Meet the Makers

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Take the Makers Trail toward Coloma to check out another great winery in Southwest Michigan, Karma Vista Winery! A beautiful landscape of rolling vineyards that you see as you walk into the tasting room of this winery that is celebrating their 17th year! The team at Karma Vista are taking a much needed winter break but you need to mark your calendars to check out this place out in the Spring. I had a chance to catch up with owner Joe Herman back in June and we had a great conversation over a great glass of wine. Plan your trip by going to MakersTrail.org  

All I have to say is Wine.On.Tap! Yes it's TRUE! They have wine on tap at Red Top Winery! This is a really cool place to check out on The Makers Trail. I had a chance to sit down with Rocky and Allison, the owners of this very unique winery in their tasting room in Baroda, where even the counter tops are red. Take a listen to this episode and then immediately make plans to check out this place by going to MakersTrail.org    

As I head out on another journey along the Maker's Trail I find myself at Free Run Cellars in Berrien Springs. Tucked back off the road behind the trees you'll find this quaint tasting room that is perfect for stopping by for a quick tasting with friends. It's also a great place for maybe having a meeting or even hosting a holiday party, but most importantly it is a perfect place to have a great glass of wine. The guy behind that great glass is the winemaker Brian Carlson! This was a wonderful conversation that I hope you enjoy as much as we did! Cheers!   Learn more about Free Run Cellars HERE! The Meet the Makers Podcast is brought to you MakersTrail.org Plan your route today and remember to drink responsibly.      

Sometimes you need an escape from the everyday chaos of life, and a great place to do that is at Vineyard 2121. Sit back and relax with a glass of wine, cider of even a wine-arita! This a great place to try some great Michigan wine and a place to make new friends. "The setting will bring you in, the atmosphere will keep you here, and the wine will leave you with undeniable happiness!" Located just off Red Arrow Highway in Benton Harbor, MI, Vineyard 2121 is a great place for a weekend wine tasting with friends, an afternoon escape and everything in between. Jonny had a chance to sit down with owner Deb Pallas to chat about how it all started as a dream that her and her husband had that quickly turned into a reality. They continue to dream up new ideas everyday to make this winery a great place for the entire community to enjoy. Plan your visit to Vineyard 2121 by going to MakerTrail.org and check out their website at Vineyard2121.com  

  Downtown Baroda, Michigan is home to one of the best breweries around, Round Barn Brewery & Public House. Good food, good beers and good times. With great mainstay beers and some awesome seasonal brews, you are sure to find a beer that you will love. The behind it all is Head Brewer Malkam Wyman. Jonny had a chance to sit down with him to chat about all the great things they have been up to and the future of the brewing industry in Southwest Michigan. Plan your trip to Round Barn Brewery & Public House by going to makerstrail.org and check out their website HERE!  

In the little town of Buchanan, Michigan you'll find one of the coolest places on the Makers Trail, Lehman's Farmhouse. What used to be an old industrial building for Clark Manufacturing is now getting new life thanks to Steve Lecklider. He has transformed a building that had been sitting dormant for a number of years and has created a building that houses a taproom, gift shop and small and medium event spaces. Steve is also hard at work brewing beer, spirits, wine and anything else he can dream up. Jonny had a chance to sit down with Steve and chat about how this all came to be. Listen to the podcast and when you are done, plan your trip to Lehman's Farmhouse by going to MakersTrail.org     Meet the Makers is brought to you by The Makers Trail.  You can follow the Makers Trail at Makers Trail.org.  Taste their art along the trail, bring home your favorites and please remember to travel safely.  

At Gravity Winery they do things a little differently. Not only do they strive to make great tasting wines, but they also want to make it a "delightfully memorable" experience. They recently remodeled their 2,000 square foot tasting room that was built only a few years ago in 2011. Inside the tasting room there are large windows overlooking the vineyard but I suggest taking your wine flight out on the patio this Summer and enjoying live music and a great time with your friends. Speaking of something that was delightfully memorable, I had a chance to sit down and have a glass of wine with Rocky and Allison Rick the owners of this awesome winery. Listen to the podcast and when you are done, plan your trip to Gravity Winery by going to MakersTrail.org and also check out Gravity Winery HERE!  Meet the Makers is brought to you by The Makers Trail.  You can follow the Makers Trail at Makers Trail.org.  Taste their art along the trail, bring home your favorites and please remember to travel safely.

