January 2024 Newsletter

Get ready for the MWC Annual Meeting & Election, Last chance to submit feedback for the 2024 MWC Town Hall, Get your kegs into the Ink by Hudson location, Exhibit your Cab Francs in Livermore, Register for the upcoming Craft Beverage Conference, Participate in the Vinroom Pilot Program for MWC members, Sign up for Uncork Me! Michigan, Log on for MWC x Detroit Vineyards for #PinkSociety 2024, and More!

SUBSCRIBE HERE!!

2023 Michigan Wine Collaborative Annual Meeting & Election

The Michigan Wine Collaborative Election and Annual Meeting will take place during the 2023 Northwest Orchard & Vineyard Show in Traverse City, MI on January 17th at 3:25 PM. We encourage all members to attend the 2024 Northwest Orchard & Vineyard Show and the MWC Annual Meeting, however, remote participation options will be available. Call in information is listed below.

We have some open board seats, executive positions, and committee chair posts available for dedicated MWC members looking to get involved.

BOARD SEATS 2024
NW Winery Seat (Mike Laing of MAWBY running; NO OPPOSITION CURRENTLY)

Other Region Winery Seat- Held by Chris Southern of Detroit Vineyards- NO OPPOSITION CURRENTLY

Supplier/Vendor

HONORARY BOARD SEATS

IT Specialist

Financial Strategist

EXECUTIVE POSITIONS AVAILABLE

VICE PRESIDENT (Andrew Backlin of Modales running; NO OPPOSITION CURRENTLY)

COMMITTEE CHAIR POSITIONS

GRANTS & FUNDING
RESEARCH & EDUCATION

BYLAWS PROPOSALS

CURRENTLY TAKING PROPOSAL INPUT

We will be promoting the full line up of candidates and ballot initiatives soon. Keep an eye out in your email and on social media for more information.

To view out current Bylaws see below….

BYLAWS-2023 EDITION

You can volunteer or nominate for the MWC Board of Directors and provide input on Bylaws proposals HERE.

Meeting Call In Information

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

Topic: MWC 2024 Annual Meeting & Election
Time: Jan 17, 2024 03:25 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89346324063

Meeting ID: 893 4632 4063

Click Here to Volunteer or Nominate for the MWC Board of Directors!

Register Now for the 2024 NW Orchard & Vineyard Show

2024 O&V Hospitality Suite

We are pleased to announce that there will be a Hospitality Suite again this year the evening of the first day of the conference (Tuesday). The following wineries should be recognized for their support of this valuable opportunity. Left Foot Charlie; 2 Lads; Mawby; BosWine; 45 North; Shady Lane; Black Star Farms; and WaterFire Vineyards. The room number will be announced during the day’s grape sessions and we hope to see you there with your favorite. Questions can be addressed to Tom Petzold.

MWC Sessions at the 2024 O&V Show

MI Wine Industry Funding Town Hall

This is an industry discussion that is intended to bring Michigan wine industry stakeholders together to educate, debate, and plant the seeds of compromise on funding the Michigan wine industry interests of Research, Education, and Marketing in 2024 and beyond. We will be discussing recent legislation that has been introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives, educating on processes of Public Act 232, and soliciting other ideas on how to fund the initiatives. Led by a moderator, there will be a panel of industry professionals discussing each unique perspective and experience as related to each of the topics. Panelist will include:

Nate Love from Kelley Cawthorne on behalf of the Michigan Wine Producer’s Association
Chad Reenders from the Michigan Blueberry Advisory Committee
Diane Smith from the Michigan Apple Committee
Michael Kaiser of Wine America
Morgen McLaughlin of the Willamette Valley Wineries Association & Willamette Valley Wine Foundation
Sam Filler of the New York Grape and Wine Foundation

For more information about our panelists CLICK HERE!

Do you…

Have questions on HB 5270?
Concerns about PA 232?
Marketing strategy suggestions?

