July 2023 Newsletter

Meet MWC’s new board members, Get an update on the 2023 MWC Election, Mark your calendars for the big upcoming Inclusion & Expansion announcement, Congratulate the big Governor’s Cup Winner from 2023, Celebrate the grant award for continuing word on the Sustainability Agriculture app, Participate in a Growers Survey, Read July’s Edition of Wine Law, Attend a webinar from ISU & UMN, and More!

2023 Michigan Wine Collaborative Board

The Michigan Wine Collaborative (MWC) is excited to announce our 2023/2024 MWC Board of Directors. We especially would like to recognize our newest board members:

Andrew Backlin of Modales Wines will be representing SW Michigan Wineries
Bonnie Hardin of Mari Vineyards will be representing NW Michigan Wineries
Tamela Todd of TnT Sip & Read will be representing Retailers and Restaurants
Mark Vanneste of Howard & Howard PLLC of Royal Oak who will be assuming our Honorary Legal Seat position

We also congratulate and welcome back incumbent board members:

Brian Lesperance of Fenn Valley Winery representing SW Michigan Wineries and also acting as MWC Secretary on our Executive Committee
Brian Lillie of Chateau Chantal representing NW Michigan Wineries and also acting as our Vice President for our organization in addition to being the chairman of our Marketing & Communications Committee as well as being active on our Inclusion & Expansion Committee.
Matt Moersch of Moersch Hospitality (Round Barn, Tabor Hill, and Free Run Cellars) and also a founding and active member of our Sustainability Committee

We also welcome Peter King III of Drew Ryan Wines as he officially becomes the MWC Treasurer and a member of our Executive Committee.

We are thrilled to have the above representatives officially on the MWC team and look forward to growing the Michigan wine industry together throughout this next year and beyond.

Click Here to View the Full Results!

2023 MWC Annual Election Results

MWC is happy to report yet another successful Annual Meeting and Election. This year we had a remarkable selection of candidates for our Board of Directors as well as some essential Bylaws proposals. The voting record is above for review.

We welcome four new board members as well as approved an additional two honorary seat positions including non voting honorary seats for IT and Financial Strategist
.
It was also approved for MWC to raise member dues by 25%. New membership dues amounts will be in effect for member renewals this September. Please remember MWC memberships always renew on September 15th of each year.

Also on the ballot was a proposal to edit the organization’s mission statement. This proposal resulted in a tie. We will be organizing an additional poll for the membership to re-vote on this proposal.

Fall Issue of Michigan Uncorked Released

The 2023 Fall issue of Michigan Uncorked is out now and full of Michigan wine stories and includes many MWC members! Make sure to indulge in the new issue today!

Read the Newest Issue of Michigan Uncorked HERE!

Inclusion & Expansion Scholarship Award Ceremony

The MWC’s Inclusion & Expansion Committee is happy to announce that the award ceremony celebrating and recognizing the 2023 MWC Inclusion & Expansion Scholarship recipients will take place on July 28th at House of Pure Vin. The ceremony will take place from 6pm-8pm. Virtual participation options will be available and access instructions will be announced soon. Mark your calendars and plan to swing by House of Pure Vin on Woodward Ave in Downtown Detroit on the 28th!

RSVP at the button below!

Click Here to RSVP!

Congratulations to the 2023 MI Governor’s Cup Winner, St. Julian Winery!

We are excited to announce the official Michigan Governor’s Cup winner for 2023 is St. Julian Winery with their 2020 Braganini Reserve Cabernet Franc. This wine ranked the highest out of 300 entries from 46 wineries submitted to the competition. In addition to this Platinum Medal winning wine, St. Julian also received ‘Best of Category’ recognition for:
Hybrid Red: St. Julian 2020 Braganini GDN Estate Reserve Petite Pearl (Gold Medal)
Fortified: St. Julian NV Solera Cream Sherry (Gold Medal)
Rosé: St. Julian NV BFF Dry Rosé (Silver Medal)
Specialty Wine: St. Julian NV Sweet Nancie Sparkling Peach (Gold Medal)
Wineries and wines with their medal ranks are now listed on the Michigan Wine Collaborative website.

