Wine Fest Showcases the Flavors of the Ledge

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Hundreds of wine appreciators will gather at About Thyme Farm on June 21 to sample the flavors created by the 10 wineries of the Door County wine trail. But the event is more than a chance to taste; it’s also a celebration of a local industry that continues to grow and mature into a vital cog in the county’s culinary, agriculture and entertainment scenes.

In Door County you’ll find one of the most diverse wine regions anywhere, with plenty of the cherry and sweet wines that started the peninsula wine tradition in 1967. But the local wine industry has grown far beyond those early days, with the establishment of the Wisconsin Ledge American Vitacultural Area (AVA), a distinct wine-making region. Here, winemakers are striving to put the county on the map for its grapes and flavors as they create award-winning wines down the road from the orchards and vineyards where their fruit is grown.

Here’s a peek at the winemakers, owners and history of the scene and the people carving out a larger name for Wisconsin wines.