We stopped on our way up to Northern Door County. We were greeted by one the two brothers that own... read more
We stopped on our way up to Northern Door County. We were greeted by one the two brothers that own... read more
The wines are great and the tasting is very reasonably priced. The servers are pleasant and... read more
Our server was so nice and helped us pick a bottle of wine just to our liking. We enjoyed a delicious bottle of Von Stiehl Old Vine Zinfandel at a table outside while listening to Michael Saint play some sweet tunes. The setting was perfect, right on the Ahnapee River, and the weather was awesome! So relaxing!!
We were there on a Friday, when the music goes from 2-5pm. We didn't get there until 4pm, and I was really wishing we'd gotten there earlier, so we could've had more time. They also have live music Saturdays, 12:30-4pm.
I provided an average rating for 2 reasons.
1) I've been to 100's of wineries at there was noting too unique about it. Kind of a boring tasting session with minimal info unless you ask a lot of questions. Social distancing was OK. A little congested at checkout. No rubber gloves or masks being worn by employees.
2) I would have purchased more wine, and their $50/bottle, but there was only a dollar amount discount, no percentage. Weird. Never been to a winery that didn't provide percent so it's equitable across all price ranges.
Staff was friendly.
I went to 6 wineries in Door County this week. This place was the most creative in trying to prevent anyone from getting sick. They took old windows and made a shield to pass the wine.
The building is quant, the staff was friendly and knowledgeable and the wine was flavorful.
I highly recommend stopping
We visited on 5/29/20. We stop here annually to enjoy a wine tasting and purchase wine. We were pleasantly surprised that they were able to provide a quality wine tasting experience while adhering to social distancing guidelines. The tasting was different than past tastings (due to COVID-19), but compared to other wineries we visited in Door County, their tasting felt most in keeping with the tastings we have experienced in the past. The tasting was indoors and the cost was $5. It contained 8 predetermined wines. They created a circuit that started at the back of the building and moved towards the front. They provided information about each wine and were available to answer questions. We felt they went above and beyond to create an environment that felt safe, but still provided a wonderful wine tasting experience. As usual, the staff was friendly, helpful, and professional. We will be back next year.
Von Stiehl Winery is an Algoma landmark well-worth visiting. Sample the wines which they produce on premises. In summer, they offer live music and refreshments. With Lake Michigan as a backdrop, you can’t go wrong!
The Von Stiehl Winery in Algoma is a well run business by the Schmiling family, a local family that purchased the winery from Dr. Charles Stiehl years ago. First I will address their wine, both reds and whites are very good, and we have, over the past years purchased numerous cases of their wines.
A little something that people don't know about the history of the winery. First Dr. Stiehl started to try the wine production idea in his house on Fremont Street. That was about 1961 as I recall. I dated "Docs" daughter and often time assisted Doc when he was working on the wines in the basement. Being a Dr. of medicine, Doc worked with plaster casts a lot, and decided to try to incorporate that into his packaging / bottling operation. We would wrap the bottles with plaster of paris, then dip them into various stain batches to try to come up with an aged look for the bottles. We did accomplish that but ran into a problem that altered the packaging. That was, when people opened the bottles, they would get a little plaster into the wine. We then changed to putting a plastic shrink-wrap around the top of the bottle.
Now, the building on Navarino Street, is an old historical brewery building, that was modified. The wall in front of the building is made from brick that came from the old St. Mary's grade school. Our family had a farm on the north edge of town and we had torn down at old school and salvaged all that old brick. In as much as that old school was built very early in the Town, it matched the old brewery well. Dr. Stiehl purchased that brick from my father when he was remodeling the old brewery into the Winery! Now, there is a little more of the history!