News Agribiz Not just a novelty anymore: Wine industry seeks to continue growth, working to finds its voice
Not just a novelty anymore: Wine industry seeks to continue growth, working to finds its voice
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By Nathan Peck | FoodBiz
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MICHIGAN — Michigan’s wine industry has a good story to tell, and Paul Landeck is proud that his winery has helped lead the way.
Landeck, VP and general manager for Tabor Hill Winery, joined the company 26 years ago, when previous owner David Upton began taking the small winery and growing its business and refining its wines. Upton took what was a juice grape farm and planted its first wine grapes in the 1970s as part of a statewide push into producing wine from European varietals.
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Paul Landeck expects growth at Tabor Hill Winery to continue as the state’s reputation as a wine producing state builds. PHOTO: NATHAN PECK |
Standing amid casks of wine maturing in storage, Landeck said that Tabor Hill, and the Michigan wine industry as whole, has done well by focusing on producing quality wines. The winery has seen its sales grow 8-12 percent each year, due in part to a $3 million renovation to its restaurant, tasting room, and winemaking and storage operations.
“Nobody goes into this seeking mediocrity. We knew that if you put a quality product out there, people will follow,” Landeck told FoodBiz. “We all have gotten more educated and savvy as we have gone along. At this point, I don’t care to grow any larger. We are now working to become as streamlined as possible with what we have now.”
Tabor Hill has benefited from a growing wine tourism industry over the last decade, as the state has promoted agritourism and wine trails throughout the state. The number of wineries in the state has grown to 81 over the last 20 years, up from 14 two decades ago, with more than 2,000 acres of land under wine grape cultivation — up from 900 in 1991, according to the Michigan Wine Council. The state’s wineries create nearly $790 million in economic activity and provide 5,000 jobs.
“We have a perfect confluence of positive factors. Michigan has been for generations a strong fruit-growing region due to the climate of Michigan with its proximity to the Great Lakes, particularly on the West side of the state. We also have a growing interest in supporting local products,” said Linda Jones, program manager at the Michigan Wine Council. “Michigan wine sales growth continues to outpace the category, and it has been the case for several years. Our market share is growing — 6.5 percent of the wine consumed in the state is made by Michigan wineries. It is higher than other states that have established wine industries.”
Finding the right grape varieties for Michigan’s microclimates, whether they are northern Michigan, Southwest, or inland, falls in part to Paolo Sabbatini, an Italian-born professor of viticulture at Michigan State University’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The wine grape, vitis vinifera, is a European transplant, and Michigan’s climate is at the edge of its temperature threshold.
“We have a very, very young industry in Michigan — the first vinifera grapes were planted in the 1970s — the first cabernet franc was bottled in 1995,” Sabbatini told FoodBiz. “The challenge we’re trying to solve is to determine what are the best varieties for Michigan. When you think of these numbers, we have 15 years’ experience with these varieties. We don’t have experience about how best we can grow these grapes in Michigan. The first question is how do you grow the best grapes so you can make the best wine? We are establishing our reputation as a wine-producing state. The risk is if we are producing bad wines, it only takes a few drinkers to ruin our reputation.”
Growing wine grapes along the Lake Michigan shore is somewhat of a Goldilocks scenario. Grapes grown in Southwest Michigan benefit from milder temperatures and a slightly longer growing season, but can fall victim to autumn rains that can ruin crops in September — when most of the ripening for wine grapes takes place. The cooler climes near Traverse City are well suited to white wines, where the cool, drier autumn helps create the aromatic compounds in the wines. Lake Michigan helps moderate the temperature, so grapes like Riesling and Cabernet Franc, which are more tolerant of cooler weather, do well here.
“We know that everyone likes Riesling, (and) we have a good environment for the aromatic whites. The cool nights during ripening help us produce these flavors that are desirable in the whites,” Sabbatini said. “The other question is the reds. We don’t know yet what are our varieties there. Cabernet franc is very cold-resistant, but we are always at the borderline of ripening. If you don’t let them ripen enough, they produce vegetal flavors.”
Sabbatini is researching new varietals, as well as growing techniques to help increase the consistency and quality of grapes in the state. Michigan’s industry is in its infancy in comparison with states such as California, where vinifera grapes were introduced in the mid-nineteenth century. Michigan’s first vinifera grapes were planted in 1969. MSU is experimenting with new hybrid varietals, such as the Marquette, that are bred to withstand colder temperatures inland.
“The main question we are trying to answer is how do the wines taste? If the grapes grow well, it doesn’t make much sense to plant these grapes if we can’t make good wine from them,” Sabbatini said. “The next step, I think, is how to cultivate to get the best chemical makeup of the fruit to create distinctive wine from our region. In a growing region like Michigan, we are really looking to find what is going to be the product that will identify that region. What is the distinct product we can produce that the market will identify as coming from our state?”
For St. Julian Winery in Paw Paw, the state’s oldest winery, third-generation owner David Braganini said that it is a blend of conservatism and innovation that will help its operations grow. With 700 acres under contract with 42 growers, there is a constant push to add new varieties to keep up with changing tastes. New plantings are a calculated risk, even for a winery with St. Julian’s history — it takes five years after planting before the grapes can be harvested. Braganini is positive about St. Julian’s future, and that of the industry in the state.
“We are in six states and we’re growing, but when you’re the size we are, we couldn’t double our sales. The business, overall, is good,” Braganini said. “Like everyone, we are blessed with the lake, but cursed with the Michigan winter. A hundred years from now, we will still be here.
“I’m amazed in the quality of the wines in Michigan, each year they’re improving. Everyone wants to be the best — it’s not an industry interested in mediocrity. All the wineries that are opening is great. We are no longer a novelty; we’re an industry.”
