Tastings From the Boxed Wine Road – Week 4
Week 4: Fox Valley in Illinois and Fenn Valley in Michigan
Fox Valley Wines
Fox Valley Wines in Oswego, Illinois, has five colorfully decorated three-liter boxed wines on their website at www.foxvalleywinery.com. Their off-dry Riesling at $26 is a best seller. They also sell Old Glory Red for $28, made of sweet Concord Grapes, White and Red Sangria for $26, and a dry 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon for $36. The Faltz family has two tasting rooms both on Route 34, one at the winery in Oswego and the second at JJJitters Coffee Studio in Sandwich, Illinois. Tours are offered on weekends.
Fenn Valley Vineyards
Western Michigan wine country is known for its famous lake effect from Lake Michigan. Fenn Valley Vineyards (www.fennvalley.com) in Fennville benefits from its moderating influences. The winery produces a variety of one-and-one-half-liter and three-liter boxes sold in their two tasting rooms, one at the winery and the other in Saugatuck, as well as through select retailers in the state. Lakeshore Demi-Sec is their most popular wine, made in a “German style” that has floral and apple fruit character. The wine is available for $17 for the one-and-one-half-liter box or $20 for the three-liter box.
The Fenn Valley 2008 Semi-Dry Riesling takes its inspiration from the wines of Germany’s northern Rhine River valley with ripe, apple-like fruit impressions. The winery’s 2008 Pinot Grigio is a classic dry wine with nuances of mango, peach notes, and flavors of ripe pear. Their boxed red wine is Capriccio, a dry blend of mostly Chambourcin with small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.
That’s it for this week. Check back next week as we head to Illinois to discover more of America’s best boxed wines! –Cheers
Where To Buy Fenn Valley Wines
Review Fenn Valley wine on AboutBoxedWine.com!
More Tastings From the Boxed Wine Road:
Go to Week 1 – Tamanend Winery
Go to Week 2 – Terrapin Station Winery
Go to Week 3 – Breitenbach Winery
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