Brys Estate Vineyard and Winery - About the Estate

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Michigan Wine Industry

Cool-Climate Winemaking in Michigan

Surrounded by the world’s largest, deepest and most abundant freshwater ecosystem, Michigan ranks second in agricultural diversity in the United States.
Home to nearly 200 wineries, Michigan is the capital of cool-climate winemaking in the U.S.
Michigan ranks 7th in the U.S. in the production of wine. The Michigan Wine Industry produces over 4 million gallons of wine annually from over 3,300 acres of grapes.
Over 50 grape varieties are grown in Michigan. The top 5 plantings are Riesling, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Cabernet Franc.
The Old Mission Peninsula AVA and Leelanau Peninsula AVA are located along the 45th parallel, the “magical” line that sits halfway between the equator and the North Pole. This prime wine-growing latitude is home to some of the world’s most renowned winemaking regions, including France’s Rhône Valley and Bordeaux, Italy’s Piedmont, and Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

In 1679, French explorers discovered wild grapevines thriving along the shores of the Detroit River.
By 1702, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac planted Michigan’s first vineyard at Fort Detroit.
Joseph Sterling opened the first commercial winery in Monroe County Michigan in 1868.
By the late 1800’s an industry emerged with enough production to rank 3rd behind California and New York.
Success continued for decades until a statewide ban on alcohol in 1918 and national Prohibition in 1920 shut down the industry.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the wine industry in Michigan began to revive, with many new wineries planting European vinifera varieties.
Today, Michigan has five American Viticultural Areas: Fennville (1981), Leelanau Peninsula (1982), Lake Michigan Shore (1983), Old Mission Peninsula (1987), and Tip of the Mitt (2016).