Tip of the Mitt
At the top of the Lower Peninsula, resort towns like Petoskey and Charlevoix anchor Michigan's coolest wine region, where hardy hybrid grapes and crisp whites flourish.
About Tip of the Mitt
The Tip of the Mitt AVA covers the northernmost reaches of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, a five-county band of resort towns and rolling farmland around Petoskey, Charlevoix, and Harbor Springs. Recognized in 2016, it is the state's coolest and one of its youngest wine regions, nestled between Lakes Michigan and Huron in the storied north country.
Growing wine grapes this far north demands the right varieties. The short season and cold winters favor cold-hardy hybrids such as Marquette, Frontenac, La Crescent, and Brianna, which ripen reliably and shrug off deep freezes. In warmer years and on protected sites near the water, growers coax cool-climate Riesling, Pinot Gris, and sparkling base wine to ripeness, and the moderating influence of the surrounding lakes is the region's greatest asset.
For visitors, the wine is woven into one of Michigan's most beloved vacation landscapes: Victorian resort towns, Lake Michigan sunsets, and the Petoskey stone beaches. Tasting rooms often sit alongside cideries and meaderies, and the region makes a scenic, relaxed complement to the better-known vineyards of Traverse City and the Leelanau and Old Mission peninsulas to the south.
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