Brengman Family Wines, formerly known as Brengman Brothers, is creating a new spin on dessert wine that is currently fermenting and is expected to be released sometime in 2026.
Owner Robert Brengman said about 90% of people who walk through the Elmwood Township winery doors don’t know what is Gewurztraminer Selection de Grains Nobles (SGH), a French term for sweet dessert wines made from grapes affected by noble rot.
The less sweet version of typical ice wine is grapes shrunken by Botrytis cinerea, also known as noble rot, that creates some of the world’s finest dessert wines.
In 2026, the winery hopes to release a blend of SGH and ice wine Riesling that would be an exclusive Brengman Family Wines and Leelanau offering.
“We ended up picking grapes from Gewurztraminer, kept it cold so it didn’t ferment, then we picked ice wine about two weeks ago from riesling, and then we blended them,” Brengman said.
In the meantime, Brengman is still promoting its 2017 ice wine Riesling, made from natural frozen grapes, which won a Jefferson Cup Invitational Wine Competition award. When you look at the pH levels between ice wine and SGH, they are very close, with ice wine being a tad sweeter than SGH.
The new wine will be twothirds SGH and another third of ice wine.
The project’s goal is to try something new as the local winery enters its 22nd year of existence.
“Our whole existence was kind of plagiarizing off the old world. From almost every wine style we have from the reds (to the whites) ... We need to do our own thing,” Brengman said. “We got the formula, we got the practice, then we got the education from the old world. It’s time for us to create our own versions of this. We don’t even know the name yet because we’re a year out before we even worry about it.”
As for other projects on the farm, the winery is doing final prep, getting ready for bottling, ordering packages, and labeling.
“We had such a great summer and fall last year, and we’re excited about the wine in the tank right now. Some of the best wines we’ve made so far,” Brengman said.
The two brothers, Ed and Robert, began dreaming of making wine in 2003 when they purchased Crain Hill Vineyard, which has experienced growth and success in every year of operation.
In 2024, they changed their name from Brengman Brothers to Brengman Family Wines. “With time, our passion has fermented into our devoted and amazing staff (blood and notblood), and we wanted to pay tribute to this new chapter in our story. It has become bigger than the two brothers, and the new name is part of that recognition. Here’s a toast to the next 21 years,” their website says.
The local winery’s goal has always been to develop a Leelanau terroir with an oldworld spirit that, over time, becomes the benchmark for the region.
The local winery is serving a Valentine’s special Friday, Feb. 14 through Sunday, Feb. 16, with wine pairing and food included for $75.
