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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
Trout Springs Winery Opens a Greek and Roman Statue Garden in July Featuring 15 Marble Replicas--See a Sneak Peak in the Video Here
The sculpture garden, named Piazza del Stefano, will be open to the public on a very limited basis (by appointment only, only four people per hour).
Though many elements of the Piazza have been in place since 1985, the video above highlights the last two years of the evolution in putting it together.
This unique exhibit will cost $45 per person and includes a complementary glass of wine and a charcuterie plate (no children or pets are allowed).
Read more in the Green Bay Press-Gazette article here. To pre-register for a visit this summer, call now at 920-864-7761.
Read Steve's article, Various Watersheds that Supply the Green Bay Estuary, 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.
June 16, 2026 ... Horse and Dog Massages
Dee Stamness (and Potato the dog) join Steve and the panel this month to provide information about the benefits of equine and canine massage therapy. Watch here.
May 19, 2026 ... Wine Run on June 7 Supports Breast Cancer Foundation
This month Steve tells what made him choose the Ribbon of Hope Foundation as a non-profit to sponsor for Trout Springs annual wine run event. Kathy Golueke Heredia, a cancer survivor, discusses how Ribbon of Hope has impacted her experience with cancer. Watch here.
April 21, 2026 ... The Weather is Warming and the Parks Are Calling!
Brown County Parks Director Matt Kriese is this month's guest, highlighting the various park programs, the diverse trail systems, and the campsites in the County. Watch the episode here.
March 17, 2026 ... 12-Foot Tall Cryptic Invaders?!
Invasive Phragmites are choking out native plants in Wisconsin wetlands. Jason Miller, from the Door County Soil & Water Conservation Department, joins the panel to share what homeowners can do to treat or remove them. Watch here.
Feb. 17, 2026 ... The Great Lakes' Surprising Influence and the Michigan Triangle?!
In this installment, Steve discusses the impact of the Great Lakes watershed (if it was an economy it would rank third in the world!). Hear about fossils dating back 450 million years, and the Michigan Triangle, the area of Lake Michigan where there have been numerous unexplained happenings. Find out more here.
Jan. 20, 2026 ... New Subscription Food Boxes
In the first episode of the new year, Dawn Lashua from The Wisconsin Food Hub--a farmer-run cooperative--joins the crew to introduce a new offering: Tend & Table Boxes. These subscription boxes are designed around peak seasonal freshness and sourced from real Wisconsin farms (including the trout farm at Trout Springs). Watch or read more here.
2021-2025 segments archived here.
Trout Springs Winery Opens a Greek and Roman Statue Garden in July Featuring 15 Marble Replicas--See a Sneak Peak in the Video Here
The sculpture garden, named Piazza del Stefano, will be open to the public on a very limited basis (by appointment only, only four people per hour).
Though many elements of the Piazza have been in place since 1985, the video above highlights the last two years of the evolution in putting it together.
This unique exhibit will cost $45 per person and includes a complementary glass of wine and a charcuterie plate (no children or pets are allowed).
Read more in the Green Bay Press-Gazette article here. To pre-register for a visit this summer, call now at 920-864-7761.
Read Steve's article, Various Watersheds that Supply the Green Bay Estuary, 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.
June 16, 2026 ... Horse and Dog Massages
Dee Stamness (and Potato the dog) join Steve and the panel this month to provide information about the benefits of equine and canine massage therapy. Watch here.
May 19, 2026 ... Wine Run on June 7 Supports Breast Cancer Foundation
This month Steve tells what made him choose the Ribbon of Hope Foundation as a non-profit to sponsor for Trout Springs annual wine run event. Kathy Golueke Heredia, a cancer survivor, discusses how Ribbon of Hope has impacted her experience with cancer. Watch here.
April 21, 2026 ... The Weather is Warming and the Parks Are Calling!
Brown County Parks Director Matt Kriese is this month's guest, highlighting the various park programs, the diverse trail systems, and the campsites in the County. Watch the episode here.
March 17, 2026 ... 12-Foot Tall Cryptic Invaders?!
Invasive Phragmites are choking out native plants in Wisconsin wetlands. Jason Miller, from the Door County Soil & Water Conservation Department, joins the panel to share what homeowners can do to treat or remove them. Watch here.
Feb. 17, 2026 ... The Great Lakes' Surprising Influence and the Michigan Triangle?!
In this installment, Steve discusses the impact of the Great Lakes watershed (if it was an economy it would rank third in the world!). Hear about fossils dating back 450 million years, and the Michigan Triangle, the area of Lake Michigan where there have been numerous unexplained happenings. Find out more here.
Jan. 20, 2026 ... New Subscription Food Boxes
In the first episode of the new year, Dawn Lashua from The Wisconsin Food Hub--a farmer-run cooperative--joins the crew to introduce a new offering: Tend & Table Boxes. These subscription boxes are designed around peak seasonal freshness and sourced from real Wisconsin farms (including the trout farm at Trout Springs). Watch or read more here.
2021-2025 segments archived 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.
Read more about Steve below.
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.
Read more about Steve below.
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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.