Those who have been following the Drink Local Wine scene know that Michigan has a thriving wine industry. To others, this may come as a complete surprise. According to Michigan Wine and theCompass Craft Beverage Finder, there are 180 winery tasting rooms operating in the Great Lakes state. These wineries produce 2.75 million gallons of wine per year from 3,050 vineyard acres which represent $5.4 billion in total economic impact. And according to the TTB, Michigan ranks 14th by state in bottled wine production.
But a relatively new organization, the Michigan Wine Collaborative, is trying to improve that number. This non-profit collaborative has a goal to "enhance the sustainability and profitability of the Michigan wine industry by supporting wineries, growers and other businesses and individuals connected to the industry...". And one avenue for promoting the Michigan wine industry is through the weekly twitter forum #WineStudio. On February 12th and 19th (9PM E.T.) participants will be learning and discussing wine from St. Julian Winery Lake Michigan Shore AVA, Amoritas Vineyards Leelanau Peninsula AVA, L. Mawby Winery Leelanau Peninsula AVA, and Big Little Wines Leelanau Peninsula AVA.
So why should you participate? First, the state is dissected by the 45th Parallel -- the famed imaginary line that runs through Italy's Piedmont region; the Rhone Valley and Bordeaux in France; the Willamette Valley in Oregon, and the Leelanau Peninsula in Michigan. The latter is home to the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail - perhaps the most prolific region in the state. Each wine region is unique but along the 45th Parallel vineyards receive the same angle of the sun and length of day. Second, Michigan also produces a wide range of wine styles from dry to ice wine, from viniferia, labrusca, and hybrid grapes to cherry and apple wines and cider. Like Rhone, Pinot grapes are prevalent as in Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and even Pinot Meunier. Other cold climate grapes are Riesling and Gewurztraminer plus Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot (see Bordeaux reference above). Finally, you can learn how the cold climate nature of Michigan increases threats from spring freezes, winter burn, and mildew pressures from Michigan's high level of precipitation. This is amplified in tight cluster varieties such as Chardonnay and Pinots as wind flows are less likely to help dry the grapes. See you online. Cheers.
