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BUCHANAN — Spring in Michigan means the beginning of wine tasting and brewery visits for many. Adam McBride, owner and wine maker at Hickory Creek Winery, is still doing just that.

The past few Fridays, McBride has been clinking his wine glass to his phone as he hosts a virtual happy hour from the winery, speaking to attendees about a different wine every week.

“I picture people doing the same thing, clinking against their screen, hopefully not spilling anything,” McBride said.

The happy hours Hickory Creek Winery hosts on its Facebook account using Facebook Live give McBride a chance to connect with customers, wine club members and casual visitors to the site.

“We announce what the wine is going to be for the week over the weekend prior,” McBride said. “People have a chance to order the wine. If they order by noon on Tuesday, it goes out on FedEx, and usually arrives by Thursday.”

The virtual happy hours are a more casual take on an in-person wine tasting, which would normally have visitors sampling and learning about multiple wines. This instead allows for McBride to focus on one type of wine and go a little more in-depth. After the virtual cheers, McBride transitions into an update on how things are going at the winery, and what is new.

“Then, we get into the wine,” McBride said. “For example, last week we did pinot noir, the 2018 vintage that we have at Hickory Creek. We talk about where the grapes are from, what the growing conditions were like that year, the wine making processes and the oak profiles.”

He also goes into how different regions and their pinot noirs are different.

McBride said the winery has had 40 to 50 people participate in each virtual happy hour.

While this is a fraction of the foot traffic McBride would normally see at the winery, it has given him a chance to connect with customers across the country.

“Last week, we had people participating on the eastern shore of Maryland,” he said. “They had been to the winery in the past and stayed connected through social media with us. I also had somebody in San Diego who was following along. We had people that were following along across the country. It gives me goosebumps to say out loud.”

James Springsteen, of Niles, has been following along with each of the happy hours that Hickory Creek Winery has done online.

Springsteen and his wife, Melissa Winquist-Springsteen, enjoy visiting the winery when they can.

“Adam is a fantastic guy,” Springsteen said. “They are all wonderful at Hickory Creek. That is just one of the reasons we like going to the winery. It’s not just for the great wine, but they are all wonderful people.”

He also appreciates that all are invited to participate, even if they do not have the specific wine featured in the happy hour.

“Not only does Adam talk about the wine, but he enlightens us about the facts on wine producing,” Springsteen said.

The winery has seen its revenue drop with the statewide mandates surrounding the measures taken to “flatten the curve” of the coronavirus pandemic. McBride reported 30 to 35 percent of the winery’s revenue comes from the tastings and drinks sold on site, which has completely stopped coming in.

While the winery is shipping out more wine than it has in the past, it is still working find ways to connect with customers and would-be visitors.

Hickory Creek Winery is currently able to ship its wine to consumers in Michigan and Illinois, and McBride has applied for a permit to ship to Indiana as well. He is currently working to offer specials to people who are ordering from them online.

Still, the biggest thing for McBride is the connection.

“I just encourage folks to say ‘hey, it’s happy hour,’” he said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a craft beer or a Hickory Creek wine or even a White Claw, if you’re desperate. The idea is to connect and think about something else for a while.”

The Virtual Happy Hours may be found on Hickory Creek Winery’s Facebook page. They are set to continue for the next three Fridays, until the state’s current mandates expire.