Are Kewaunee Co.'s plastic decks, red wine or string cheese the 'coolest' things in Wisconsin?

KEWAUNEE COUNTY - Three products made in Kewaunee County are nominees in the “Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin” contest sponsored by Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce and Johnson Financial Group, and online public voting is now open. 

The products are REVOLVE, a wood-alternative deck board manufactured in Luxemburg by RENEW Plastics; Frozen Tundra Red wine from Parallel 44 Vineyard and Winery in Kewaunee; and Fiesta String Cheese from Pagel's Ponderosa Dairy in Kewaunee.

“It’s great for REVOLVE to be nominated in this statewide contest,” said Lynie Vincent, vice president of sales and marketing at RENEW Plastics, a division of N.E.W. Plastics Corp. “REVOLVE is truly on the cutting-edge of wood-alternative lumber, with a unique wood-grain texture, matte finish and feel that no other engineered-composite lumber can match.”

N.E.W. Plastics was the first known “plastic lumber” manufacturer in North America. With more than 100,000 square feet of production space, RENEW Plastics is able to convert more than 25 million pounds a year of discarded HDPE (No. 2) plastic into useful, environmentally-friendly products.

Frozen Tundra Red is a semi-sweet red blended from the Frontenac and Marquette grapes grown in Parallel 44's vineyard. It's the winery's best-selling wine and this year won a platinum medal at the international Winemaker Challenge in San Diego.

"The reason that this is such a cool thing is that the Frozen Tundra Red is not only made in Wisconsin but it also grown in Wisconsin," said Parallel 44 winemaker and co-owner Steve Johnson. "As we like to say in the wine business, it's Wisconsin from ground to glass ... We always knew it was a great wine, but now winemakers from around the world who have never had wines from these varieties are also loving it."

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The first round of “Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin” voting opened Monday and continues through Sunday, with more than 150 products nominated. The public can cast a vote every day on any device.

The top 16 vote-getters will be announced Sept. 16 and placed into brackets for tournament-style, head-to-head match-ups in what Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce is calling "Manufacturing Madness."

Online voting to determine the top eight runs from Sept. 17 to 22. Voting to narrow the bracket to the top four runs from Sept. 24 to 29, with the final round of voting taking place from Oct. 1 to 8.

Now in its fourth year, the goal of the contest is to highlight the state’s vibrant and diverse manufacturing industry. To vote, visit madeinwis.com.

Contact Christopher Clough at 920-741-7952, 920-562-8900 or cclough@doorcountyadvocate.com.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Are Kewaunee Co.'s plastic decks, red wine or string cheese the 'coolest' things in Wisconsin?