Last week we traveled to Michigan where we visited nine of the thirteen wineries located in the TIp of the Mitt AVA. Along the way the foliage was brightly colored with orange, red and yellow. This American Viticulture Area, the newest AVA in Michigan, was established in August 2016. The AVA is in Michigan’s Northern Lower Peninsula. Most of the Tip of the Mitt wineries are located near Little Traverse Bay which leads into the magnificent Lake Michigan.

The other AVAs in Michigan, located south or west of the Tip of the Mitt, are Lake Michigan Shore, Fennville, Leelanau Peninsula and Old Mission Peninsula.

The climate throughout the Tip of the Mitt AVA is significantly cold and therefore the wineries in the region concentrate on growing cold weather grape varieties. In fact, as we traveled into the Petoskey wine region we spent the night in Gaylord;  the next morning we awoke to a light snowfall (October 15.)

Some of the grape varieties we encountered in the Tip of the Mitt AVA included the hybrid varieties such as Frontenac Gris, Frontenac Blanc, Marquette, Vignoles, Lemberger and Traminette. A few brave wineries have added a few vinifera varieties to their vineyards including Riesling.

In the middle of October, grapes were in the process of being harvested. In particular we saw Petite Pearl and Marquette grape clusters ready and waiting to be harvested. The Petite Pearl variety is a newer hybrid grape.

The Tip of the Mitt wineries we visited included:
Seasons of the North
Rudbeckia Winery and Brewery
Crooked Vine Vineyard & Winery
Pond Hill Farm Winery Brewery Cafe Market
Mackinaw Trail Winery & Brewery
Maple Moon Sugarbush & Winery
Petoskey Farms Vineyard & Winery
Royal Farms Farm Market and Winery
Walloon Lake Winery

In addition to producing grape wines, some of the wineries are producing fruit wines as well as hard ciders and beers. Maple Moon is producing maple syrup wine and also has maple syrup Grade A and B plus produces bourbon-aged maple syrup.

The next time you are traveling in the Petoskey region of Michigan, consider stopping by wineries in the Tip of the Mitt AVA.

Visit the Wine Trail Traveler website to discover reviews of wineries in Michigan. The Tip of the Mitt reviews will be added quickly.

Cheers!
Kathy