Michigan, A Cold Climate Wine Success

 Not every quality wine has to be grown in a Mediterranean climate, as it turns out.

 

Downtown Suttons Bay on the Leenalau Peninsula
in NW Michigan looking all cute and touristy
from Suttons Bay Chamber of Commerce

 

Yes, there are other chilly areas that generally rely on cold climate grapes such as riesling. 

About 40 years ago, Michigan was still an area best suited to hybrid grapes, or so it was thought. At that time, only 10% of the wine grapes were Vitis vinifera, the European wine grape. 

Locals knew the state had a fruit belt, famous for apples and cherries. This was possible because of the microclimates from Lake Michigan. In the spring, the water warms slower than the air, delaying fruit tree development so they was less concern about a late-season freeze. In the autumn, the lake cools slower so an early cold snap was less likely meaning the harvest could be later.

With help from the agriculture college at  Michigan State University, the grape growers learned about canopy management and nutrition for their climate, and what specific sites would work best for a vineyard.

Today, 75% of the state's wine grapes are Vitis vinifera, mostly riesling, chardonnay, pinot noir, pinot gris, and cabernet franc. Riesling does particularly well in the northwestern lower peninsula near Traverse City. Cab Franc loves the southwest region west of Kalamazoo. Both areas have their own little wine tourism thing going.

Maybe Michigan's success will encourage others to investigate and run trials on wine grapes where they're not supposed to do well. The lesson here is they did it with science, not a marketing campaign.

Michigan AVAs, from Wikipedia