Sip on Door County’s quieter side at von Stiehl Winery

Most people traveling to Door County head up Interstate 43 toward Green Bay, then follow Highway 57 along the peninsula's western shore to Sturgeon Bay and beyond.

But if you divert off the freeway near Manitowoc and instead follow Highway 42 along Lake Michigan toward the Door's eastern shore, a worthy diversion awaits: von Stiehl Winery in Algoma.

While situated just south of the Door County line (the winery is officially in Kewaunee County), von Stiehl is nevertheless part of the Door County Wine Trail, and one of the trail's founding members, at that.

And while its seven northern trail mates buzz with Door County tourists throughout the year, von Stiehl — the state's oldest licensed winery — quietly welcomes visitors to its historic winery tucked into the picturesque Lake Michigan city of Algoma.

"Our goal is to give a refreshingly uncrowded experience," said Brad Schmiling, who owns the winery with his brother, Aric. "Every (winery) kind of has their own thing. ... Everyone has pluses and minuses. One of our pluses is we don't quite get the same amount of traffic as our northern friends do. That allows us to enrich the experience."

That's not to say von Stiehl doesn't see its share of wine-lovers. Even on a recent event-free November Saturday, the tasting bar saw a steady stream of visitors. On summer Saturdays, the winery's multilevel terrace along the Ahnapee River fills up for the winery's Cuisine Concert Series.

Those who have made the trek to von Stiehl understand its appeal: a family-run winery housed in a beautiful, Civil War-era building serving up a wide selection of wines for every taste bud.

The winery dates back to the 1960s, when Charles Stiehl purchased and renovated an 1868 Italianate building along the Ahnapee River to house his growing hobby of making wine using Door County cherries.

Stiehl asked the state to create a wine license for his new endeavor, making von Stiehl the state's first licensed winery in 1967.

"Back then, the whole goal was local fruit," Schmiling said.

The local physician would add three fruit varieties to his lineup before selling the winery to Bill and Sandy Schmiling in 1981. The Schmilings added more fruit wines — plum, pear, raspberry, blackberry and cranberry — before creating their first traditional grape wine, Late Harvest Riesling, in 1985.

In the '90s, the Schmilings opened their own vineyard, Stony Creek Vineyard, to supply grapes for some of their wines.

"That was sort of what pioneered the grape industry in our area," Brad Schmiling said.

In 2003, Aric and Brad took over the business. The brothers had grown up in the winery, stocking shelves, sweeping floors and scrubbing tanks. Brad likened it to a Wisconsin family farm, and, like many family farms, the next generation wasn't too interested in taking over.

"You're doing that kind of work, and you don't have the vision for how you could see that being your life. ... So we didn't really think that much of it until we went away," Schmiling said.

Aric realized after his freshman year of college he did want to be a part of the family business after all, and went on to study oenology and viticulture in graduate school. Brad, who has a degree in theater engineering and design, came around a little later, realizing he didn't want to be away from his family.

"Actually it was Doc Stiehl that said to me theater and wineries have a lot to do with each other, because it's all about the show you put on," Schmiling said, noting that both the back end production and the upfront presentation are important in a winery.

Brad handles a lot of the front-end business, while Aric handles the production end as the winemaker. Their parents, Bill and Sandy, still own and run the vineyard.

A tour of the winery begins in the historic building where it got its start. The cozy tasting room features dark-wood ceilings and beams, a tasting bar that runs the length of the building, and a comfortable sitting area with tables and chairs made with wine corks.

From there, it's a short walk across the street to the winery's production facility, which opened in 2010. In addition to the fermentation tanks, visitors can get a look at the new bottling line the winery acquired in 2015.

"I love dragging people across, making them walk on floors that are wet, with hoses, because it shows we're really doing it here, we're really making wine here," Schmiling said.

From there, it's back to the main building and a walk around the back to enter the underground tunnels that now serve as aging cellars.

The tunnels were built at the same time as the building, which initially housed a brewery that produced Ahnapee Lager and delivered it to area business via the tunnels. In 1879, the brewery's first owners sold the business to Civil War veteran Henry Schmiling, the great-great-great-great-uncle of the winery's current owners.

A blight on Wisconsin hops led to the brewery's demise in 1886, and the building would go on to house a warehouse and factory before falling into disrepair and being rescued by Stiehl.

Most of the tunnels were collapsed when the weight of roads and sidewalks above made them unsafe, but the tunnels under von Stiehl remain, with occasional visits by the (friendly) ghost of Henry Schmiling.

After a look at the cellars, it's tasting time. Visitors can sample six wines, and choices run the gamut from dry reds to sweet cherry wines. Today about three-quarters of von Stiehl's wines are grape and a quarter are fruit.

Among the winery's bestsellers are Naughty Girl, a semisweet red described as "bold black raspberry meets easygoing Cabernet"; Crimson Royale, a sweet Concord wine that is served chilled; and Oktoberfest, a white blend of Vignoles, Gewurztraminer and Riesling.

While you're there: In 2013, von Stiehl opened Ahnapee Brewery, which is already making waves in the craft beer world. Its Long Goodbye, a Bavarian Helles, won a silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 2015. Taste that and more in the small taproom, housed in a converted garage just two doors down from von Stiehl. The tap room's winter hours are 3 to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Fill up on steak and seafood at Skaliwag's, whose motto, "food that's five star in a crazy little dive bar" is an apt representation of the restaurant on 312 Clark St. Chef Chris Wiltfang also operates a food truck that parks in front of von Stiehl on occasion. He also recently opened Algoma Burger Company at 604 4th St. See skaliwags.com.

Go for a stroll along Lake Michigan on a half-mile boardwalk east of the winery, which parallels Crescent Beach and provides views of the lake and the Algoma Pierhead Lighthouse.

A trail spur connects Algoma to the 48-mile Ahnapee State Trail, which travels from Sturgeon Bay to Kewaunee. The limestone-surfaced trail is great for biking and hiking and is open to snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling in the winter.

More information: Von Stiehl is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in November and December. Hours vary throughout the rest of the year. Tastings are complimentary.

Tours last about half an hour and are offered at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays in the winter. They cost $4 for adults and $3.50 for seniors.

The winery hosts its popular Wet Whistle Wine Fest every September, complete with a grape-stomping competition, live music and wine tasting.

For more information, see vonstiehl.com or call (920) 487-5208.

Getting there: Von Stiehl is at 115 Navarino St. in Algoma, about 120 miles north of Milwaukee via I-43 and Highways 10 and 42.

Day Out features day trips within a two-hour drive of the Milwaukee area.