Petoskey Area Wineries Garner “Best of Class” at 40th Annual Michigan Wine Competition

Dianna Stampfler August 2, 2017 alanson, american viticultural region, AVA, bay view wine trail, best of class, best of show, double gold, gold medal, hybrid grapes, little traverse bay, mackinaw trail winery, michigan agriculture, michigan wine, Petoskey, pure michigan, seasons of the north winery, straits of mackinac, tip of the mitt, walloon lake, walloon lake winery

Hybrid Marquette Wine from Walloon Lake Winery Noted as “Head Turner”

Over the past 40 years of the Michigan Wine Competition, presented annual by the Michigan Grape & Wine Industry Council—operating under the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development, it is rare for a hybrid red grape to rise above all other dry red competitors.

Yet, that is just what happened this year when Walloon Lake Winery’s North Arm Noir was named “Best of Class,” receiving a Double Gold Medal in the Dry Red category. It was one of eight such awards presented on Thursday, July 27 at the Michigan Gold Medal Wine Reception at the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing.

Twenty-nine wine experts from around the country gathered July 18 in East Lansing for the actual competition. They spent the day sampling 380 wines that were entered from 58 of the state’s 130 wineries. The competition is only open to wine produced from Michigan grapes and other fruit. The complete list of award winners can be found online here.

Mackinaw Trail Winery’s Blueberry was also named “Best of Class,” receiving a Double Gold Medal in the Fruit Wine category. Mackinaw Trail also received a Double Gold Medal for its 2013 Unrestricted Cuvee No. 7; Silver Medals for its 2013 Unrestricted Cabernet Sauvignon, 2015 Unrestricted Chardonnay Barrel Reserve, 2016 Late Harvest La Crescent and Lilly Blanc; and Bronze Medals for its 2013 Cabernet Merlot, Unrestricted Sauvignon Blanc, 2016 Traminette, Kinky Pink Sweet Rosato and White Ibis.

Seasons of the North Winery, located in Alanson, brought home Silver Medals for its Lake House and Burt Lake Breeze, along with a Bronze Medal for its Mullet Lake Mist.

These three wineries are among 10 that make up the Bay View Wine Trail in and around the greater Petoskey area. They’re 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—the others include Old Mission Peninsula, Leelanau Peninsula, Fennville and Lake Michigan Shore.

Located 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.