Explore Northern Michigan’s ‘Tip of the Mitt’ Wine Region Along the Bay View Wine Trail This Autumn

Dianna Stampfler September 30, 2017October 1, 2017 agriculture, bay view wine trail, culinary tour, michigan wine, northern michigan, Petoskey, pure michigan, tourism, wine tour

Northern Michigan is an ideal location to experience the changing of the fall colors and the bounty of the season. The 10 wineries that collectively that make up the Bay View Wine Trail are excited to host two weekends celebrating the harvest – November 10-12 and November 18-19.

The “Bay View Wine Trail Harvest Cruise” invites travelers to indulge in luscious wine paired with small plates of homemade delights at each of the wineries—including Crooked Vine, Harbor Springs Winery at Pond Hill Farm, Mackinaw Trail Winery, Maple Moon Sugarbush and Winery, Petoskey Farms Vineyard & Winery, Resort Pike Cidery, Royal Farms, Rudbeckia Farm and Winery, Seasons of the North and Walloon Lake Winery.

Be sure to have your $30 “Cruise Ticket” punched at each winery to be entered for a chance to win one of two prizes: a $100 winery gift card or a $50 winery gift card. Tickets are available at any member winery or online at BayViewWineTrail.com.

Located in and around the greater Petoskey area, the wineries of the Bay View Wine Trail are part of a larger Tip of the Mitt American Viticultural Area (AVA)— which encompasses 2,760-square miles throughout Alpena, Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet and Presque Isle counties in the northern Lower Peninsula. Established in August 2016, the Tip of the Mitt is the latest of five federally-recognized AVA’s in Michigan.

Situated further north than any of the other AVA’s, the Tip of the Mitt region offers a unique set of challenges and opportunities when it comes to growing grapes. Lake effective conditions from Little Traverse Bay and the Straits of Mackinac often create colder and windier winter seasons, meaning varietals typically planted downstate can’t withstand the harsh conditions. Hybrid varietals—such as Marquette, Frontenac, Lemberger, Traminette, Vignoles and a dozen others—represent new standards in “cold hardy” viticulture and enology.

An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States distinguishable by geographic features, with boundaries defined by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) of the United States Department of the Treasury. As of November 2016, there were 238 recognized AVAs in the United States—several of which are shared by two or more states.

PHOTO: Petoskey Farms