June 2018 Newsletter

Prestige Back as MWC Sponsor!

Prestige Glassware is a family run company now being operated by their second generation. They are a MICHIGAN company providing jobs in the community for 45 people. Prestige Glassware is officially recognized in the USA as a premium decorator of glassware.

Prestige has been a glassware decorator for 40 years and has expanded their product line from 12 items to over 950 items. Prestige products are mostly drinkware and similar styled vessels made from glass, ceramic, stainless steel or acrylic. They service a large variety of customers in the hospitality, brewery, winery, and distillery industries. The primary goal of Prestige Glassware is to establish professional relationships while branding other businesses to help them grow and become household names.

Click Here to visit Prestige on the web. E-mail fellow MWC member Richard Budd with any inquiries regarding Prestige.

Prestige Glassware is a valued member of the Michigan Wine Collaborative and our first newsletter sponsor. Thank you Prestige!

Click Here to inquire about sponsorship opportunities with MWC.

Inaugural Winemaker Apprenticeship Graduations at St. Ambrose

Scott Crampton and Nathan Ely became the first ever winemaker apprenticeships to be recognized at a ceremony at St. Ambrose Cellars last month.

History was made recently with the inaugural graduating class of winemaker apprentices via Northwest Michigan Works! and MWC member, St. Ambrose Cellars. Scott Crampton and Nathan Ely completed their two year, hands-on winemaking programs and were honored at a ceremony at St. Ambrose Cellars. This program was effort on the part of St. Ambrose Cellars and Northwest Michigan Works! to establish the registered apprenticeships for winemaking. Thes registered apprenticeships are proving to be a highly efficient option for both employers and individuals looking to gain technical skills in a chosen field. According to the US Department of Labor, in 2017 registered apprenticeships amounted to 533,607 nationally, which was an increase of 6% from the year before. Based on those 2017 numbers Michigan was responsible for over 17,000 of those apprenticeships. However, there are only two recognized jobs related to the Grape and Wine industry of the 1,373 jobs approved for registered apprenticeships.The only states offering registered apprenticeships in the Grape and Wine industry currently are Iowa and Michigan. In 2017 there were only 16 of these registered apprenticeships filled in both states. Thanks to the expansion grant managed by Northwest Michigan Works!, Michigan is now increasing registered apprenticeships in the Grape and Wine Industry. A move that will surely solidify an increasingly sustainable stream of trained recruits for employers.

The US Department of Labor offer the registered apprenticeship programs and which has proven to be highly valuable in training individuals to be appropriately equipped to enter into the industry and also provides a consistent recruitment pool for employers. Administrative and technical support are offered through Northwest Michigan Works! To learn more about the program e-mail Evelyn Szpliet at Northwest Michigan Works!

Michigan Craft Beverage Council Has First Meeting

Governor Rick Snyder has officially announced theCraft Beverage Council. This will expand the previously known Michigan Grape and Wine Council to cover wineries, breweries, cider, and distilling. The change will totally convert the current council composition to a Governor appointed 10 member council consisting of:

Two winemakers
A winemaker that primarily manufactures cider
A restaurant representative
A retail representative
A small distiller
A distiller that manufactures more than 60,000 gallons of spirits per year
A large brewer
A microbrewer or a brewpub license-holder.

The chair of the council will be the director of MDARD.

The first meeting of the Craft Beverage Council was held in Lansing with leaders of the wine, beer and spirits industries along with representatives of beer and wine retailers and restaurants. The meeting’s purpose was to introduce everyone to the new legislation, share details of how the CBC will work and answer questions. Each industry rep was instructed by the director of MDARD to suggest people from their industry who might serve three year terms on the CBC Board. Anyone interested is to apply through the MI.gov website before the end of July. Then selections will be made and the first Board meeting will be held in early October to begin operations of the CBC. The first years of the CBC will set the course for how the new organization will function so it is very important that industry representatives have thorough knowledge of their industry. Those reps will be responsible for insuring the needs of their constituents are presented and addressed by the CBC. Contact Us with any questions.

Cold Climate Wine Competition

The 10th Annual Cold Climate Wine Competitionentry deadline is quickly approaching on July 31st. This competition focuses on wines produced from cold climate varieties. According to the rules of the competition submitted wines must be composed of at least 75% cold-hardy grapes. Competition categories are composed of a wide variety of red and white cold hardy varieties.

MWC Sponsors the Eastern Winery Exposition

Planning for the 8th Annual Eastern Winery Exposition is underway! This is the largest production wine and grape trade show and conference in the Eastern United States. The event will take place next March 19th-March 21st in Syracuse, NY. MWC is honored to be sponsoring the much anticipated event and we are excited to announce members will receive 10% off seminar and/or trade show registration. The event will provide a wide selection of speakers, sessions, and workshops related to enology, viticulture, marketing, and technology. There is also a trade show with almost 200 exhibitors.

Research & Networking Opportunities In Northern Michigan

Some upcoming Research & Networking activities will be taking place in Northwest Michigan and these activities are open to all. The activities below will be at the NW Michigan Horticultural Research Center.

