While in Lansing for a painful personal visit, my wife and I took a nostalgia side trip to Ann Arbor, where we fell in love so long ago. Our first stop was Zingerman’s Delicatessen, a fledgling sandwich shop with ambition in our day and now a national and even international phenomenon as what can only be called a “food emporium,” consuming half a block on Detroit Street as well as an extensive online business. After eating our amazing (and expensive) sandwiches, I strolled back into the store to look at the wine selection. Wine is not Zingerman’s thing — the modest rack had only six selections. There was an Au Bon Climat and a Pietrodolce from Sicily. What really caught my eye was a Blaufrankisch from Left Foot Charley, one of my favorite wineries from the Traverse City area near Michigan’s pinkie finger.
Trying to live up to my Drink Local mantra, I bought a bottle, for $33. We opened it tonight as we snacked on leftover pizza and barbecue in our AirBnB on our final evening (for now) in Lansing. The wine is comforting, pristine in its fruit and balance, with flavors of blackberries and plums spiced with caraway and sage. It’s just what I needed to conclude a tough weekend dealing with the cruelties of life, and it gave what we can all only hope for: a delicious and gentle finish.
Left Foot Charley Blaufränkisch 2021, Old Mission Peninsula, Michigan. $33. 13% abv. $33 (purchased at Zingerman’s Delicatessen in Ann Arbor). The winery website does not currently list this wine, so it may be sold out, but there are a few single-vineyard bottlings and a Reserve available. And who outside of Austria does single-vineyard Blau?
Lansing-area restaurant recommendations include The Cosmos for very good takeout pizza and Gravity Smokehouse and BBQ for really fine barbecue.
Dave McIntyre's WineLine 
Nice piece, Dave. Love hearing about good Michigan wines. So much has happened there since my book American Vineyards . Cheers, Barbara