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Putting Wisconsin's Wine Country on the Map |
Wine guru Steve DeBaker with map of the Wisconsin Ledge Wine Trail
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WISCONSIN LEDGE NEWS
Steve DeBaker AKA TV's Retired Rambler
Watch Steve talk about Wisconsin Ledge related topics and sights of interest on his monthly Retired Rambler segments on WFRV-TV's Local Five Live.
Aug. 16, 2022 ... Happy 10th Birthday Wisconsin Ledge! Trout Springs Winery is the birthplace of the Wisconsin Ledge AVA. After seven years of Steve's hard work, the Federal Government in 2012 officially designated the Wisconsin Ledge as a prime grape-producing location known as an American Viticultural Area (AVA)--just like Napa Valley. Read more in the story on the home page and watch the video here.
July 19, 2022 ... Whitefish Anyone? Steve Visits Susie Q Fish Co. in Two Rivers
Special thanks to owners Peter and Paul LeClair along with Captain John Kulpa and First Mate Ken for a day of fishing (1,200 pounds of whitefish!) and showcasing Susie Q. They embody the entrepreneurial spirit of a five-generation business on Lake Michigan. Watch here.
June 22, 2022 ... Explore the Wisconsin Ledge with a New interactive Map: Steve and Sustainable Tourism & Heritage Strategist Susan Kennedy unveil the new Wisconsin Ledge Rambler map (watch here). Find points of interest, cultural centers, shops, restaurants, hiking spots, and all the great places the Ledge has to offer. Access the map at wiledge.org.
May 18, 2022 ... The Importance of Native Plants : Would you like to include native plants specific to Northeastern Wisconsin in your landscape? Joining Steve is Justin Kroening from Stone Silo Prairie Gardens in De Pere. Watch here to learn how to work with native plants and why it’s important.
April 19, 2022 ... A Place Where You Can Make an Earthquake?! : Imagine a place where you can walk through a mine tunnel, shoot off a quarry blast, and yes, make an earthquake. Don Mikulic, Curator of the Weis Earth Science Museum on the Oshkosh Fox Cities Campus in Menasha, joins Steve to talk about the museum. Hear about all the interactive fun here.
March 15, 2022 ... Artisan Goat Cheeses & Milk: Learn about the award-winning products at La Clare Family Creamery in Malone. It's a great place to tour, shop, and dine. Find out more here.
Feb. 15, 2022 ... Caves and Maple Syrup!?: Steve introduces viewers to a place that has both--and more: the Ledge View Nature Center south of Chilton. (Save the date for Maple Syrup Sunday on March 20.) Find out more here.
Jan. 18, 2022 ... Winter Fun in Kewaunee County: Steve highlights the appropriately named Winter Park and another County gem – the Bruemmer Park & Zoo right across the street. Watch the episode here.
See 2021 segments here.
Steve DeBaker AKA TV's Retired Rambler
Watch Steve talk about Wisconsin Ledge related topics and sights of interest on his monthly Retired Rambler segments on WFRV-TV's Local Five Live.
Aug. 16, 2022 ... Happy 10th Birthday Wisconsin Ledge! Trout Springs Winery is the birthplace of the Wisconsin Ledge AVA. After seven years of Steve's hard work, the Federal Government in 2012 officially designated the Wisconsin Ledge as a prime grape-producing location known as an American Viticultural Area (AVA)--just like Napa Valley. Read more in the story on the home page and watch the video here.
July 19, 2022 ... Whitefish Anyone? Steve Visits Susie Q Fish Co. in Two Rivers
Special thanks to owners Peter and Paul LeClair along with Captain John Kulpa and First Mate Ken for a day of fishing (1,200 pounds of whitefish!) and showcasing Susie Q. They embody the entrepreneurial spirit of a five-generation business on Lake Michigan. Watch here.
June 22, 2022 ... Explore the Wisconsin Ledge with a New interactive Map: Steve and Sustainable Tourism & Heritage Strategist Susan Kennedy unveil the new Wisconsin Ledge Rambler map (watch here). Find points of interest, cultural centers, shops, restaurants, hiking spots, and all the great places the Ledge has to offer. Access the map at wiledge.org.
May 18, 2022 ... The Importance of Native Plants : Would you like to include native plants specific to Northeastern Wisconsin in your landscape? Joining Steve is Justin Kroening from Stone Silo Prairie Gardens in De Pere. Watch here to learn how to work with native plants and why it’s important.
April 19, 2022 ... A Place Where You Can Make an Earthquake?! : Imagine a place where you can walk through a mine tunnel, shoot off a quarry blast, and yes, make an earthquake. Don Mikulic, Curator of the Weis Earth Science Museum on the Oshkosh Fox Cities Campus in Menasha, joins Steve to talk about the museum. Hear about all the interactive fun here.