First Friday Meetings – Starting at 3 pm
July 13th Meeting: The July 13th meeting will be titled “Post-bloom Meeting” and will include an in-person presentation from MSU’S new grape pathologist, Tim Miles. This will be a great time to meet Tim as he is planning to visit NW Michigan to discuss 2017 fungicide efficacy trials to manage various diseases in grapes. This will begin at the NWMHREC at 3pm and will be followed by a wine social at Black Star Farms.
Aug 23rd Meeting: The August 23rd meeting will be titled “Pre-harvest considerations“ and will run concurrently with the Northwest Michigan Open House. This meeting will include an in-person presentation from Paolo Sabbatini and, depending upon their availability, other members of the MSU faculty to discuss new research projects, and will be followed by a dinner and wine tasting on the grounds of NWMHREC (The NWMHRC Open House and Leelanau Horticultural Society Annual Meeting and Dinner).

Also coming up this summer is the P45 Annual Pig Roast will be held on 28 July on Old Mission Peninsula at 3 pm. This event celebrates the 10th year for holding this annual wine growing/winemaking networking – wine tasting celebration. It consistently includes the “who’s who” of those growers and winemakers in the NW region, who have dirt in their fingernails and yeast on their hands – because they are the ones closest to the action. Contact Tom Petzold at [email protected] for more information.

Setting the Scene for Progress

News from the 69th Annual National Conference of the American Society of Enology and Viticulture and NGRA Mid-Year Board Meeting

MWC and other authorities from the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry represented our mitten state at the 69th Annual National Conference of the American Society of Enology and Viticulture in Monterey, CA. ASEV was founded in 1950 and includes 2,400 members, 100 industrial affiliates, and three chapters, including Pacific-Northwest Chapter, Eastern U.S. Chapter, and the Japan Chapter. The four day conference consisted of events ranging from seminars, sessions, reports, receptions, and more.

Josh VanderWeide of MSU presented a session of his research of ‘Early Source Sink Modulation in Merlot Enhances Fruit Quality through a Flavonoid Metabolome Shift.’

Immediately following the ASEV Conference was the National Grape Research Alliance Mid-Year Board Meeting on June 22nd. At the NGRA board meeting three new board members were elected. MWC is pleased to announce that our own board member, Jessica Youngblood, is now representing the Midwest region on the NGRA board. Youngblood fills our Southeast Michigan Grower seat and owns and operates Youngblood Vineyard with her husband Dave and their three children in Ray, Michiganlocated in the Metro Detroit Area. Youngblood Vineyard is the largest commercial vineyard in Eastern Michigan, growing six varieties of cold-hardy wine grapes whose first commercial harvest is expected this year. Youngblood Vineyard is also a partner and approved practicum site for the Viticulture & Enology Science & Technology Alliance (VESTA) in cooperation with Michigan State University. We are excited to have capable and proactive representation on the board at NGRA. Congratulations, Jessica!

Member Satisfaction Survey Sent Out to Members

Click Here To Take The Survey!

We need to hear from you! Only a small portion of our membership has completed the satisfaction survey. MWC wants to secure satisfaction from ALL members. Please take the Member Satisfaction Survey to help us define our goals and trajectory for the rest of 2018 and beyond. Let us know how we are doing. And as always, Thank you for being loyal and valued members of the Michigan Wine Collaborative.

For more news and information, please visit us atwww.michiganwinecollaborative.com. If you haven’t already please like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram @michiganwinecollaborative, and on Twitter @MIWineCollab. We look forward to seeing you online!

Cheers,

Dave Miller, President

Do you have an event, news, or accolade you would like published through MWC? E-mail Emily at [email protected] to submit material.

Are you involved in any of MWC’s valuable and dynamic committees? We are looking for motivated and industrious members to help our committees thrive. To request more information on available committee seats click here.

The Cold Climate committee is devoted to the support and innovation of cold climate varieties in Michigan. If you are interested in joining or if you have any questions please Contact Jessica. The next meeting for this committee is July 17that 9am. Call in information will be listed on Basecamp. Contact Us if you would like to be sent that information

Communications committee meeting call date is TBD. Call in information will be listed on Basecamp. Contact Us if you would like to be sent that information or to check in about the date of the call. Any inquiries may be directed to committee chair Brian Lesperance.

Membership committee call date is July 24 at9am. Call in information will be listed on Basecamp. Contact Us if you would like to be sent that information or to check in about the date of the call. Any inquiries may be directed to committee chair Gina Shay.

Sustainability committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday July 10th at 10am. Call in information is listed on Basecamp. Contact Us if you would like to be sent that information. Any inquiries may be directed to committee chair Matt Moersch.

MWC cannot thank our members enough for supporting us and collaborating with us on the future of the Michigan wine industry. We need you to help us spread the word about MWC membership. Every member who cultivates a fruitful referral will receive a small thank you gift from MWC.

Reminder that board meetings take place monthly. All members (voting and non-voting) are welcomed to attend. In addition, time is allotted for public comments or questions. The next board meeting is scheduled for August 7th at 10 am. Board meetings will take place the first Tuesday of the month unless otherwise noted. For call-in information check Basecamp or contact us here.

Click Here to inquire about sponsorship opportunities with MWC.