Michigan winemakers are unique in that they are known for both cool-weather wines, such as white Riesling, and warmer weather reds like Pinot Noir. You might even be surprised to know the state produces a fine Ice Wine. The diversity of Michigan wines is enough to make a viticulturalist blush with excitement!

It’s a fact that wine grapes love Michigan’s mesoclimate created by Lake Michigan. The vast majority of Michigan grapes are grown within 25 miles of Lake Michigan, which provides a favorable “lake effect” microclimate of more moderate temperatures compared to interior portions of the state.

The Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council, which was founded in 1985 to support development of the state’s wine growing industry and is a division within the Michigan Department of Agriculture, estimates that 1,800 agricultural acres in the state are cultivated to grow wine grapes. That makes the state eighth in wine grape production in the nation.

“The Michigan wine industry is growing quite rapidly. There is great interest in wine development and investment around the state,” said Linda Jones, executive director of the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council. “The priorities of the council are encouraging growth of the winemaking industry, promotion of Michigan wines and funding research to support wine grape growing in Michigan.”

The council also publishes the Wine Country magazine and sponsors numerous wine tasting events and competitions across the state each year.

The more than 50 commercial wineries in Michigan produce over 375,000 cases of wine annually, Jones said. The wineries are a popular destination for wine connoisseurs, attracting more than 800,000 visitors annually. Wine and wine tourism are estimated to be a $100 million industry in Michigan.

While most of Michigan’s wineries are located on the state’s west coast, the Southeast Michigan Pioneer Trail is a popular wine trail for avid mid-Michigan wine drinkers. The tour and tasting trip includes stops at wineries and vineyards in Grass Lake, Jackson, Albion, Parma and several other locations.

“There is a much higher degree of awareness of regional wines and cuisine today. People seem very willing to enjoy things from their backyard, rather than trying just another California wine,” Jones said.

The Great Lakes region has a long history of fruit production, including grapes. According to the council, the grape-growing region along Lake Erie was the leading wine producing region in the country following the Civil War. Southwest Michigan became recognized as a wine region by the late 1800s.

Southwest Michigan also produces a large variety of juice grapes. In fact, Michigan is the fourth largest grape-growing state in the nation. Welch’s Grape Juice Company owns a large production facility in Lawton, Mich., near Paw Paw.

Jones said very important contributions to Michigan grape growing have come from Michigan State University, which has researched best vineyard practices, the best varieties and the best hybrids for Michigan’s unique climate.

“Grape varieties that do well here must be very robust to withstand the Michigan winters. MSU has done a lot of research into winter injury and vine physiology. Actual grape development is typically left to the private sector,” Jones said.

This summer’s hot weather was conducive to grape growing, Jones stated. The harvest, which began in September, was expected to be larger this year over 2006 levels thanks to new plantings and the favorable weather.

Direct shipping of wine is a major part of the business plan for many of the state’s wineries. Michigan lawmakers passed legislation in 2005 that allows Michigan vintners to direct ship to in-state customers and across the nation. The rule change also allows Michigan residents to order wines from across the country via the Internet.

“We are still very committed to protecting consumers from questionable shipping practices. However, direct shipping is a very healthy thing for the industry,” Jones said.

Prior to the new law, in-state wineries could only ship directly to Michigan consumers, bypassing both retailers and wholesalers. The direct shipping law requires wine shipments to be clearly marked as “wine” and signed for by an adult, which helps to police sales to minors.

Jones said Michigan wineries must apply for shipping permits in the states they wish to ship to, which “can cause an administrative challenge and bring on the hassle collecting taxes” thus discouraging some in-state wineries from doing so.

Michigan also passed a “doggy bag” law for wine in 2005, which allows consumers to take unfinished bottles of wine home with them from restaurants. The law in general has helped boost wine sales in the state, Jones said.

Michigan wines are sold direct from wineries or distributed through wholesalers to retailers across the state, Jones explained.

Mike Lashbrook, president of the Michigan Beer and Wine Wholesalers Association, a trade and lobbying group representing the interests of wholesalers, said, “The wine industry in Michigan has been very, very strong in recent years and is growing steadily. Our members are reporting wine sales up from six to eight percent annually the past several years.”

MB&WWA represents 72 beer and wine wholesalers in the state with approximately 45 of those distributing wine, Lashbrook said.

“The Michigan wineries that are producing a good quality product and have a good relationship with wholesalers are doing very well,” Lashbrook added.

Michigan wineries are, for the most part, locally owned and operated by Michigan based companies. Jones hopes to eventually see more outside investment from other major wineries.

“The real issue is, we can make world-class wine here, but we just don’t have enough production to aggressively market across the country. We can’t produce enough Michigan wine to compete for shelf space with Gallo or Yellow Tail. They sell a ton of that stuff and retailers love that,” Jones stated.