Once again MI Wine Collaborative will be hosting our Annual Meeting and Election at this event on January 13th at 4:00pm.

We will be updating the membership and industry on our activities over the last year, goals for the 2026, and executing our Board of Directors and bylaws election.

OPEN SEATS

• NW Winery (2 seats available)
• SW Grower (Katelyn Ramsay of Heronmark running)
• Other Region Winery

SEATS UP FOR RE-ELECTION (OPPOSITION PENDING):

• Southwest Winery (2 seats up; Matt Moersch and Brian Lesperance)
• Restaurant Retail (Tamela Todd and Drew Bentley running)

Executive Board Positions

• Vice President (Barry O’Brien running)

If you are interested in running for the board or nominating please fill out the form below ASAP.
https://forms.gle/rf2dqxibYazfpGBq6

Stay tuned for more information on ballot measures.Reach out to Emily with to be included on the ballot or with any questions!

Call in information is below for those unable to attend in person…

Michigan Wine Collaborative is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: MWC Annual Meeting & Election

Time: Jan 13, 2026 04:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87011363755

Meeting ID: 870 1136 3755

MWC has recently partnered with LocalWineEvents.com and their newsletter The Juice and have arranged a special offer for our members to get more attention for the events they host. 

MWC members can showcase their tastings, vineyard tours, winemaker dinners, and festivals for free to more than 250,000+ wine lovers through LocalWineEvents.com.

The mission of this partnership is to enrich our members’ lives by connecting them to the world of food and wine culture. We are working with LocalWineEvents.com bring together wineries, associations, and enthusiasts through tastings, tours, dinners, and festivals, creating experiences that celebrate tradition, spark connections, and strengthen community.

As part of the Michigan Wine Collaborative, members will receive:

• 12 free event listings per year on LocalWineEvents.com

• 20% off advertising & promotional placements

And submitted events will be seen by the LocalWineEvents.com engaged audience:

• 250,000+ subscribers to The Juice® newsletter

• 200,000+ social followers across platforms

This is a turnkey, no-cost benefit for our members and is an easy way to assist with reaching more visitors and demonstrate clear value in MWC membership.

To give you a sense of impact, here’s what one association leader shared about their experience with LocalWineEvents.com:

“We feel very fortunate to have found LocalWineEvents to help us promote our annual Taste of Sonoma wine and food event. Their highly targeted, cost-effective approach results in some of our most successful campaigns. I highly recommend working with their team.”
— Barbara Cox, Sonoma County Vintners

Members can take advantage of these exclusive benefits with LocalWineEvents.com by using the link emailed to members via Wild Apricot. Not a member yet and want to take advantage of this benefit and more?! JOIN HERE!!

To that end, the Beverage Federation will be our partner to help power this program with established discounts and rebates across 10,000 products and services. 

As part of MWC membership benefits, the MWC has secured a year of Free Service for Members (Typically $300). This will allow your organization to register and evaluate the value for 12 months. If you signed up last year, YOUR PROGRAM reset and will be free until 1/1/27.  
    
    Program Benefits for Guild members: $300

• 1-year Free Access to Full Catalog 
• Dedicated Account Manager 
• Average savings  $1,500 regardless of size of organization 
• Access to Food program (For wineries/vineyards with kitchen/food purchase)
• Bench Marketing Data (i.e. avg bottle price by qty in your geographic area the past 12 months)

The Federation will track savings so you can determine what makes sense for your brewery in year 2 (2027). Either continue with their paid program ($30/mo) or move to their Free Program. That is up to you after you have had a year to ‘test it out’ on behalf of the guild at no cost.  

To get started, go to their site to register: https://www.beveragefederation.com/register/
And enter in the promo code we recently sent out to the membership via Wild Apricot. If you would like a replacement code or are a new member please CONTACT US HERE! 
 
If you have any problems getting in, please reach out to info@beveragefederation.com 

We’ll be providing more information next month and a training/overview video in January – all with more details. 

Our organization is once again a Supporting Sponsor of EWE and as one of our member benefits, you receive a registration discount of 10%. Simply the use code sent out via Wild Apricot. CONTACT US if you need a replacement code.

Now in its 14th year, EWE moves to Richmond as the largest winery and vineyard trade show held east of the Pacific states. You’ll have the opportunity to meet with more than 200 exhibiting companies; attend workshop ad conference sessions covering all aspects of the winery and vineyard business; network with 1,000+ other industry professionals; and attend the numerous social and networking events.

New in 2026: the Virginia Wineries Association Annual Conference is partnering with EWE and will be presented in a session room within the EWE Conference. That means all conference attendees can attend these sessions without needing to register for a separate pass. Additionally, the 2026 Governor’s Cup Case will be revealed and tasted for the very first time.

Visit EasternWineryExposition.com for the details.