| are so many things to do and places to go in Door | | | | started sipping wines. The winery specializes in fruit |
| County that it is hard to pick what to do. There | | | | wines, particularly cherry, because of the great |
| never seems to be enough time to do everything. | | | | cherry growing climate in Door County. They also |
| There’s boating, golfing, a nature center, | | | | offer one homegrown grape wine made with red |
| several parks, biking, hiking, shopping, eating (one of | | | | grapes grown on the winery grounds, a wine named |
| my favorite things to do!), and a host of other things | | | | Audrey Grace. It is a dry wine, a new offering from |
| to do and see in Door County. Because I enjoy Door | | | | the winery. The grapevines were planted just a few |
| County so much I wanted to share some of my | | | | years ago to see how they would perform in the |
| activities and experiences there. One of those was a | | | | cool, short growing season of Door County. |
| visit to Lautenbach’s Orchard Country Winery | | | | Although the winery specializes in fruit wines, they |
| and Market. | | | | have other offerings made with various grapes, but |
| If you like wine, a really fun thing to do is to visit | | | | those wines are not made on the premises because |
| several of the wineries in Door County (Door | | | | those fruits are not native to the area. Some of the |
| Peninsula Winery is another popular Door County | | | | other wines are made on the premises but with juice |
| Winery). Orchard Winery, located on Hwy 42, just | | | | bought just for that purpose. For instance, our |
| south of Fish Creek, Wisconsin was one of our stops | | | | hostess at the wine bar told us the juice for their |
| during a fall trip to Door County. | | | | semi dry wine called Swedish Lingonberry is imported |
| In addition to a winery and fresh Door County | | | | from Sweden. |
| cherries (when in season), the main market building | | | | Other wines that we tasted and really enjoyed were |
| on the grounds offers many different specialty food | | | | the Autumn Harvest wine, a cranberry apple wine; |
| items as well as fresh baked pies. Also offered are | | | | Sweet Cherry wine, a nicely sweet wine made with |
| scenic trolley tours of the area and tours of the | | | | Door County cherries; Strawberry Lyte, not a diet |
| winery. Other seasonal activities at the orchard | | | | wine but a delicious lighter-tasting wine; Blackberry |
| include horse drawn sleigh rides, haunted hayrides, | | | | Blend, a very good wine that tasted like sweet |
| and a winter wine fest. | | | | blackberries; and Red Raspberry Lyte, another |
| When my husband, my oldest grown son, and I | | | | lighter-tasting wine that’s a combination of |
| stopped at the winery it was later in the afternoon in | | | | white grapes and raspberries. |
| the middle of the week. The last winery tour for the | | | | We were told the top selling wine at the winery is |
| day had already ended. We were disappointed to | | | | the Blackberry Blend. The number two seller is the |
| have missed out on the tour, but instead we headed | | | | Red Raspberry Lyte. The winery’s best-selling |
| to the wine tasting bar in the main building. At the | | | | cherry wine is their Cherry Blossom wine. |
| tasting bar we were given a list of all the wines | | | | After tasting several wines we headed over to the |
| offered by the winery. There are over 30. | | | | bottled wine section of the store and stocked up on |
| Complimentary tasting of up to 8 wines is offered to | | | | our favorites. Back home, we’ll be able to |
| all patrons over 21 years of age. | | | | enjoy the wine and reminisce about our trip to Door |
| After mulling over the choices for a few minutes we | | | | County. |