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Michigan wine grapes off to fantastic start

 

A spokesperson for Michigan’s wine industry says a rather mild winter and cool start to the growing season has kept wine grapes protected from frost and freezes.

“It protects them from blooming too fast and then invariably falling to a late spring, early summer frost.  So right now, with the mild temperatures of spring, we haven’t seen any damage.”

Jenelle Jagmin with the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council tells Brownfield growing conditions last year were mostly ideal and a heat wave at the end of the season made it even better.  “It just took the entire crop and brought it into fruition beautifully.  We were able to enjoy a great harvest throughout the state.”

She says the Michigan wine industry is celebrating wine month this May to kick start the tourism season and release the first white and rose wines from the 2017 harvest.

Last year, the state produced 2.7 million gallons of wine from more than 3,000 acres, making it the nation’s fifth largest wine grape producer.

A recent economic study finds Michigan’s wine industry is valued at $5.4 billion annually.

AUDIO: Interview with Jenelle Jagmin