Cherry Creek Winery gears up for racers, fans

NASCAR Sprint Cup weekend at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn is upon us, and one local winery is within eyeshot of the 100,000-plus fans headed there and in earshot of the roar of the engines.

Cherry Creek Winery sits three miles away in the hard-to-miss 1870 schoolhouse at the intersection of Silver Lake Highway and U.S. 12 on the track side of the road, and its owners are ready for fans, race teams and the locals.

"There are a lot of misconceptions about race weekend," proprietor John Burtka says. "People think our tasting room will be packed on Saturday. Actually, we're busier on the weekdays leading up to the races."

And another thing: Traffic is not near as bad on Sunday as it used to be, Burtka emphasizes, because access roads are turned into multiple one-way lanes going into the track in the morning and away from it after the race.

When race fans inundate the area, Burtka and wife Denise often find their tasting counter dispensing as much tourist advice as wine.

The most frequently asked question is always: "Where's a good place to eat?"

The Burtkas have their favorites: Brooklyn's Artesian Wells Sports Tavern, where gear heads of all ilk hang out on the patio for barbecued chicken; and two nearby landmark lakefront pubs that serve their Cherry Creek wines: Jerry's Pub on Wampler's Lake and the Beach Bar on Clark Lake.

But the quaint tasting room in the schoolhouse will have its own show this weekend: A country rock band from 1-5 p.m. Saturday on the patio, individual gourmet pizzas for takeout, wines you can buy by the glass to enjoy on the patio and the debut of Raceway Red, a new off-dry, Cabernet Franc-based blend. "People have been asking for a softer-drinking red," Burtka says.

Wines are available at the speedway for fans, but not any locally produced ones; Burtka is hoping to change that.

"We're in discussions to sell our wines at the track next year," he says.

For serious wine tasters, Cherry Creek does not disappoint. This weekend, the winery will release its 2008 Wood Duck White Dry Riesling, $14, and 2008 Cherry Creek Pinot Noir, $25, which got a silver medal at last week's Michigan Wine & Spirits Competition. The winery's off-dry white, Summer Breeze, snagged gold.

Cherry Creek Winery is a hidden gem in the Irish Hills.

Cherry Creek Winery

11000 Silver Lake Highway at U.S. 12; summer hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat., noon-6 p.m. Sun.; (517) 592-4663; www. cherrycreekwine.com

Saturday event:

1-5 p.m., country rock band, gourmet pizzas and wine on the patio

Wine bets:

2008 Cherry Creek Riviera Rose , $16, made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon

2008 Cherry Creek Pinot Grigio , $14

Other finds: