A Quick and Easy Guide to Michigan Wine

By Mark Stock February 4, 2020

Next time you’re looking to wow friends with a bizarre drinks-related factoid, tell them this: Michigan is the nation’s sixth-largest producer of wine. For a state more recognized for its contributions to music, the automobile industry, and for some massive lakes, it can be a bit of a head-scratcher.

Contents

Brys Estate
2 Lads
Chateau Fontaine
Detroit Vineyards
Dablon Vineyards

Like a lot of Midwestern states, Michigan started out in sweet wine. In fact, it still makes quite a bit of the stuff, and it also continues to be a leader in fruit wine and fortified fruit wines, cherry especially. But in the last couple of decades, wine grapes have found a home here — to the extent that some locals are dubbing the state’s wine scene as the Napa of the Midwest.

detroit vineyards — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Presently the state is set up with five different appellations: Lake Michigan Shore, Fennville, Leelanau Peninsula, Old Mission Peninsula, and the wonderfully named Tip of the Mitt. By recent estimates, some 150 producers exist over this span, specializing in Cab Franc, Gewürztraminer, Merlot, Chardonnay, Syrah, and Riesling, as well as a few others.

The vast majority of the state’s grapes are grown within about 25 miles of Lake Michigan. The lake effect is real and vital, as the rest of the state routinely turns out conditions that are simply too harsh for most wine grapes. Traverse City is a big draw, a town of about 16,000 centrally located along the wine trail.

Like Virginia and Texas, it’ll be interesting to see how Michigan wine culture comes of age. At the moment, it’s a growing industry with a fair amount of potential—one that will only get wiser and better as future generations take to the task of winemaking.

Some stops of note, should you find yourself in The Great Lakes State:

Brys Estate

brys estate — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Set in Traverse City, Brys Estate rests on 91 acres including a tasting room, sprawling deck overlooking vineyards, garden, and guest lodging. The brand focuses on Riesling, makes an un-oaked Chardonnay and even takes a stab at finicky Pinot Noir. Rosé enthusiasts will find joy in Brys’ lush but dry version, made from Cab Franc, Merlot, and Pinot.

2 Lads

2 lads sunny — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Another Traverse City spot, 2 Lads is a pretty and modern slice of architecture. The tasting room gazes east at Grand Traverse Bay while the winemaking facility is a gravity-flow operation, which offers a lighter winemaking touch. The wines are soft and flavorful and include Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and some bubbles.

Chateau Fontaine

chateau fontaine — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Lake Leelanau’s Chateau Fontaine is very much a family-run project, responsible for some 15 varietals and a decidedly homespun label. The Matthies family attributes some of the resident grapes’ success to south-facing aspects and good pH levels. The wines that stand out most are the Rieslings (sweet and dry) and a bracing Pinot Blanc.

Detroit Vineyards

Detroit Vineyards Interior — Detroit Vineyards/Facebook

Regardless of what you think about urban wineries or what they’re capable of producing, this one touts a cool history. Detroit Vineyards, located in the heart of the Motor City, stems from one of the first vineyard plantings in the U.S., dating back to 1702. While the winery brings in a lot of the fruit from beyond city limits today, the production still takes place in-house and deals in interesting grapes like the hybrid Traminette and a Merlot Rosé. The brand also turns out some cider and mead.

Dablon Vineyards

Dablon Vineyards - Our Story

Located in Baroda, Dablon Vineyards has turned the former fertile grounds for Concord grapes into rows of Burgundian varieties like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The tasting room is setup with a fireplace and patio and the vineyards continue to expand, with newer rows of grapes like Malbec, Tannat, Tempranillo and Nebbiolo joining the estate lineup.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Liquor, Beer, and Wine

Contributor

Mark Stock is a writer from Portland, Oregon. He fell into wine during the Recession and has been fixated on the stuff since…

Food & Drink

Forget wine — Beer and cheese is an unbeatable combination

Put the corkscrew away and crack open a cold one

Beer and cheese

When one hears the term cheese pairings, wine is the beverage that most often comes to mind, we'd wager. Because, of course, it is. The pairing of wine and cheese is as classic a coupling as peanut butter and jelly, bacon and eggs, or chocolate and strawberries. They're meant to be together. But that certainly doesn't mean that wine is the only adult beverage that can dance an alluring tango alongside everyone's favorite dairy product. Beer, as humble as its reputation can be, is also a beautiful balance to cheese's immense offering of flavors. While some may think of beer as not being as multi-dimensional and varied in its palate-pleasing capabilities as wine, this is not the case - especially now that we live in a world with so many exquisite craft beers, stouts, and lagers.
Of course, another classic accompaniment to cheese is bread or crackers. Why might that be, one might ask. Is it because we're simply in need of a starchy vessel to usher the cheese into our mouths? The answer is actually a bit deeper than that. Starches like bread and crackers are made from the same yeasty ingredients as beer, so their pairing makes perfect culinary sense.
This isn't to say, though, that one can simply pick up a hunk of cheddar and crack open a Budweiser and expect culinary artistry. The science is a bit more nuanced than that, so we're here to help you find the best pairings for your favorite beers and cheeses.

How to pair beer and cheese

Food & Drink

What does AVA mean? Breaking down the geographical wine phenomenon

Breaking down the AVA, or American Viticultural Area

Vineyard

There are 269 American Viticultural Areas, but like most people, you probably don't really know what that means. That's okay; we're here to break down the viticultural term, a fascinating designation used to showcase specific regions and their unique effects on the wine grown there.

An AVA is an important concept to understand, as it's a big deal in winemaking. Europe practically invented the movement, which is rooted in terroir. Think about regions like Champagne, Burgundy, and Bordeaux—all distinctive in terms of where they are on the map and the flavor of the resulting wines.

Food & Drink

What is port wine? All the different types and how to drink it

what is port explained wine fireplace

Even among people who know and enjoy their wine, port can sometimes remain something of a mystery. It's an usual flavor, with the tannin of a red wine but the sweetness of a liqueur, and it's not that common as a regular dinner or bar staple. However, despite port's somewhat stodgy associations with old men sipping glasses in front of the fire with a cigar in hand, port is a delicious and fascinating drink with as much complexity and interest to offer as any other type of wine.

It's also enjoyed in its home country of Portugal as relaxed, easy drink to enjoy with friends in a casual setting before or after dinner, so it doesn't need to be a stuffy affair. If you're interested in trying out port, we've put together a guide on the key essentials you need to understand and enjoy this often-overlooked delight.
What Is Port Wine?
Port is a fortified wine, which essentially means that it’s a careful blend of wine and spirit (in this case, brandy). The blending achieves two things: It makes the drink stronger (better for customers) and it makes the drink more shelf-stable (better for producers). Historically, though, the blending was done to achieve the simplest way to export wine cheaply and safely over long distances.