By John Turk
The Oakland Press
DETROIT (AP) - About six months after a fire burned to the ground a nearly finished wine tasting room at an Oakland County commissioner's Highland Township farm, the business has been fully rebuilt and will have a grand opening next spring.
"I thought this was a winning combo," said Bob Hoffman, a Republican commissioner whose 299-acre farm sits in the 2500 block of Rose Center Road.
"People like history, farms and wine. And I'm the eternal optimist - I just always think things are going to work out.
"I was devastated after the fire. But to me, there was only one choice: To rebuild as fast as I could"
The 1,900-square-foot building is connected to a horse-riding arena and stables and was slated to become Hoffman's wine tasting room. The Oakland Press reports that it burned down April 14 due to stain-soaked rags that ignited when they were left in the structure, which was under construction at the time.
Hoffman, who put years into the planning and construction of the building, opened the doors of the wine tasting room Oct. 7 as a "soft opening," with a grand opening planned in the spring of 2017.
The entrance of the business sits under a portico with pillars lining the front of the structure. Inside, customers can taste any of Hoffman Farms' wines, which run from $14-16 a bottle, in a common standing area with hardwood floors and a large bar that overlooks a professional horse-riding arena and practice area.
Construction is still underway on portions of the wine room, with an upstairs room designed to look like the White House's Oval Office.
The tasting room offers six different wines made in northern Michigan that he helped create and market - including one called "Rose Center Cherry" - and Hoffman said he has seen good foot traffic through the room in the first three weeks.
His "eternal optimism," as he says, has him hoping for much more.
Published: Thu, Nov 10, 2016
