Stranger Wine Co.
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Country of Origin: USA
Location: Buchanan, Southwest Michigan
People: Maxx Eichberg & Sidney Finan, Owners | Maxx Eichberg, Winemaker
Viticulture: Regenerative
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Cream alumnus Maxx Eichberg and his wife, Sidney Finan, founded Stranger Wine Company in 2021 after purchasing Avonlea Vineyard in Southwest Michigan from James Lester of Wyncroft. We are incredibly proud to showcase Maxx and Sidney’s small batch, minimal intervention wines that highlight Michigan’s vinifera.
Stranger Wine Company is dedicated to implementing regenerative viticultural practices on their estate. Great wine begins with healthy grapes, and healthy grapes come from healthy vines. Enhancing and maintaining vine health is therefore central to all of Stranger Wine’s farming methods. In keeping with their commitment to highlighting their unique terroir, all fermentations are native with no finishing additives. Sulfur is used minimally prior to bottling to preserve energy and freshness.
Avonlea Estate Vineyard is positioned in the middle of some of the most intense glacial activity in Berrien County, Michigan. As a result, the soils are highly diverse and change drastically between blocks on the 15-acre site. The top of the vineyard where the Chardonnay, Three Row Pinot, and future Gamay Noir live, consists mainly of iron rich clay and sandy soils. This block is also covered with granite, chert and ancient Pennsylvanian seabed deposits. Grapes grown here yield wines of notable tension and length. The vineyard’s oldest block, planted in 1989 to Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, sits on soils reminiscent of Bordeaux’s Graves region. Fist-sized granite and chert pebbles litter the vine rows and help to retain heat throughout the day aiding the vines in their ripening. The wines from this block are powerful, dense, and long-lived. Additional plantings on the estate include Riesling, Pinot Noir, Petit Verdot, and Merlot.
Beyond Avonlea, Maxx and Sidney also farm Old Shore Vineyard. While not USDA certified, they adhere strictly to Regenerative Organic Certification standards in their viticultural practices (ROC - https://regenorganic.org). For purchased fruit from vineyards such as Tom’s and Abigail’s, farming is considered integrated sustainable. Though these growers still use select commercial products, they are actively reducing intervention—eliminating herbicides and insecticides entirely and limiting treatments to targeted systemic fungicides. No fertilization or irrigation is employed.
Summers in Buchanan, Michigan are warm but not hot enough to cause vines to shut down. In late summer and fall, Lake Michigan retains heat and extends the growing season by nearly a full month. The lake also moderates winter temperatures, creating ideal conditions for vinifera to thrive. Maxx and Sidney believe deeply in the untapped potential of this microclimate—and in the bright, exciting future of Michigan wine.
Media Links
VinePair: As Climate Change Ravages the West Coast, Winemakers Take Refuge in the Great Lakes