Schatz Winery » Membership Directory

Schatz Winery, Hessenland’s darling vineyard and newest chapter for the Ihrig family, builds on the bountiful 40 acres of award-winning gardens that lie at the heart of the property. Five acres of budding vines offer the perfect backdrop for intimate ceremonies, gorgeous photo opportunities and uniquely personal first-looks!

The hybrid and vinifera vines surrounding Hessenland grow from the land that was once home to the Hanoverian horse paddocks of the late Ernst Ihrig (Hessenland Co-Founder). The stories beneath the soil have in turn helped nurture eight grape varietals turned homegrown vintages, inclusive of the ’15-35′ Petite Pearl wine released in October 2018.

Schatz Winery is a hand-tended micro-vineyard.

Since the inaugural vine planting in 2015, Chef and Owner-Innkeeper turned viticulturist Frank, has lead a team of family, friends and community volunteers in tending to a family of grapes inclusive of Marquette, Petite Pearl, Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Frontenac Gris, Siegerrebe (Victory Vine), Frontenac Blanc and La Crescent. 

While inspiration for a vineyard at Hessenland bloomed many moons ago while Frank and wife, Liz, spent a semester in the south of France, the blue clay soil in St. Joseph and the unique offerings of the Lake Huron breeze have shaped the terroir for Schatz Winery.  Planting hybrid vines that are resilient and healthy in this agriculturally rich farm land captures Schatz Winery’s offerings; excellent vines-turned-wines steadily thriving on a ‘quality over quantity’ mantra is the result!