
Meet Your Maker: Crafting Wine from Vine to Glass

Grand Rapids in a Glass: 10 Iconic Cocktails

All 50 states make wine these days — but that doesn’t necessarily mean they should. I mean, sorry, but can you imagine a Nebraskan Pinot Gris? Fortunately, Michigan is blessed with a climate conducive to winemaking. We decided to find out what makes Michigan wine great with the help of the folks at 45 North Vineyard and Winery, a spot known for consistent quality, beautiful facilities and happy dogs.
Hard cider and mead exist in a liquid twilight, neither beer nor wine nor liquor. Cider is light and sweet like a wine, but with the ABV and carbonation of a beer. Mead is its own beast entirely, smoother and richer than wine. So if you’re looking for something special, here’s our guide to all the fermented apples and honey you could ever want.
The rise of rosé is here, and it’s time to peel back the many layers of summer’s big sip. Summer already is flipping its hair and flirting with us and there’s no better way to celebrate than with the official wine of the season.
Wineries are a little harder to find than breweries, but that doesn’t mean we have any shortage of the stuff in West and Northern Michigan. Dozens of wineries are pumping out more than enough vino for all (supposedly thanks to a France-esque climate). Southwest Michigan and Traverse City are particularly dense with vineyards if you know where to look.
A new era of doughnut consumption has dawned. West Michigan is home to several beloved doughnut stops — Marge’s Donut Den, Sandy’s Donuts, Van’s Pastry Shoppe, to name a few — but here are some of the impressive new players that have joined the market in the past year.
When it comes to dining, strip malls get a bad reputation. The universally drab architecture of strip-mall buildings could make you think they hold no culinary gems. However, we all know it’s what’s inside that counts. With excellent food from all over the world, here’s a few strip mall sensations that deserve a visit.
Family recipes on the menu bring back the power of food made from love, magic and a little history. Whether it’s your mom, nonna or uncle’s secret sauce, you can rest assured no one slaps their name on a dish unless it has achieved perfection through generational lore.
Brunch is no longer just a late breakfast for lazy folk. No — this weekend tradition is a sacred event dedicated to early morning drinking and specialty menus, far superior to your standard breakfast offerings. Read up on where to find stellar brunch menus and Bloody Mary bars.
Eager to feed the demand for after-hours eats and pop-up excitement in Kalamazoo, local food trucks last year hosted the city’s first-ever Food Truck Rally. Now, the five-event series has just announced another run for 2017 following the mouthwatering praise it earned during last spring and fall.
If you’re the kind to flip immediately to a menu’s dessert page, maybe you can help us settle a score: We’re pitting rich, sensual chocolate against nature’s best to see which one makes for the ultimate sweet treat. These are the kinds of delicacies that warrant a visit all on their own, but you can grab some dinner while you’re at it too, we suppose.