apple cider. It was okay. Not anything spectacular.

Pebble Beach Pear -- The hubby tried this one first and was like you will like it. This was my favorite of the day. We bought a bottle of this. I can't wait to bust it open. 

Overall it was a fun tasting. It would be more fun with a few friends and not the hubby. I would definitely recommend this tasting to a beginner wine drinker as well as a seasoned wine snob. They have something for everyone. 

I now have visited 6 of the 10 Door County Wine Trail Wineries. 4 to go.. The goal is to get them completed by my 46th birthday in November. I have Door 44, Lake Fire, Red Oak, and Stone Throw's Winery left. Might be a challenge. I may have to push it back to my 50th birthday. 

5389. Hit all the wineries on the Door County Wine Trail -- Anchored Roots

 It doesn't surprise me that Door County has a wine trail. The Door is full of wineries. I decided I want to go to them all. I have already been to several: Door Peninsula, Harbor Ridge, Simon Creek, and Von Stiehl. Now it's time to visit the other 6. I told my cousins for either an early or belated 45 birthday celebration, I wanted to hit all the wineries in Door County that I've not yet been to. Since they didn't go this year, it will have to be a belated 45 celebration. This gives a whole year to knock off a couple more.

The first winery that I decided to visit was one I never heard of. My cousin asked if I got up to Door County, if I would stop and get them a bottle of wine at Anchored Roots. I did know such a winery existed. I even asked Andrea who never heard of it. It is a newer winery just outside of Egg Harbor. It was founded in 2020. They are open 11-5 Wednesday-Monday. 

I wasn't planning on doing a tasting at Anchored Roots. I literally went in for a bottle. While I was waiting, I found out if I bought a bottle the tasting is free. I wasn't driving so it was a great plan. Free wine for buying a bottle. Tastings are normally $10 for 5 tastes. You can also get flights. 

They have 14 different wines to pick from on a laminated sheet. I had a tough time deciding on 5 wines because there were not a lot of fruity wines. It was definitely of a more developed palate type winery. I still love my fruit wines.  

I tried

2020 Rose -- which is dry rose. I don't mind rose but this one was definitely on the drier side. I'm still a sweet wine girl. It wasn't bad but not my favorite.

2023 The Ledge Rose -- This was an off-dry rose. It was better than the straight rose but still too dry for me.

2022 Riesling -- This was a bonus sample since the guy accidentally poured it for me. I wasn't complaining. Free wine is free wine. This actually turned out to be my favorite. It was nice and refreshing. I was tempted to get a bottle but not sure if anyone else would like it.

2023 Frontenac Gris -- This was a fruiter white wine with hints of pineapple and fruit cocktail. I got hints of the fruit but definitely too tropical for me. I am seriously picky of what wines I like lately.

2023 La Crescent -- This one is another semi-sweet white with hints of orange. I definitely got hints of orange. It was alright but not a huge fan.

2022 Petite Pearl -- This was a dry red with hints of blackberry. By the time I got here, I could remember what I was tasting anymore. Everything blended together. It didn't really stand out.

I did pick up my cousins' bottle of Chardonnay. They do have some pretty bottles.

I was not a huge fan of the place but I have a simple wine palate. Maybe it will grow on me one day or maybe Basil has turned me into a fruit wine snob. If your wine palate is more sophisticated, this is definitely a place for you. I would definitely check it out either way as they are a nice winery and you can sit outside and enjoy a glass or flight. Definitely not a pretentious place.