It is one of the biggest events of the year in Southwest Michigan, The 79th KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship and it will be here in a little over a month, May 22-27 at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, Michigan. We are very excited about the new Makers Trail 19th Hole that will feature some amazing Makers like: The Livery, Watermark Brewing Co., Silver Harbor Brewing Company, North Pier Brewery, Domaine Berrien Cellars, Hickory Creek Winery, Lemon Creek Winery, Round Barn and Journeyman Distillery. Jonny had a chance to sit down with Championship Director Ryan Ogle to chat about not only the Makers Trail 19th Hole but also some of the other great things that you will be able to experience at the 79th KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship. For more info about the Championship, or to purchase tickets, check out SrPGA.com  

As you drive down this beautiful country road in Buchanan, you see the sign for Hickory Creek Winery and as you look down this long driveway you see this beautiful red barn, it's almost like something from a story book or something you might see in a dream. Well a dream is exactly what new owner Adam McBride had ever since he had a chance to spend time in wine country in Germany. From that moment he had a dream to one day to own a winery and make amazing wine. Jonny had a chance to sit down with Adam and discuss that dream and how it became a reality!   Listen to the podcast and when you are done, plan your trip to Hickory Creek Winery by going to MakersTrail.org and also check out Hickory Creek Winery here!    Meet the Makers is brought to you by The Makers Trail.  You can follow the Makers Trail at Makers Trail.org.  Taste their art along the trail, bring home your favorites and please remember to travel safely.  

The rolling hills of wine country in southwest Michigan are truly a beautiful site to see and one of the best places to visit in the are is Tabor Hill Winery and Restaurant. A place where you can sit back and enjoy a great meal and a delicious glass of wine while staring out into the vineyard where those grapes that made that great glass were grown. Jonny had a chance to sit down with Matt Moersch and talked about the rich history of not only Tabor Hill but how his family has been a part of wine country from the beginning and how Tabor Hill wine was served in the White House! Listen to the podcast and when you are done, plan your trip to Tabor Hill Winery and Restaurant by going to MakersTrail.org and also check out Tabor Hill Winery here!    Meet the Makers is brought to you by The Makers Trail.  You can follow the Makers Trail at Makers Trail.org.  Taste their art along the trail, bring home your favorites and please remember to travel safely.

In the peak of harvest season, with the smell of grapes beginning to ferment in the tanks around us, soon the fruits of the labor put in every day by the folks at Domaine Berrien Cellars will be the delicious wine that is produced each year at this wonderful winery that Jonny had a chance to visit. In the heart of Southwest Michigan's wine country on a beautiful October day, Jonny sat down with Wally Maurer, to talk about how wine is made to be shared with everyone, just make sure you keep a glass or two for yourself of course. Listen to the podcast and when you are done, plan your trip to Domaine Berrien Cellars by going to MakersTrail.org and also check out Domaine Berrien Cellars here!  Meet the Makers is brought to you by The Makers Trail.  You can follow the Makers Trail at Makers Trail.org.  Taste their art along the trail, bring home your favorites and please remember to travel safely.

A former Michigan State Police post in Bridgman, MI has been complete transformed into an amazing brewery. Haymarket Brewery knew that they wanted to expand their operations into Southwest Michigan and they searched all over for the right place and they found the post that had been vacant for a couple of years. Jonny had a chance to sit down with co-owner and brewmaster Pete Crowley to talk about why they chose this location and the big things that they have planned for the future of this great brewery and taproom that not only offers great beer but also great pizza and a ton of fun! Listen to the podcast and when you are done, plan your trip to Haymarket by going to MakersTrail.org and also check out Haymarket here!  Meet the Makers is brought to you by The Makers Trail.  You can follow the Makers Trail at Makers Trail.org.  Taste their art along the trail, bring home your favorites and please remember to travel safely.  

In the heart of wine country in Baroda is a great winery Baroda Founders Wine Cellars. Owned by the Olson family that has a rich history in the wine country in Southwest Michigan! Jonny had a chance to sit down with Gunnar Olson to talk about how his father Len was part of the beginning of wine grape growing in southwest Michigan and how one of their wines got it's unique name, "Oh Hell Yeah Red!"   Listen to the podcast and when you are done, plan your trip to Baroda Founders Wine Cellars by going to MakersTrail.org and also check out Baroda Founders here!  Meet the Makers is brought to you by The Makers Trail.  You can follow the Makers Trail at Makers Trail.org.  Taste their art along the trail, bring home your favorites and please remember to travel safely.

Not everyone had a grandmother that made homemade wine but Lauren and Melanie of Lazy Ballerina did and those wonderful moments with their grandmother were just the beginning of their love for wine! Two cousins that spent years working in the wine industry decided just a couple years ago to start this super fun winery and they continue to grow! Jonny had a chance to sit down with them and talk about their love for wine and how they just like to have fun every single day! Listen to the podcast and when you are done, plan your trip to Lazy Ballerina by going to MakersTrail.org You can also learn more about Lazy Ballerina by going here!  Meet the Makers is brought to you by The Makers Trail.  You can follow the Makers Trail at Makers Trail.org.  Taste their art along the trail, bring home your favorites and please remember to travel safely.

