Sunday Story: Michigan Wines

Everyone knows Napa Valley, Sonoma, and other such highly respected and publicized wine countries.  But not many people know that the west coast of Michigan has some fabulous wineries that make irresistible and unique wines that can blow your mind.  I've been on 2 winery tours in Michigan with some friends, and I think we have visited 20 of the wineries listed here.  I travel with some very organized friends that time things perfectly so that we can taste as many wines as possible. 

Here are some things you should know about Michigan Wines, tastings, and wineries:

1.  There is a law in the state of Michigan that forbids wineries to charge for tastings.  So if you are a poor grad student (let's just say...), you can do an entire wine tour for free.  Some places might charge for a glass, and you get to keep the glass at the end, but expect to pay no more than $5.  Tours are free too.  Wine tasting doesn't have to be a high-class, ritzy thing for snooty rich people. 

2.  If you go with friends, especially friends who you don't mind sharing the same glass with, you can coordinate it so that each person chooses about 5-6 different wines, and after halfway through, switch glasses and try the other person's.  This way, you get to tast 10-12 different wines, which is a great way to figure out what you like.

3.  Because of the cooler weather in Michigan, the grapes that grow off the West Coast of Michigan tend to make really good white wines, namely Rieslings.  If you don't know much about wines at all, rieslings are kind of that semi-dry to semi-sweet white wine.  A good intro white wine, if you will.  Some places will have a late harvest reisling, which are made from grapes that were left on the vine longer than the rest, so it had more time to turn sweet and yummy.  (I thought I hated all white wines in general and was strictly a dry red kind of person until i discovered Michigan whites)

4.  This is not specific to Michigan wines, but have you ever noticed a rosebush at the end of each row of grapes in a vineyard?  They're there because roses are more susceptible to diseases than grapes are.  If there is a plant disease spreading throughout the vineyard, the growers will know because the roses are the first to fall ill.  That will give the growers an indication that something is wrong, and they can do something to prevent the entire grape crop from going bad.

So here are some of my favorite wineries in Michigan, in case you wanna go check them out:

#3: Fenn Valley - really nice selection!  good prices.

http://www.fennvalley.com/

#2: Karma Vista - family owned, neat names for wines. 

http://www.karmavista.com/

My recommendation: Starry Starry White (a semi-sweet white) and Pink Side of the Moon (rose)

#1: Leelenau Cellers - unlimited pours!  really enthusiastic staff, the most beautiful view ever, and fantastic prices for top quality wines.  The four of us bought a case of 12 wines (actually, more than that) this past July when we were there.

http://www.leelanaucellars.com/

 My favorites: Spring Splendor (semi-sweet white), Sleeping Bear Red (a really smooth red), and the awesome Spice Wine (mull it over the stove for a warm, autumny drink)

I hope I've convinced you to go to some of these places.  Or, if you live in Michigan or some of the surrounding states, look for Michigan wines at your local grocery store.  Bring home a bottle of white, chill it, and have some after dinner.  You'll love it!