2012 vintage ahead of schedule in Leelanau's vineyards

via lpwines.com…

UpNorthLive’s Brody O’Connell has a report on the 2012 vintage that says that our grapes are running about 2 weeks ahead of usual thanks to the warm weather thusfar:

Northern Michigan vineyards are looking surprisingly full for this time of year. In fact, they are developing two weeks ahead of schedule.

High temperatures and sun-filled days have set the stage for what wine makers are projecting to be a banner season.

“It sets us up for being able to get all of our fruit ripe. It’s going to make for some really nice red wines. Usually we are crunched up against the end of the picking season into the cold weather to get those where we want them, so we’re looking forward to excellent reds and prefect quality in white wines,” said Doug Matthies, owner, Big Paw Vineyard Services.