Have you ever had a beer in a former auto shop? Well if you go to Watervliet and check out Arclight Brewing Company, you can said that you did that. Pull up a stool somewhere along the concrete top bar that is over 50 ft long with repurposed oak barrels underneath and have a great beer or even a homemade soda from this really unique brewery. Jonny got a chance to sit on the GIANT picnic tables and have a talk with Ed Nash and Dave Coyle from Arclight to find out how this whole thing got started! Listen to the podcast and when you are done, plan your trip to Arclight by going to MakersTrail.org You can also learn more about Arclight Brewing by going here! Meet the Makers is brought to you by The Makers Trail.  You can follow the Makers Trail at Makers Trail.org.  Taste their art along the trail, bring home your favorites and please remember to travel safely.

Just a couple miles from the shores of Lake Michigan, in the heart of Bridgman is Tapistry Brewing! Combining artistry and chemistry to make some really great craft beer! Jonny and Meagan sat down on the couches in the taproom to talk with owner Joe Rudnick as well as Jamie Peter, one of the brewers, to learn how this all got started! Listen to the podcast and when you are done, plan your trip to Tapistry by going to MakersTrail.org You can also learn more about Tapistry by clicking here! Meet the Makers is brought to you by The Makers Trail.  You can follow the Makers Trail at Makers Trail.org.  Taste their art along the trail, bring home your favorites and please remember to travel safely.

An old factory which was once a corset and buggy whip factory has been transformed into one of the coolest places to visit in Southwest Michigan and oh yeah, they make some of the best distilled spirits around. Jonny and Meagan sat down with Bill Welter from Journeyman Distillery in Three Oaks, MI. Listen to the podcast to learn more about the Bill and Journeyman and also visit makerstrail.org to plan your trip today!

One of the newest breweries in the area is in downtown Stevensville and that his Watermark Brewing Company. Three young guys who met on a sail boat decided to start brewing beer together. Chris, Justin and Dave, are 3 young guys who come from different backgrounds of education, but all have the same passion for making great beer. The awesome brewery has only been around for less than a year but the guys are already thinking of all the fun that they will be having for many years to come! 

One of the first breweries in Southwest Michigan, The Livery in the heart of the Arts District of Benton Harbor has been around as a microbrewery for around 12 years now, bringing unique beers, good food and live music to Southwest Michigan. Learn more about everything they have going on by going to liverybrew.com We had a chance to sit down with Simon Rusk and we talked about beer, food, music and more on this episode of Meet the Makers, brought to you by MakersTrail.org, plan your route today!

Glen Greiffendorf is the head winemaker at 12 Corners Vineyard & Winery just off Benton Center Rd. in Benton Harbor, MI. Glen has worked in the wine industry for many years but says he is still learning every day and still experimenting with all of the different fruits this area has to offer in the heart of the fruit belt. From award winning wines to hard ciders, 12 Corners has so much to offer on the Makers Trail! Listen to the latest episode of "Meet The Makers" and plan your route at MakersTrial.org

There is a science behind growing grapes and making good wine and Dr. Dave Miller from White Pine Winery is one of the best there is. Not only does he make wine at White Pine Winery, but he also teaches the art of viticulture. Learn more about Dr. Dave in this episode and also plan your route at MakersTrail.org and visit White Pine Winery with their tasting room in downtown St. Joseph! 

You can walk from beautiful Silver Beach and go have a great craft beer at Silver Harbor Brewing Company in Downtown St. Joseph. You can grab a stool at their rustic wood bar and fill your glass with their fresh beer and have some delicious food or fill a growler or a crowler! Listen to this episode to learn more The Makers at Silver Harbor Brewing Company. We sat down with Christian Cooks and Ben Dahl to learn more about this new brewery! Meet the Makers is brought to you by MakersTrail.org! Plan your route on the trail today! 

Sitting atop one of the highest points in Baroda's wine country, you will find Dablon Winery & Vineyard. Bill Schopf, owner of Dablon sits down with Jonny to talk about the rich history of the this area and why it is such a great place to grow grapes in the Lake Michigan Shore area. An absolutely beautiful tasting room and delicious wine! Meet the Makers is brought to you by MakersTrail.org. Hit the trail and explore southwest Michigan beer, wine, and spirits.

Thirsting for an authentic Belgian-style brew in Southwest Michigan? In this episode of Meet the Makers, Jonny & Meagan head down the Makers Trail to Benton Harbor to North Pier Brewing Company, tucked back near the Arts District and Harbor Shores. Owner Jay Fettig (Owner) and Steve Distasio (Head Brewer) discuss this new brewery in Southwest Michigan and what makes their beer special.