Eric's Red, 2005

Mackinaw is a beautiful 45min drive away and the Mackinaw Valley Vineyard has been one of our fave places to go and enjoy some wine and a picnic over the last couple summers. This past weekend they had a grand opening of their new pavilion and to do so hosted a Music and International Beer and Wine Festival. You pay 10 bucks to get in, get a free glass, 5 free tastings of international wines and beers, enjoy a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, and listen to great live music. We weren't sure if we were going to go at first but the day was too beautiful to not go. We got there around mid afternoon tasted some wines, walked in the grapes, took some holga pics. Chris found a couple of tasty beers we hadn't tried before. And I tasted several wines but when I'm at the Mackinaw winery, their Eric's Red always seems to be my favorite. So I bought a glass their to enjoy the music with and then got a bottle to go.
Their wine's are tend to be named after their kids. It is a semi sweet red although it's up on their dry list. It's hard to do a dry wine in Illinois. But it's just the right amount of sweet. It works great with a light meal like cheese and crackers or a heavy meal of pasta or steak. I've had quite a few of these bottles between all our visits to the vineyard. And am always looking forward to more!