Wines & Vines

December 2015 Unified Symposium Preview Sessions Issue

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74 WINES&VINES December 2015 BUSINESS PRACTICAL WINERY & VINEYARD W ith 24 active and growing wineries, Leelanau Peninsula is Michigan's largest AVA for wine production, if not for tourism. In 2013 there were 700 acres planted to vines on the Leelanau Peninsula, more than one quarter of the 2,500 total vineyard acres in Michigan's four AVAs. Most vineyards are up to 15 years old, and only a handful are 40 years old. Early growers acquired Chardonnay, Ries- ling and Pinot Noir grapevines (arguably Leelanau's most noteworthy varieties) from upstate New York nurseries, although new plant material has come from the West Coast of the United States and elsewhere. Elevation at this northwesterly stretch of land sur- rounded by Lake Michigan varies between 600 and 1,200 feet. The substrata are comprised of glacial moraine with a multiplicity of stri- ated variations—clays of various colors, silica, sandy-loam, gravel, pulses of granite and limestone. Growing degree-days "push 2,600," accord- ing to Adam Satchwell of Shady Lane Cellars, "along with diurnal swings often as wide as 30 o F, with one more hour of sunlight in July than most other U.S. wine regions. Bud break normally starts in May, and harvest typically lasts through October. Weather cold enough for ice wine harvest too often occurs as late as January, with the correspondingly excessive hang time making production of this rare commodity a chancy endeavor. Alcohol for finished wines is consis- tently on the low side; rarely do wines exceed 13%. Chaptalization is much less common- place than it used to be, as the better vintners produce high-quality wines. Chaptalization varies by producer, variety and vintage. Only in the past six years has there been more vine-specific equipment used, as most machinery is still designed for the ever-popular cherry and other fruit production. In keeping with their tourist-oriented business models, most wineries bottle a variety of wines to take full advantage of summer's booming flow of visitors from the big cities (Chicago, Detroit and Indianapolis). Coming from diverse backgrounds and types of winemaking experience, the five winery leaders interviewed have unique sto- ries to share. Bel Lago Vineyards "I have to admit that no bad decision really jumps immediately at me," says Charlie Edson, winemaker and owner of Bel Lago Vineyards. "One thing that comes to mind—while it may not be the worst decision—if I was able to redesign the winery I would make the crush area more efficient, cover a larger area than I now have and change the layout. We can gravity-feed barrels now, but I would probably redo it to gravity-feed tanks, too. "As part of that we would also be able to change where we place equipment and make operating the press more efficient. It would make our life easier during crush—and crush is hard enough already. Improving efficiency is always good, and if we had more cover from the weather, that would be good also. I am not unhappy with the rest of the winery. "Not every winery in Michigan is self-con- tained. Our being self-contained allows us to bring people into the cellar and educate them more about winemaking techniques. While that is obvious to many winery owners, for practical reasons many people here on Leela- nau Peninsula have their production facility and tasting room separate and miss that opportunity. "As a Northern Michigan winegrower, I am quite interested in cold-hardy, disease-resistant varieties that produce quality wines. We have an extensive mix that includes some common (and uncommon) V. vinifera varieties that we use as a structural and quality core for blended wines, along with several cold-hardy hybrid varieties from various regions like Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Eastern Europe and U.S. breeding programs at Cornell University and the University of Minnesota. "Our top red 'Tempesta' is a complex Cab- ernet Franc-based blend (50% to 60%) with Leelanau Peninsula Winery Owners Reflect Michigan vintners share their best and worst business decisions By David Furer Leelanau Wine Cellars grows Chardonnay (left) and Pinot Noir (right) at its vineyard established in 1991.

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