Under the Harbor Country Sun

By Angela Dansby - Chicago Scene | July 2006

You don't have to go all the way to Napa Valley to enjoy a beautiful countryside with vineyards and charm as depicted in the movie "Sideways." Simply go sideways 70 miles east of Chicago to Harbor Country®, MI, for an inexpensive getaway from the city. Less crowded beaches, up-and-coming wineries, quaint cottages, good eateries, fun beach bars and outdoor parties await you this summer and fall. Unlike Napa, Harbor Country offers fine sand beaches along with vineyards. What else do you need to relax with sand under your toes and wine at your lips?

Harbor Country (HarborCountry.org) is a registered trademark as a geographic region. There are only eight towns in this official region, including Michiana, Grand Beach, New Buffalo (NewBuffalo.com), Three Oaks, Union Pier, Lakeside, Harbert and Sawyer. Located in the southwest corner of Berrien County, the region stretches 15 miles north from the Michigan state line and inland six miles to Three Oaks.

While beaches and wineries are the star attractions in Harbor Country and its surrounding area (wineries are east of the official region), biking and hiking trails, boat charters, canoe rentals, art galleries, antique shops and u-pick fruit farms offer other ways to take your mind away from city life. Various winemaker and local events throughout the season will give you excuses to return, too.

Amtrak (800.USA.RAIL, Amtrak.com) has a train from Chicago to New Buffalo, allowing you to relax en route to Harbor Country. The Pere Marquette 370/371 train runs daily, leaving Chicago at 5:20 pm and departing New Buffalo at 10:06 am. Tickets are for $16-$40 roundtrip. Driving, of course, gives you more flexibility in exploring the "Hamptons of the Midwest" or "Napa of the Lakeshore."

SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN WINE TRAIL

Once considered simply "potable," Michigan wines have grown in quality in the past 10 years, using European grape varietals. Surprisingly, the climate in southwest Michigan accommodates nearly all grape varietals except for Zinfandel - California's trump card. Southwest Michigan is one of the most agriculturally diverse regions in the U.S. and one of the best for fruit-growing in the world. Nine (soon to be 11) regional vineyards are making the best of the soil.

The Southwest Michigan Wine Trail (MIWineTrail.com) features 17 tasting rooms, including wines produced farther north in the state. The trail is broken into southern and northern routes. Recommended stops on the southern route near Harbor Country include The Round Barn Winery (800.716.WINE, RoundBarnWinery.com), Domaine Berrien Cellars (269.473.WINE, DomaineBerrien.com) and Tabor Hill Winery & Restaurant (800.283.3363, TaborHill.com). Thanks to new state laws, you can ship Michigan wines to Illinois.

The Round Barn Winery is named after an Amish-crafted round barn that houses its distillery as well as wedding receptions and special events (Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm recently hosted a dinner there). The barn was purchased due to the old wines' tale that "with no corners, evil spirits cannot hide." Similarly, The Round Barn staff says that no evil spirits are produced there. The good spirits are plentiful, ranging from dry, semi-dry and sweet white and red wines to fruit "Pi's (cordial-style dessert wines), fruit brandies, microbrews (amber and pale ales) and a new vodka made from grapes called DiVine ($33, DivineVodka.com). Recommended wines include the dry white "Vineyard Tears" ($15) and dry red Cabernet Franc ($45). Items can be mixed and matched to receive discounts on six or more bottles. A small sister winery called Free Run is opening near The Round Barn this July, which will produce even more good spirits. The Round Barn tasting room is open year-round Monday to Saturday from 11 am to 6 pm and Sunday from 12 to 6 pm.

Domaine Berrien Cellers is the result of a cherry tree farm-gone-vineyard and a farmer-gone-winemaker (domaine is loosely interpreted as a "working man's farm"). Owner Wally Maurer began making wine in his basement and turned his hobby into a livelihood in 2001. Using handpicked, estate-grown grapes, he specializes in dry white and red wines. Try the 2005 Viognier ($19) or 2004 Pinot Noir ($19) and Syrah ($24). Only 3,000 cases are produced a year, so the wines are only available on a limited basis. Different sized bottles, ranging from magnum to the huge melchior, can be ordered for custom filling with your favorite wine. Picnic baskets with locally made cheeses and sausages are available to accompany wine sampling. The tasting room is open May through December every day except Tuesday from 12 to 5 pm.

Tabor Hill, one of the oldest and largest wineries in Michigan, offers a wide variety of wines, including classics like Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon (the 2004 vintage is forthcoming this July) and rare ones like Chardonel (a hybrid of Chardonnay Blanc and Seyval made at Cornell University), Traminette (a cross of two different strains of GewÜrztraminer) and Kerner (a cross between Tralinger and Riesling). However, the winery is best known for its Grand Mark sparkling wine ($23) and semi-dry wines like its Classic Demi-Sec ($8). The latter was served at Gerald Ford's and George Bush Senior's Presidential dinners. Another unusual offering is the Lake Michigan Shore Cabernet Franc Port ($25), a light ruby port. Tours of the winery are available daily from 12 to 4:30 pm. Wine tasting is offered May to November Monday - Tuesday, 10 am - 5 pm; Wednesday - Saturday, 10 am - 9 pm. The same hours apply December to April except tasting only goes until 6 pm on Sunday. If you want to try a bottle in Chicago, several local retailers offer select Tabor Hill wines, including Sam's Wine & Liquors (1720 N. Marcey, 312.664.4394, SamsWine.com) and Binny's (213 W. Grand, 773.935.9400, 3000 N. Clark, 312.332.0012, Binnys.com).

BEACHCOMBING

Weko Beach in Bridgman, New Buffalo Beach, and Warren Dunes State Park (269.426.4013, Michigan.gov/dnr) in Sawyer are great public beaches. The state park has dunes rising 260 feet above Lake Michigan, three miles of shoreline and six miles of hiking trails (no bikes allowed). It also has 180 modern dune campsites and rentable mini-cabins along with several picnic areas and a great swimming beach. The park is open year-round.

WHERE TO STAY

Recommended accommodations include (high season summer rates are listed):