Stumble...
As a kid I was always impulsive, impatient, and as a result of my inward pointing left foot, I was also clumsy. I fell constantly and my mother and uncle thought it was a riot. This was before the days of Funniest Home Videos. They coined me Left Foot Charley. No one knows, or admits, why. I think it had something to do with a giant, green jug of "Rhine Wine" - the centerpiece to many early memories.I have been making wine in Michigan for 13 years. Wine has taught me to become patient. Let time do the work. I have become fascinated with Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and Gewurztraminer. Their aromas, acid, juicy texture, and their ability to age have me hooked. So...starting in 2004 I began making small lots of wine from these magnificent grapes. Northern Michigan captures their essence like all great growing regions. No, they are not the same as other more well known spots on twisty rivers in Western Saxony. Our wines are from this beautiful place called Michigan. They are distinct to our simple, water hugged, rocky hills. Something new is unfolding in the American consciousness. We are beginning to appreciate "place". Our tables, our songs, our whisky, our wine needs to be from somewhere or it all becomes just another white page. Left Foot Charley is joining this movement and throwing color around like a frenzied painter. We encourage you to grab a smock, a paint brush, and taste our local colors. - Bryan Ulbrich |