2006 Leelanau Wine Harvest & Grape Acreage Looking Great!

The Traverse City Record-Eagle has a pair of excellent stories on the northern Michigan wine industry. The grape harvest is just under way in Leelanau & Old Mission vineyards and it looks to be a very good harvest. In addition to growing grapes, the wine industry is also increasing the amount of acreage in Leelanau and Grand Traverse counties that are planted with as vineyards – over 1000 acres.
According to Linda Jones, head of the Michigan Grape & Wine Industry Council, the state expects the new census will find as much as a 20% increase of vineyard acreage in the state. Most vineyards are in Grand Traverse & Leelanau counties in the northwest (with new ones popping up in Benzie and Emmet) and Berrien and Van Buren counties in southwest Michigan. Based on current trends, the council estimates Michigan could get to 10,000 acres of grapes by 2020.

Read Local vintners excited by this year’s harvest and Region’s vineyards are booming in the Record-Eagle.

For more articles and links for Michigan’s booming wine industry check out Absolute Michigan keyword “wine” and also see the web sites for the Michigan Grape & Wine Industry Council and the Leelanau Peninsula Vinters.