October 17 2006
I justcame back from a long weekend in Michigan and an unanticipated break from Good Grape—I had no idea I would essentially be “off the grid” in terms of Internet access. Anything north of Cadillac, Michigan is considered “Up North” and I was in the Northwest portion of the state that hasTraverse City as its hub; it’s definitely “Up North” and an easy eight + hour drive from Indianapolis.
There are other spots in the Midwest, including Northern Minnesota, but for sheer enjoyment of scenary not in California or New England, this is “God’s Country.”
And, I’m currently reading a social history of Napa Valley that includes detail about the fight between commerce, new money and an agricultural sensibility--I’m struck that Northern Michigan is very likely what Northern California was in the early 60’s, right down to the farmland preservation battles that are ongoing.
The other interesting aspect of our trip up north was the local flavor and history provided by the friends of ours who were our hosts: As I soon found out, Jennifer Granholm, Michigan’s current Governor, famous to most wine lovers as THE Granholm in Granholm vs. Heald that over-turned the ban on out of state wineries shipping to consumers, is likely out as Governor of the state--facing an up uphill battle to win against challenger, Dick DeVos.
TheMichigan economy is getting rocked by the roiling auto industry and allegedly DeVos is pro-business and a better fit for the current state of affairs.
In the “Up North” region of Michigan I hope that doesn’t mean he turns development loose for the sake of tourism dollars.
The Leelanau Peninsula and Old Mission Peninsula is beautiful—pastoral, virtually unspoiled and quaint. And, these areas also happen to be home to a fair number of wineries, as well.
In fact, by my count, there are at least 20 wineries within 35 minutes drive of each other making for a solid three if not four solid days of tasting opportunities.
We opted for an abbreviated tasting schedule, leaving some wineries on the Old Mission Peninsula for the next visit. All told, we visited nine wineries over the course of two days.
The wines up here are cool weather grapes—a lot of Riesling, Pinot Noir, some French hybrid blends
with Marechal Foch, Chambourcin and the like.
Michigan wines have been getting a fair amount of press lately and this article sums up the current wine state of affairs on the Leelanau Peninsula--net-net it’s on the rise.
One ubiquitous aspect of wine in these parts, famous for their cherry crop, is Cherry wine—100% fruit based aperitif style quaffers. Now, a lot of wine bloggers would eschew the cherry wine dismissing it as plonk. But, here at Good Grape, we espouse an authentic blogging experience and, frankly, I enjoy Cherry wine, despite the damage to the wine cred.
The wines, overall, were somewhat hit and miss. Later this week, I’ll detail some champagne, a Pinot Noir and a couple of Rieslings, but these were the exceptions, instead of the rule. Though, enjoyment can be had in the off-the-beaten path as much as the sublime and to that end the Michigan wines excel.
Overall, though, with Michigan, and several other “East of Mississippi” wine regions really taking off, it’s not outside of the realm of possibility that 25 years from now American wine will be known forCalifornia, Northwest (OR and WA),Michigan, New York, Virginia and “other” wine regions as quality grows commensurate with experience.
For more Michigan wine reading, check out the below links.
More Vineyards need for Michigan Wine Industry
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