My Blue Heron

For David Braganini and his father, Apollo, spring migration was special for one reason. They loved to tilt their heads to the sky and watch the sleek blue herons gracefully descend to the family’s lakeshore home.

David Braganini

“There were always herons in the yard,” David says. “My dad loved them — they’re such majestic birds. Today, whenever I see a heron, I think of him.”

The heron statue that stands guard outside St. Julian Winery’s outpost in Dundee, Mich., is in memory of David’s father, who helped run the winery with his son until his death in 1997.

Inside the store, there’s another tribute to Apollo, but this one comes in a bottle. St. Julian crafts a Heron line of lightly fruity wines made from a blend of sweet grapes. Red Heron has strawberry and lemon drop flavors; White Heron has a honeysuckle scent; and Blue Heron has an aroma of peaches, melons and citrus blossoms.

This year marks St. Julian Winery’s 90th anniversary. David’s grandfather, Mariano Meconi, left his home in Faleria, Italy (St. Julian is the patron saint of Faleria), for Canada in 1909. After Prohibition was repealed in 1934, Meconi moved his business to Paw Paw, Mich. Today, St. Julian produces more than 100,000 cases a year of red, white and sparkling wines. The winery has four tasting rooms in Michigan, including the 3,100-square-foot site in Dundee.

Four huge picture windows let plenty of sunlight into the spacious location, which shows off the 45 different wines and juices the winery produces. In the center of the room, a circular wooden tasting bar beckons you to stop by and try one of St. Julian’s libations, such as the crisp and fruity St. J Pinot Grigio, the full-bodied Blackberry Wine Cocktail and the refreshing Forbidden Fruit Sangria. Kids are welcome to sample any of St. Julian’s six fruit juices.

Manager Jay Pietkiewicz is as knowledgeable about wines as he is of European history.

“It’s amazing that there are some places in France that produce wines using the same techniques that were used 300 years ago. They don’t use their feet to mash grapes anymore,” Pietkiewicz says with a laugh, “but they have the same presses and gravity-fed stone cisterns that have been around for hundreds of years.”

Born in Youngstown, Ohio, Pietkiewicz was a history major at the University of California at Santa Barbara. He ran out of money before earning his Ph.D. and had to take a job at a nearby winery to pay the bills. It wasn’t long before he found he enjoyed crafting pinots more than cramming for finals.

“I’ve always enjoyed wine, and when you look at me,” he says, patting his belly with a grin, “you can tell I’m a foodie, so everything seemed to click.”

St. Julian winemaker Nancie Corum-Oxley, the first female professional winemaker in Michigan, says that 2010 was a good year for the reds.

“We had a hard frost in May 2010,” she says. “But we had a nice, warm summer, which meant great things for the reds, but was more challenging for the whites.”

If you have your heart set on a white, she recommends the St. J Pinot Grigio, which has taken several top prizes in California competitions.

But if you’re more interested in a blue, there’s always a Heron waiting for you in Dundee, Mich.