Porch Notes
Wine on the 45th Parallel: Michigan's Cool-Climate Boom
History and culture
Mention American wine country and people picture California. But draw a line around the 45th parallel — the latitude that also runs through France’s Bordeaux and Italy’s Piedmont — and it cuts right across northern Michigan. Up near Traverse City, that happy accident of geography has grown into a serious wine region.
The stars are two slender peninsulas reaching into Grand Traverse Bay. The Leelanau Peninsula (recognized as a wine region in 1982) and the narrow Old Mission Peninsula (1987) are cradled by big water on nearly every side, and that water is the whole trick: Lake Michigan and the bay moderate the temperature, stretch out the growing season, and protect the vines from frost. The result is bright, cool-climate wine — above all Riesling, which one Old Mission grower flatly calls “king,” plus Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, and sparkling wines.
From a handful of pioneers in the 1970s, Michigan has grown to roughly a hundred wineries across five recognized growing areas. Most of the bottles never leave the Midwest, which means the best way to get to know Michigan wine is still to drive up, wander a peninsula, and taste it where it’s grown.
Where to see it
The Leelanau Peninsula and Old Mission Peninsula wine trails near Traverse City each string together a dozen or more tasting rooms with bay views.