Munising natives Mike Dausey, left, and Jeff Dausey have built Sage Creek Winery into a thriving business based in Memphis, Michigan.
Sage Creek is partnering with Munising’s Life on the Rocks this Saturday for a bourbon and wine tasting event.
By Jennifer Champagne
Managing Editor
For Jeff and Mike Dausey, Sage Creek Winery has always been about more than wine.
The Munising natives built the Memphis, Michigan-based winery on the values they learned growing up in the Upper Peninsula — hard work, community and creating a place where people feel welcome. Now, after nearly a decade of growth, the brothers are bringing a taste of Sage Creek back home through a special bourbon and wine tasting event at Life on the Rocks on Saturday, June 20, highlighting the company’s expansion from wine into a growing lineup of bourbon products.
The pop-up event, hosted in partnership with Life on the Rocks owner Mike Henricksen, will feature a wide selection of Sage Creek wines alongside several of the company’s newest bourbon offerings.
The event also marks another chapter in the evolution of a business that began as a winery and has recently expanded into distilled spirits.
Mike Dausey founded Sage Creek and was later joined by his brother Jeff, both military veterans who were looking for a new venture after their government careers. What started as a small winery has grown into one of the more recognizable independent wine brands in southeast Michigan, producing tens of thousands of gallons annually and attracting visitors from across the state.
Despite that growth, the brothers have remained closely tied to their hometown and the values they learned growing up in Munising.
That connection to home remains a driving force behind the upcoming event.
“Because I was in the service for so long, it’s good to come back and see people I haven’t seen in years who are coming out to support us,” Jeff Dausey said. “I love that. That probably means more than anything now.”
While Sage Creek built its reputation through wine, the company has spent the past few years expanding into distilled spirits, including a growing lineup of bourbon products.
“From the beginning, we created a delicate balance between tradition and our own innovation to express our brand and create an experience that stands apart from others,” Mike Dausey said. “Expanding into bourbon is a natural extension of that philosophy and gives us another way to share what makes Sage Creek unique.”
The move into bourbon allows Sage Creek to continue evolving while staying true to its roots.
“The bourbon program gives us an opportunity to be creative while still respecting tradition,” Mike Dausey said. “Whether it’s a straight bourbon or one of our specialty offerings, we want people to have fun with it and find something they enjoy.”
Visitors to the June 20 event will get an opportunity to sample both traditional and specialty bourbons that showcase that philosophy.
“We’re planning to feature about eight wines and nearly as many bourbons,” Jeff Dausey said. “That includes our blackberry bourbon, straight Kentucky bourbon, old fashioned bourbon and our new 250th anniversary bourbon. We’re also looking at offering a ginger ale bourbon. We’ll have some really good options for people to try.”
The tasting lineup is expected to include several specialty releases and experimental offerings that have become part of Sage Creek’s growing spirits portfolio.
Having been friends since seventh grade, Jeff Dausey noted that Henricksen’s venue was a natural fit.
“When Jeff reached out about bringing Sage Creek to Life on the Rocks, it just made sense,” Henricksen said. “These are guys who grew up here, built something successful and never forgot where they came from. We want to support people who are doing great things, whether they stayed in Munising or took their talents elsewhere.”
Henricksen said the event aligns with his broader vision of creating experiences that bring people together while highlighting businesses with local roots.
“What excites me about this event is that it’s more than a tasting,” he said. “It’s an opportunity for people to reconnect, hear the story behind the products and support a business that has roots right here in Munising. Those kinds of connections are important, and that’s the kind of atmosphere we want to continue to create at Life on the Rocks.”
Jeff Dausey said that approach mirrors what Sage Creek has always tried to accomplish through its own business.
“Our wines are for the working class,” he said. “They’re for bonfires, they’re for boating and they’re for getting together with friends. That’s who we are.”
Even though Sage Creek products are not currently available through Upper Peninsula retailers, the June 20 tasting will give local residents an opportunity to sample them without traveling downstate. Customers can also order directly through the winery’s website, with eligible products shipped to approved locations.
“We just want people from our hometown who don’t travel downstate to have fun,” Jeff Dausey said. “This is what we’re all about.”
The tasting event will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, June 20, at Life on the Rocks, 115 E. Munising Ave., Suite 1.
For the Dausey brothers, the evening represents more than a chance to showcase new products. It’s an opportunity to reconnect with the community that helped shape them and share the next phase of Sage Creek’s story with the people who knew them long before they ever bottled their first wine.
“Coming back to Munising with these products is special,” Mike Dausey said. “The community helped shape who we are, and it’s exciting to share the next chapter of Sage Creek with the people we grew up around.”