tVintners from many of Michigan’s 100-plus wineries — from as far as Traverse City to as close as Port Huron — will join together next month to showcase their wines for the public at the Rattlesnake Club in Detroit.
t“Because the program has been so successful, we’ve had to limit the event to 30 wineries only,” says Claudia Tyagi, a master sommelier helping to organize the event. “So we’ve got a good third of them, which I think is a great representation of what the state (has to offer).”
tThe Michigan Wine Showcase, sponsored by the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council, will offer several small plates prepared by Rattlesnake Chef Chris Franz. Each winery will provide four selections in the atrium of Stroh River Place, Tyagi says — and visitors can expect more than just Rieslings. State wineries produce a wide variety of offerings such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Cabernet Franc.
t“Originally, wine makers (in Michigan) were told they couldn’t grow French vinifera grapes,” Tyagi says. “They were growing French-American hybrids, which produced good wine, but not the same quality we look for in table wines. But now Michigan does grow vinifera, and it does so successfully.”
tThe tasting was purposefully scheduled in April, which for the past few years has been designated Michigan Wine Month to recognize the industry’s economic impact in the state. The timing makes sense, since it’s right before spring growth. “It’s before the vines are beginning to produce and (vintners) have already done their pruning,” she says.
tFor more information about the event, to be held from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on April 7, visit michiganwines.com/showcase or contact Sherri Goodreau at goodreaus@michigan.gov or 517-284-5733.
tThe participating wineries include:
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- ttBel Lago Vineyards and Winery
- ttBlack Star Farms
- ttBlue Water Winery
- ttBlustone Vineyards
- ttBowers Harbor Vineyards
- ttBrengman Brothers
- ttBrys Estate
- ttBurgdorf's Winery
- ttChateau Aeronautique Winery
- ttChateau Chantal
- ttChateau Fontaine
- ttChateau Grand Traverse
- ttCiccone Vineyard and Winery
- ttCody Kresta
- ttDizzy Daisy
- ttFenn Valley Vineyards and Wine Cellar
- ttForty-Five North
- ttGood Harbor Vineyards
- ttHawthorne Vineyards
- ttL. Mawby
- ttLaurentide Winery
- ttLeelanau Wine Cellars
- ttLeft Foot Charley
- ttMackinaw Trail Winery
- ttPeninsula Cellars
- ttRaftshol Vineyards/Three Fires Wine
- ttRound Barn Winery
- ttSandhill Crane Vineyards
- ttVerterra Winery
- ttWyncroft Marland
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