EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL AND PROMISE OF MICHIGAN AS A FINE WINE GROWING STATE
By 1. Paolo Sabbatini, 2. Paul Jenkins, and 3. Robin Usborne
The grape and wine industry in Michigan is still very young, and, much like a youngster, is still trying to figure out what it wants to be when it grows up. Since the planting of its first commercial European vinifera wine grape vineyard in the ‘70s, Michigan has begun to realize its potential as a fine white wine growing region. In the early ‘90s, red wine production with vinifera grapes was initiated, opening the potential for a new era in the Michigan wine and grape industry.
Viticulture and enology researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) are expounding on that potential, experimenting with numerous grape cultivars that may grow well in the state’s cool climate viticulture regions as well as make outstanding wines. A wine tasting workshop was held June 1st at the campus’ Spartan Cellars, using wines made with experimental wine grape varieties being grown in the state. A capacity crowd of Michigan grape growers and winemakers from the four Michigan appellations filled the production floor of the winery. Twenty experimental wines were produced in 2010 at Spartan Cellars from the promising European grape varieties. The event was organized and coordinated by Paul Jenkins, MSU grape and wine integrator and the wines were produced by Bill MacDonald, MSU winemaker, using standard micro-vinification techniques.
“As part of the National NE 1020 Project, wine grape variety trials were established in southwestern and northwestern Michigan in 2008 to evaluate their potential for commercial production,” says Paolo Sabbatini, assistant professor of viticulture at MSU, and lead investigator of the project. “More than 20 experimental wines were made from these new varieties at the Spartan Cellars, a research facility in the Department of Horticulture, and this was the first opportunity to critically examine their potential for commercial production in Michigan”.
“Living in a competitive and globalized grape and wine trade, the market is the driving force for quality/cost ratio of our vineyard operations and wine production,” he notes. “This is challenging for Michigan vineyard operators, grape growers and winemakers. The choice of grape variety and clones are, and will continue to be, pivotal factors to reconcile these difficult challenges and to build a national recognition as fine wine growing region in U.S.”
During the workshop, Sabbatini notes that “the successful expansion of wine grape production in Michigan will depend on the possibility of growing appropriate varieties that fit site characteristic that produce consistently high quality wine.” He believes grape variety recommendations are crucial, based on specific performance tested in the variety trials.
The variety trial project in Michigan is in association with the national project NE 1020, which involves more than 20 states in eastern U.S. and the West Coast. Entitled “Coordinated Wine Grape Variety Evaluations in the Eastern USA,” the project’s objectives are to (1) evaluate the viticultural characteristics and wine quality potential of grape cultivars and clones of economic significance throughout the eastern USA, and, (2) characterize the viticultural and wine quality potential of emerging cultivars based on regional needs.
Of the 32 varieties grown in northwestern Michigan at the Northwest Michigan Horticulture Research Station (NWMHRS) in Traverse City, and 25 varieties grown in the southwestern Michigan at the Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (SWMREC) in Benton Harbor (60% vinifera and 40% hybrids, 50% reds and 50% whites), nine – common in the two plots – were featured at the event tasting. These wines were compared by region (appellations) in the state, and to a commercial example of that varietal available on the U.S. market. Two keynote speakers – Chaad Thomas, partner at U.S. Wine Imports of Ann Arbor, and Steve Scheffel, president and wine manager at Goodrich's Market of East Lansing – gave their perspective on the potential for new Michigan wine varietals for Michigan from an importer and a retailer point of view, respectively. The workshop was opened with a welcome from Vance Baird, MSU Department of Horticulture chairperson, and Tom Fernandez, associate professor and coordinator for the Horticulture Teaching and Research Center at MSU.
Viticulture performance (vine size, yield, cluster size, and basic fruit chemistry) and wines tasted came from the grape varieties Rkatsiteli, Sauvignon blanc musque, Muscat blanc, Tocai Friuliano and Gruner Veltliner (whites) and Teroldego, Zweigelt and Lagrein (reds).
The varieties included in the tasting were selected by Sabbatini based on their history in internationally European renowned cool-climate growing regions and potential for success in Michigan’s climate. “I chose these varieties for the workshop because I believe they fill two important gaps for our industry: more aromatic whites, and more reds with better color, structure and mouth-feel,” Sabbatini says.
