Leelanau & Michigan Wine & Wine Tourism Booming

A couple of weeks ago, the Chicago Tribune had a great article about Michigan’s (and Leelanau’s) wine industry that begins:

Forty-five degrees north latitude is an imaginary line encircling the earth that runs just a few miles south of this quiet Lake Michigan town. The line’s claim to fame is its position, pretty much halfway between the equator and North Pole.

Here on the Leelanau Peninsula, though, the 45th parallel means something more. Folks are quick to tell you the line crosses some of the world’s top wine regions: Bordeaux and Burgundy in France, Italy’s Piedmont, the Willamette Valley of Oregon and … northwest Michigan.

The article is very detailed and provides a lot of information on Michigan’s $100 million wine and wine tourism industry, including the fact that nearly half the wines sold come from Leelanau (something I was unaware of).

Photo credit: Net Covered Vineyard by Mike Field, part of a great set of photos of Leelanau & Old Mission Wineries & Vineyards.