March 15, 2022 ... Artisan Goat Cheeses & Milk: Learn about the award-winning products at La Clare Family Creamery in Malone. It's a great place to tour, shop, and dine. Find out more here.
Feb. 15, 2022 ... Caves and Maple Syrup!?: Steve introduces viewers to a place that has both--and more: the Ledge View Nature Center south of Chilton. (Save the date for Maple Syrup Sunday on March 20.) Find out more here.
Jan. 18, 2022 ... Winter Fun in Kewaunee County: Steve highlights the appropriately named Winter Park and another County gem – the Bruemmer Park & Zoo right across the street. Watch the episode here.
See 2021 segments here.
Nature Created the Niagara Escarpment,
Steve DeBaker Created the Wisconsin Ledge
Steve's winery, Trout Springs Winery (TSW) is the birthplace of the Wisconsin Ledge.
Long story short, TSW is located in Greenleaf, Wisconsin (south of Green Bay, west of Lake Michigan), where the area’s temperate climate rivals that of some of the best grape-growing regions on earth. Like Napa Valley. The Federal Government officially identifies prime grape-producing locations as American Viticultural Areas (AVA).
Steve figured wine lovers should know about the pedigree of his grapes. So, with proof and paperwork in hand, he went to the Fed. In the winter of 2005 just after opening the doors at TSW, Steve petitioned the Federal Government to establish just under 2.5-million acres to be designated a prime grape-growing region based upon the Niagara Escarpment. After several years of numerous evaluations, more paperwork, and persistence, a petition was passed in 2012 establishing the Wisconsin Ledge, a bona fide AVA—just like Napa Valley.
And for that TSW was named the 2014 Winery of the Year by the Wisconsin Grape Growers Association. (For a more detailed account about how Steve established the Wisconsin Ledge AVA, read the article in his own words here.)
Long story short, TSW is located in Greenleaf, Wisconsin (south of Green Bay, west of Lake Michigan), where the area’s temperate climate rivals that of some of the best grape-growing regions on earth. Like Napa Valley. The Federal Government officially identifies prime grape-producing locations as American Viticultural Areas (AVA).
Steve figured wine lovers should know about the pedigree of his grapes. So, with proof and paperwork in hand, he went to the Fed. In the winter of 2005 just after opening the doors at TSW, Steve petitioned the Federal Government to establish just under 2.5-million acres to be designated a prime grape-growing region based upon the Niagara Escarpment. After several years of numerous evaluations, more paperwork, and persistence, a petition was passed in 2012 establishing the Wisconsin Ledge, a bona fide AVA—just like Napa Valley.
And for that TSW was named the 2014 Winery of the Year by the Wisconsin Grape Growers Association. (For a more detailed account about how Steve established the Wisconsin Ledge AVA, read the article in his own words here.)
A Great Place
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St. Croix
Marquette
Frontenac
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Steve Talks About the Birth of Trout Springs Winery,
the Wisconsin Ledge, Grape Growing, and More
During His Sources of Knowledge Presentation
the Wisconsin Ledge, Grape Growing, and More
During His Sources of Knowledge Presentation
Wisconsin Ledge
* The Ledge is currently home to 24 bonded wineries.
* The land on the peninsula slopes gently upward from the shores of Lake Michigan to the top of the Ledge, before dropping sharply off into Green Bay.
* The Ledge covers 3,800 square miles; it's 138 miles long and 55 miles long.
* Most of the vineyards lie on eastern-facing slopes that benefit from constant air movement from Lake Michigan, which stores warmth during the summer.
* The Ledge is the Wisconsin section of the Niagara Escarpment (below), a prominent rock ridge that spans nearly 1,000 miles in an arc across the Great Lakes region, forming the ancient “backbone” of North America. It runs from Wisconsin to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, through southern Ontario to New York State, where Niagara Falls cascades over it, giving the escarpment its name.
* The land on the peninsula slopes gently upward from the shores of Lake Michigan to the top of the Ledge, before dropping sharply off into Green Bay.
* The Ledge covers 3,800 square miles; it's 138 miles long and 55 miles long.
* Most of the vineyards lie on eastern-facing slopes that benefit from constant air movement from Lake Michigan, which stores warmth during the summer.
* The Ledge is the Wisconsin section of the Niagara Escarpment (below), a prominent rock ridge that spans nearly 1,000 miles in an arc across the Great Lakes region, forming the ancient “backbone” of North America. It runs from Wisconsin to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, through southern Ontario to New York State, where Niagara Falls cascades over it, giving the escarpment its name.
Niagara Escarpment
Video from the 8th Annual Wisconsin Ledge American Viticultural Area Celebration Aug. 15 at Trout Springs Winery
Watch Steve get the proclamation plaque from Sen. Andre Jacques.
Watch Steve get the proclamation plaque from Sen. Andre Jacques.