What's an appropriate wine to serve at a Milwaukee Brewers themed party? What wine would be a good gift for a hard core Brewers fan?
The Milwaukee Brewers are named for the industry that made their city famous – and it definitely wasn't winemaking. When new owner Bud Selig rescued the bankrupt Seattle Pilots and brought them to Milwaukee after their 1969 debut season, he deliberately named the team for the brewers that create the city's well-known beers. Milwaukee baseball fans were thrilled to have a team once again (the Milwaukee Braves had moved to Atlanta after the 1965 season), and were especially pleased when Selig added popular, talented players like Hank Aaron, Paul Molitor and Robin Yount to the Brewers' roster.
The Brewers' first few seasons were, predictably, less than stellar, but by the late 1970s the team was winning consistently, thanks to the efforts of Yount, Molitor, Ben Ogilvie, Cecil Cooper and several other strong players. In the strike year of 1981, the Brewers made it to the shortened American League Division Series, but lost to the Yankees. The next year, the Brewers were back, ready to finish what they had begun the previous season. They made it all the way to the 1982 World Series before losing to the St. Louis Cardinals, despite the excellent work of players like Pete Vuckovich and Robin Young.
After several uneventful seasons, the Brewers switched leagues and divisions, moving to the National League's Central Division as part of the expansion of 1998. Selig sold the team to Mark Attanasio and his ownership group in 2005. The Brewers worked hard to put together a strong, cohesive team, built around talented players like Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, Ryan Braun, John Axford and Jerry Hairston, Jr., and have relied on this core group of players for several years. In 2011, the Brewers won their division and advanced to the National League Championship Series, where they lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in six games.
Brewers fans, like their football fan counterparts, enjoy every moment of a Brewers game – unless the True Blue Brew Crew loses, of course. Miller Park has a distinctively Wisconsin flair, with bratwurst and cheese curds on the menu. Brewers fans enjoy seeing their team in retro uniforms and even in uniforms with "Cerveceros" or "Bierbrauer" emblazoned across the chest of each player (Spanish and German for "Brewers," respectively). Mascot Bernie Brewer and the Klement's Racing Sausages event, which takes place at each home game, are fan favorites. Veteran announcer Bob Uecker is a fixture at Miller Park; in 2005, the Brewers hung up the number 50 in Uecker's honor, acknowledging his 50 years of involvement in Major League Baseball both as a player and as an announcer.
In a city famous for beer, is there any wine appropriate to pour for a Brewers fan? One need only think back to Wisconsin's early history, when settlers came from Germany, France, Hungary and other parts of Europe to farm and work in what eventually became the Badger State. Many of these immigrants brought their knowledge of grape cultivation and winemaking with them from the Old World. Winemaking is alive and well in Wisconsin. What better way could there be to celebrate a Brewers victory than to toast the team with a Wisconsin-made wine, preferably from the Glacial Hills Region that surrounds Milwaukee?
Milwaukee Area Wineries
AEppelTreow Winery, located in Burlington, takes its name from Old English. The winery's name translates to either "apple tree" or "truth of the apple." Cider mills have been part of the Wisconsin landscape for many years, but the art of Old World artisanal cider making is dying out. AEppelTreow Winery makes not only ciders but also fruit wines and brandies. Owners Charles and Melissa McGonegal use heirloom fruits and cold-climate grapes in their fruit wines. Grape varieties include chardonnell, traminette, vignol, Frontenac and Maréchal Foch. AEppelTreow Winery makes Perry (sparkling pear wine) and Appely Brut and Doux (dry and semi-dry sparkling apple wine) as well as Summer's End still apple wine, Pommeaux apple dessert wine and Cyser Rosé honey and crabapple wine. Expect to pay $22 for a bottle of Pommeaux, $18 for a bottle of the sparkling Perry, $15 for a bottle of Appely and $9 - $10 for other still wines.
Vetro Winery in Jefferson takes its name from owner Bill Vetrano's Sicilian roots. Vetrano's father and grandfather were winemakers in Sicily and the U. S., and Bill grew up helping his father make wine at home. Today, Bill and his wife, LaVerne, offer visitors the opportunity to taste hand-crafted red, white and fruit wines on-site. The winery store is closed Mondays and major holidays, but on open days you can taste Vetro Winery's offerings for free. A donation to Wisconsin Special Olympics is requested but not required. Among the wines available, you will find cranberry, blackberry and blueberry fruit wines, which sell for $11 to $12 per bottle, chardonnay, apple and Vetro Blanco (muscat) white wines, which range from $10 to $13 per bottle, and Concordia Rossa, Merlot and Nun on the Run (Burgundy-style) red wines, which sell for $10 to $14 per bottle. Vetro Winery's wines are available at the winery and in select liquor stores in Milwaukee, Kenosha, Waukesha and Jefferson Counties.
Staller Estate Winery, a family-owned farm winery in Delavan, has been voted the #1 Winery in the Milwaukee Area on the WISN A-List for two years in a row (2010 and 2011). Joe and Wendy Staller use winter-hardy grape varietals to make their award-winning wines. Staller Estate Winery's 2007 Horizon Cuvée ($9.50) won silver at the 2008 Indianapolis International Wine Competition, while its 2009 Estate Blanc ($9.50) won silver at the 2010 Indianapolis International Wine Competition. Winemaker Wendy Staller also creates red blends, blush wines, white blends and port-style wines. Staller Estate Winery offers special events and wine tastings throughout the year.
Northleaf Winery, established in 2009, is a family-operated microwinery in Milton, Wisconsin. Tastings take place in a renovated wheat warehouse, built in 1850. Next door, you'll find the Bistro & Market, with food and gifts available for purchase. Northleaf Winery specializes in handcrafted wines made in Wisconsin from grapes sourced from California and the rest of the U. S. Deep Roots Red California Zinfandel ($14), John Alexander Warehouse White California Gewürztraminer ($12) and Sunnyview Orchard Blush ($12) are all available as of this writing.
The Bottom Line
Whether you stay in the Glacial Hills Region near Milwaukee or venture into the other Wisconsin wine regions, you will find a dedicated group of winemakers determined to make the most of Wisconsin's soil, climate and winemaking traditions. True Brewers fans will appreciate any wine created in the Badger State, particularly if that wine comes from the area around Milwaukee.
