A few days after I judged the Indiana State Fair wine competition, I headed north to judge the Michigan Wine competition. It was a record year for entries with nearly 500 wines from 63 wineries all of which were required to be made with Michigan fruit. Best of Class Dry Red went to Youngblood Vineyards which is Metro Detroit's first commercial vineyard, located just twenty minutes north of the city. Best of Class Dry White was a Pinot Blanc from Verterra Winery near Leland. Mawby Vineyards and Winery in Suttons Bay near Traverse City took top Sparkling Wine honors. Mawby continues to produce some of the best bubblies in the country.

If you tour the Southwest Michigan Wine Trail, you'll be able to sample dozens of award winning wines from St Julian, Lemon Creek, Tabor Hill, White Pine, and Karma Vista. I always enjoy judging this competition held at the Kellogg Center on the Michigan State University Campus. It is well organized and the hospitality top notch.

More medal winners at: michiganwinecollaborative.com/2019miwineawards

I ran into Nora the first night I was at the fair. We had a fabulous conversation about music, art, food, wine and of course the fair. I spent several evenings with the incredible staff and volunteers at The Dairy Bar. Michelle Plummer with the Indiana Dairy Association has been managing the popular venue since 2008. Visit my INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK pages for pictures and videos. Stay tuned for an audio behind the scenes story coming soon to the WFYI arts/culture radio program, CURIOUS MIX. As usual I enjoyed seeing the arts, animals, Draft horse shows and free music.

Did you catch the cool BRHS memorabilia at the Broad Ripple Carnival? Big THANKS to BRG Editor/Publisher Alan Hague and Kent Springer of the BRVA for assembling a dynamic collection of items, photos, maps, and stories. A nod to the organizers for adding the Saturday Marketplace.