Top 100 red wines of Michigan

Discover the top 100 best red wines of Michigan as well as the best winemakers in the region. Explore the varietals of the red wines that are popular of Michigan and the best vintages to taste in this region.

Discovering the wine region of Michigan

Michigan is a state in the Midwestern United States, located between Great Lakes Huron and Michigan, along the northern border of the United States with Canada. Grape wine production in the state focuses on cool Climate vinifera varieties, while fruit wine production is also significant. The state is also known for its craft breweries and a growing spirits industry. Riesling has quickly become the most important noble grape, supported by varieties such as Pinot blanc, pinot grigio and Gewurztraminer.

The Bordeaux varieties, Gamay and Pinot Noir are among the most important red varieties. In regions further inland from the Great Lakes, cold-hardy Hybrid grapes are more common. Examples include Marquette, Frontenac and Vidal. Michigan is one of the few wine regions in the world that can produce natural ice wines.

Discover the grape variety: Concord

It is the result of a seedling planted in the United States, around 1840, recovered near the Concord River, a small river located east of Massachusetts. According to genetic analysis, it is an interspecific cross between the catawba and a vitis labrusca. Concord was for a long time the main variety cultivated in North America. It was introduced into Europe at the beginning of the 19th century, in France at the beginning of the phylloxera crisis, but was not widely propagated. It could be found in the Valleraugue region (Gard) at the foot of Mont Aigoual, in the Ardèche (our photos), etc. Today, it exists only as an isolated strain that can sometimes be found on the edge of a slope, which was our case. Through various and numerous crosses, it has been used to obtain some rootstocks and direct producer hybrids, which have now almost all disappeared.

Food and wine pairing with a red wine of Michigan

red wines from the region of Michigan go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, pork or game (deer, venison) such as recipes of homemade beef stew, currywurst or rabbit leg in foil on the barbecue.

Organoleptic analysis of red wine of Michigan

On the nose in the region of Michigan often reveals types of flavors of non oak, earth or oak and sometimes also flavors of spices, red fruit or black fruit. In the mouth in the region of Michigan is a powerful with a nice balance between acidity and tannins.

News from the vineyard of Michigan

Drinks industry ramps up efforts to raise money in aid of Ukraine crisis

In addition to the fine wine auctions reported on previously by Decanter, further initiatives have been set up to raise money for those in crisis. UK-based wine importer Les Caves de Pyrene has been helping to relocate families fleeing from war-torn Ukraine and settle them in safe havens across Europe, in accommodation provided by the importer’s European winemakers. To help cover the logistical costs of relocating families, the importer has announced it will hold a fundraising auction and charit ...

Errazuriz wine photographer of the year revealed

Jon Wyand has been crowned Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year after impressing the judges with his beautiful shot of a Burgundian vineyard worker gathering prunings. The photograph was taken on a crisp winter’s day at Montagne de Corton Hill in the Côte de Beaune. ‘The winning image evokes with stark beauty the reality of wine growing – you are always at the mercy of nature,’ said wine writer Joanna Simon, one of the judges. ‘But there’s an extra element here: is he scruti ...

Corpinnat announces large boost in sales

The 11 producers within the group saw total sales reach 2.3 million bottles for 2021 which erased the general 23% contraction in sales during 2020 and surpassed 2019’s 2.2 million bottles sold. What’s more, the per bottle price rose 2% from 2020 to an average of 17.35€. This is an important distinction in a country where sparkling wines are regularly found in supermarkets for 2€ a bottle or even less. The Corpinnat producers admit that this rise in price will unfortunately be offset ...