Wine drinkers worldwide are taking note of Northern Michigan’s wine industry, including the editors at JamesSuckling.com, one of the world’s most high-profile wine websites.
Forbes called CEO/Editor James Suckling “one of the world’s most powerful wine critics.” James and his team rate about 10,000 wines a year, offering tasting notes and recommendations.
Contributing Editor Stuart Pigott says this about Northern Michigan wine:
Mari Vineyards’ new cellars are an imposing piece of Italianate architecture of the kind that wouldn’t raise any eyebrows in Napa Valley, California, but it makes a bold statement for the winemaking in the state of Michigan. Mari’s first wine was made in 2006 and the substantial investments made since then by owner Marty Lagina are a sign that the industry is maturing. Developments of this kind persuaded us it was time for an initial report on the region …
The question our blind tastings of Michigan wines sought to answer was how much progress has been made here since the first vinifera vines were planted back in the mid-1970s
So how much progress had been made? Read the full article on JamesSuckling.com.
Not to take away from the great wines and the story of the Grand Traverse region… the first Vinifera in Michigan were planted in the 1960’s in southwest Michigan.