Michigan Wine Country

About Michigan Wine Country

Michigan wine country is one of the great revelations of American wine. The state's 136 estate wineries make it a top-five producer nationally, anchored by two of the most distinguished peninsulas in American viticulture: Old Mission and Leelanau. At 45 degrees north latitude — the same as Burgundy — and with the thermal moderation of Lakes Michigan and Grand Traverse Bay creating a unique microclimate, Michigan makes Riesling and Pinot Noir that deserve to be taken as seriously as any in the country.

The Banana Belt effect is the secret behind Michigan's wine success. Warm air rising from Lake Michigan prevents killing frosts on the Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsulas, extending the growing season by 3–4 weeks compared to inland locations at the same latitude. The result is wines with the natural acidity and delicacy of cool-climate viticulture combined with the ripeness that comes from a longer harvest window.

Michigan is also America's ice wine capital — no state produces more dessert wines from naturally frozen grapes than Michigan. The state's brutal December and January temperatures, which would kill vinifera vines anywhere without the lake effect buffer, become an asset: grapes left on the vine through the first hard freezes yield intensely concentrated, honeyed ice wines that are among the sweetest and most complex dessert wines made in America.