Help us formulate questions for the panel by providing your input ahead of time. We are asking the MI grape and wine industry to submit questions, concerns, and comments at the link below…

https://forms.gle/u7F634Rp68Krg3ay7

Please make sure to RSVP to this event so we can plan for a successful session and make the most of the hour we have available. This is a great opportunity to engage with your industry colleagues and get amped up before the 2024 MWC Annual Meeting following the Town Hall. Get inspired to get involved in 2024!!

Please keep in mind we have a limited time frame of one hour to get to a wide variety of topics, concerns, and questions. We may not get to cover everything but this is a great jumping off point to get the conversation started.

RSVP Here!

Hospitality Training Sessions: TAM & MiCAST

Interested in your staff brushing up on their alcohol serving and hospitality skills ahead of the 2024 busy seasons? MWC will be hosting both a TAM certification and Part One of the MiCAST Modules. Information on both sessions can be found below:

TAM Certification (Wednesday January 17th 9:00AM-11:55AM)
ALCOHOL CERTIFICATION OPPORTUNITY: Michigan Licensed Beverage Association will be offering their patented alcohol management licensing course for safer alcohol consumption in our tasting rooms. Participants will receive certification upon completion. This session requires an additional registration. Cost is $45.MiCAST Training Module (Wednesday January 17th 2:10PM-3:20PM)
SALES TRAINING OPPORTUNITY: This is part of a 3-part credentialed program. This is only the first module that will educate industry on quality customer service and the 6 steps of the sales process in our tasting rooms. Booklet for sale.

Ink by Hudson Wine & Book Bar at the GR Airport

MWC is currently recruiting wineries interested in having their wine at the new Ink by Hudson Wine Bar & Bookshop located just past security at the Gerald R. Ford Airport in Grand Rapids. Requirements for participation include:

Active MWC Membership
Ability to keg wines AND available inventory
Distributor relationship is preferred (Simplifies ordering process to the airport)
Red wines are currently in high demand for the upcoming wine list

Please reach out to EMILY HERE as soon as possible to enroll in this exciting wine program at one of the state’s busiest travel hubs!

MWC @ Cab Franc a Palooza!

MWC is currently coordinating a table to exhibit our members Cabernet Francs at the 2024 CabFranc-A-Palooza! We are collaborating with Kristy Wenz who will be representing Michigan wine and the wineries sending their Cab Francs to this event in Livermore, CA. There are a limited amount of space at the Michigan table so make sure to lock your spot in ASAP! You can find out more information and register your wines at the button below. Please make sure to communicate to us your participation status and the wines you are sending so we can properly prepare the space and Kristy.

This one day event is a celebration of everything Cabernet Franc, combined with live music, entertainment, performers, carnival games, food trucks, and more. You can check out our website here: https://www.cabfrancapalooza.com/

There is no cost for the wineries to take part in Cab-Franc-A-Palooza, they just need to staff their booth and have enough Cab Franc for ~400 attendees (1 oz pours). Each winery receives two passes for personnel working and attending the event.

Benefits for each winery and the AVA/region that the winery is from include: multiple emails to our 30,000 San Francisco Bay Area email list, promotion on our website and social media (including paid social ads promoting ticket sales and the wineries involved), and a guest guide given to all attendees upon arrival with winery bio, website/social links, etc.

Learn More and Register Here!

MWC encourages you to register for the first-ever Michigan Craft Beverage Summit. Michigan Craft Beverage Council & Pure Michigan Business Connect have teamed up to convene Michigan wineries, breweries, distilleries, and cideries with a Michigan-centric supply chain, including growers, retailers, distributors, equipment producers, and service providers.

