The temperatures lately might have us feeling a bit like we're on the Spanish riviera these days. Pop open a bottle of Wisconsin-made Lovino Sangria and you'll really be transported to the Iberian summertime.
Lovino, headquartered in Bay View, was founded by Jamie and Erica Zdroik and their ready-to-drink Sangria – available in 750 ml bottles at more than 80 Roundy's locations already – is produced at an "environmentally friendly" winery in Algoma.
"We've been mixing sangria for family and friends for years," says Erica. "After developing this recipe, we were often told we should find a way to bottle and sell our blend. Sangria by Lovino is the result of those suggestions."
The Zdroik's say their current jobs have helped them navigate the trail of production plans, government approvals, distribution and finances of creating Lovino.
Erica is a food resource manager at Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin and her husband Jamie is a manufacturing manager at Nelson Container in Germantown.
In case you're wondering, the name Lovino is a smashing together of the words "love" and the Italian word for wine, "vino."
I'm going home to drink some tonight. If you follow me on Twitter, you'll find out tomorrow what I thought.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
