Shed Wine
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Country of Origin: USA
Location: Grand Traverse, Northern Michigan
People: Joe & Chloe Jensen, Owners | Joe Jensen, Winemaker
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We were introduced to Shed Wine through our friends Maxx Eichberg and Sidney Finan of Stranger Wine Co. With similar ethos of native fermentation and minimal-to-no intervention, Maxx saw Shed Wine in Northern Michigan as a great counterpart to their project in Southwest Michigan. Intrigued, we connected with Joe Jensen over Zoom and were impressed by his hybrid and vinifera offerings. Shed Wine has now become the 6th addition to Cream's Michigan portfolio, adding a wonderful dimension to the conversation around this young but burgeoning wine region.
Shed Wine began for Joe and Chloe Jensen in the shed of their backyard in Santa Monica, California. Both originally from Michigan, Chloe moved to California for college, and Joe followed after graduating from Western Michigan University. While at school, Joe developed a passion for wine, so much so that he wanted to be a sales representative for a California distributor…which naturally led him to a tech sales career for 10 years!
The passion did not quell during these years. Chloe and Joe became enthralled by the natural wine scene throughout Central and Northern California. In their Santa Monica shed, they produced small quantities of wine from purchased Santa Barbara grapes. Their move back to Michigan in 2020 provided Joe the opportunity to fully pursue his dream. He spent the summer of 2020 in Northern Michigan sourcing fruit around Traverse City with the goal of bringing the light, juicy, glou glou tastes from California to his home state of Michigan. Shed Wine officially launched in 2021.
Shed Wine sources fruit from vineyards committed to sustainable and organic practices. As organic farming grows in Michigan, they continue to seek out the best farming partners possible. All wines ferment spontaneously with native yeast and are vegan-friendly. They are bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimal sulfites. The wines are creative and fun—unique blends of red and white grapes, hybrid and vinifera varieties—with the goal of being approachable and unpretentious while showcasing all that Northern Michigan has to offer.