The wines received several positive comments from several winemakers and industry leaders in the state. G. Stanley Howell, MSU professor emeritus of viticulture and enology and one of the pioneering wine grape researchers in the state, noted that “This was the best event of its kind since the first one I did in the early 1970's, demonstrating that there were grape varieties other than Labrusca adapted to Michigan and made good wine. I still maintain that, with over 300 publications of which over 100 were in reviewed journals, I did nothing for the Michigan wine industry of greater importance that variety trials”.
Based on several comments during the meeting, Sabbatini and Jenkins believe that this variety trial effort is of major importance to the future of Michigan’s wine and grape industry, especially for red wines. All three reds presented – Zweigelt, Teroldego and Lagrein – have a huge potential to add complexity to the red wines currently most important to Michigan – Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc.
Sabbatini and his team at MSU hope that the trials will provide Michigan growers and winemakers with higher quality grape varieties from which to choose in planting, resulting in the production of higher quality wines which will enhance the competitiveness for Michigan appellation wines, regionally and nationally. Sabbatini does not believe that unknown varieties in Michigan will not have chance to stand on their own as a varietal wine in the near future if they produce outstanding cool-climate wines; Petite Syrah, Syrah and Pinot Grigio are increasing significantly in production and consumption in the U.S. and they were totally mysterious just few ago.
This year, the viticulture team at MSU will continue to collect data from the 2008 planting. Data collected on selected varieties will include yield at harvest, cluster weight, number of clusters per vine, clusters per vine with rot, and pruning weights. At harvest, measurements will be taken for basic fruit chemistry. Spartan Cellars will again produce wines from 8 to 10 varieties, following the NE1020 protocol for experimental micro-vinification. Winemaking data will be available and another tasting will be held in 2012. Sabbatini hopes to connect this event with surrounding states involved in the NE1020 project.
“The MSU viticulture team is aware that, as Shunryu Suzuki said ‘in the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few’, but as a research group they believe that to be successful and help a young growing industry, they need to ‘skate where the puck is going, not where it has been (Wayne Gretzky)’, says Sabbatini. “Grape variety trials not only are pointing out positive grape cultivar choices, but they are taking the risk of evaluating cultivars not currently adapted for Michigan’s climate or seem to be lacking in sufficient wine quality characteristics, which can save growers money and time.”
Sabbatini says several people at MSU were pivotal in making this project happen. They include Tom Zabadal and Nikki Rothwell, the staff at NWMHRS and SWMREC Experiment stations, Craig Cunningham and Dennis Kotsekon of Cunningham Viticultural Services for plot maintenance at NWMHRS, the students and staff in the MSU Viticulture Research and Extension Program in the Department of Horticulture: Pat Murad (viticulture research technician) for plot maintenance and data collection; Bill MacDonald (winemaker) for producing the experimental wines; and graduate (Letizia Tozzini, Shijian Zhuang and Dana Acimovic) and undergraduate (Jake Emling, Lillian Franklin and Amanda Feighner) students for their passion for new varieties and for their help pouring wines at the workshop. This project would not have been possible without the financial support of the AgBioResearch (formerly Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station) and the Viticulture Consortium-East, as well as the challenge from several industry leaders, such as Charlie Edson of Bel Lago Winery and Lee Lutes of Black Star Farms to “find high-quality varieties for Michigan’s cool-cold climate!”
Picture 1: Bottles of experimental wines produced at Spartan Cellars winery at Michigan State University are tasted by Michigan wine makers and grape growers at Experimental Wine Tasting workshop held at the winery in June. The wines came from grape varieties planted in 2008 as part of the national NE 1020 Project, and were examined for their potential for commercial production in Michigan.
Picture 2: Michigan wine makers and grape growers taste and evaluate wines made from experimental grape varieties grown in the state as part of the Michigan Experimental Wine Tasting workshop held in June at Michigan State University's Spartan Cellars winery. The wines were examined for their potential for commercial production in the state. As part of the national NE 1020 Project, begun in 2008, wine grape variety trials were established in the northwestern and southwestern grape growing areas of Michigan.
Picture 3: Michigan State Viticulture and Enology team during Experimental Wine Tasting workshop held in June at the Spartan Cellars winery, from left to right: Jake Emling (undergraduate student), Letizia Tozzini (Ph.D. candidate), Lilian Franklin (undergraduate student), Dana Acimovic (MS candidate), Bill Macdonald (winemaker), Shijian Zhuang (MS candidate and Dr Sabbatini (assistant professor of viticulture in the Department of Horticulture).
Authors:
1. Assistant Professor of Viticulture, Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University.
2. Grape and Wine Integrator, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Michigan State University.
3. Communications Manager, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Michigan State University
Article printed with permission.
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