The Summit takes place March 4-5 at the Radisson in Kalamazoo. Event includes:

Panel discussions with industry leaders about Michigan’s dynamic craft beverage industry
Agricultural education sessions with a focus on market trends/opportunities and relevant research. Sessions on hops, cider apples, wine grapes, and small grains will appeal to existing producers (e.g. cider makers), but also to those companies looking to expand their production (e.g. a brewery looking to expand into cider).
Additional sessions on marketing, sourcing locally, safety, groundwater discharge, automation, and state resource opportunities (grants)
Networking with companies that span Michigan’s craft beverage industry
Opportunities to participate in “one on one” meetings with distributors and retailers during a Buyers Mission coordinated by PMBC on Tuesday, March 5
Interact with Michigan equipment producers, service providers, and other local exhibitors

Because sessions start early on Monday, be sure to secure your room block for both Sunday and Monday night.

General registration for this Summit is $75 if registered by 1/19/24 and $100 after 1/19/24, so sign up now.

Reach out to Jenelle Jagmin (Michigan Craft Beverage Council) with any questions.

Enter Sommelier’s Choice Awards NOW for Early Bird Pricing

Key Pricing & Deadlines:
Early Bird price: $90per varietal
Early BIrd Deadline: January 31, 2024.
Judging Dates: May 21, 2024
Winners Announced: June 20, 2024Quantity Discounts:
4 to 9 entries :10% discount
10 to 14 entries :15% discount
15 + entries : 20% discount

Please make sure to note MICHIGAN WINE COLLABORATIVE when submitting inquiries or entries.

Learn More Here!

Just a Few More Open Spots for Uncork Me Michigan

Michigan Wine Collaborative is partnering with Brothers Molloy Events on Uncork Me Michigan! You can see the other Uncork Me events that they operate here. This endless tasting event from 2-7pm showcases local Michigan Wine/Cider/Meads at Comerica Park in Downtown Detroit!

Uncork Me Michigan only has a few open slots left for wineries to lock in their participation. Contact Lucas Molloy ASAP to pour at this event!

Not a MWC member yet? JOIN HERE!

Reach Out to Lucas Here!

Vinroom Pilot Program & Orientation for MWC Membership

MWC is hosting an Orientation Session with Vinroom on January 25th at 10am to onboard wineries and answer questions. MWC members can view and register for the event HERE!

Vinroom is an innovative new app that wineries offer to their customers to enhance the tasting room experience, boost DTC sales across multiple channels, promote the winery, and create deeper relationship with their customers.

Vinroom is offering a free trial subscription to all Michigan Wine Collaborative member wineries through the end of March 2024 to test drive the app while tasting rooms are less busy. Getting started requires no effort on your part. We set up your winery for you and guide you to immediately begin offering the app to your customers. During the trial (and beyond) we welcome all feedback to allow us to keep improving the platform in ways that most benefit your winery and customers.

If you have any questions or need further information, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Jeff Schell at: [email protected]

Visit Vinroom on the Web Here!

2024 #PinkSociety: MWC x Detroit Vineyards

MWC is teaming up with #PinkSociety for our 5th collaboration via Twitter! This round the theme will be Urban Wineries and will feature Detroit Vineyards. We are encouraging all of our members, the Michigan wine industry, Michigan wine lovers, and EVERYONE to join us online on 1/25 at 9pm to cheers with us and talk all things Michigan wine. On this chat we will be discussing harvest 2023, comparing and contrasting traditional tasting rooms and wineries with urban ones, and tasting the 2022 Viognier from Detroit Vineyards. You can order this bottle online to taste with us together or grab another one of your favorite bottles. The #PinkSociety crew is always excited to learn what Michigan wine is up to and we’d love you to be a part of the conversation. Remember to use the hashtag #PinkSociety on all posts corresponding with the virtual tasting and discussion. Follow @thepinksociety_, @miwinecollab, and @detroitvin.

Calling All MI Wine Events!!

We want to help promote your vineyard and winery events!! MWC members are welcomed to submit events at any time for promotion in the Vintage Michigan Event Calendar. These events are shared with the over 4000 Vintage Michigan members. Please submit via the form below or contact Emily with event information, links, graphics, and invitations.

Share Your Events for the Vintage Michigan Calendar Here!