Grant Award to Continue Sustainability Work

MWC is proud to be a part of MSU’s Sustainable Agriculture Management app which we have been working closely on with Sustainability Committee member and associate professor of environmental toxicology in the Department of Animal Science and Environmental Science & Policy Program, Karen Chou. Here is an update from Karen on the latest development for the project.

“I am excited to inform everyone that with the support of MWC, we have received an MTRAC AgBio Innovation award in the amount of $125,000. Thank you for the supporting letters provided by Gina Shay, Matt Moersch, Ron Bates, Josh Appleby, Barry O’Brien, Todd Robbins, and Tom Smith. Your support is vital to the continuous development of the SustainableAg Platform.

The funding will be used to pay for a user experience designer, two software developers, and a database manager. In the coming year, we will work to complete the following: improving usability of the SAM Tool, providing functions to support MWC’s sustainability program, providing tutorials in-person and through digital media, enhancing the record-keeping functionalities to include production records, seeking additional collaborations with entomologists and plant pathologists, and understanding growers’ and wineries’ additional needs.

Please check out what we’ve built at https://sustainableag.msu.edu and email us with feedback, at [email protected] , as we continue to improve the platform.

Thank you again for your support.

Karen”

SURVEY: CALLING ALL GRAPE GROWERS AND WINEMAKERS

MWC needs your wine grape information for 2022 in order to comply with our Specialty Crop Block Grant reporting requirements. Alchemae Craft Beverage Consulting is coordinating an effort to acquire this information through an industry wide survey. This survey should take about 10 min to complete and is anonymous. Many of you participated in the 2022 edition by providing your 2021 numbers and we are requesting your continued participation in 2023 with your 2022 information.

Highlights from the 2021 Survey (41 Responses):
- $12.7M Wine Grape Sales
- 2,333 Acres under vine, average size 40 acres
- 602,000 Cases of Wine Sold
- Social Media was ranked as the most important marketing strategy

The deadline for completion of this survey is July 20th. Follow the button below to complete the survey.

Complete the Survey HERE!

July’s Wine Law with Mark Vanneste

MWC is excited to invite you to indulge in the July Wine Law feature, with Mark Vanneste of Howard & Howard. The full Wine Law articles are currently available on our website. Tune in monthly as Mark covers a new topic relevant to the Michigan grape and wine industries. So without further ado here’s a word from Mark on Navigating the Liquor License Landscape for Retailers in the state of Michigan…

“Last month in the Wine Law article, I briefly described different types of liquor licenses available in Michigan for manufacturers of wine, beer, or spirits. There are different liquor licenses available for retailers. Within the retail tier of licenses, there are two main categories: on-premises licenses and off-premises licenses….”

Click Here to Read the July 2023 Edition of Wine Law!

Must Adjustment in the Winery Webinar from ISU/UMN

During the 90-minute webinar on July 25th at 3PM Central Time, Mr. Daniel Pambianchi (Wine consultant and author) will present and discuss the use and timing of water, acid, and sugar additions to make must adjustments in the winery. Then Mrs Katie Cook from Scott Laboratories will present on
yeast hydration and the use of non-saccharomyces yeasts, including a mention of the new “GoFerm Sterol Flash” yeast hydration nutrient from Lallemand.

After the presentations, we will discuss and answer any questions from the audience with grape and wine industry members, Kevin Fifo (Covered Bridges Winery, IA), John Taylor (Granville Wine Consulting LLC), Mark Wedge (Dancing Dragonfly Winery, WI).

Register Below!

Click Here for Past Webinars!

Enter Your Wines in the 2023 International Cold Climate Wine Competition!

The Minnesota Grape Growers Association, in partnership with the University of Minnesota, presents the International Cold Climate Wine Competition annually for wine producers making wines from Cold Climate grape and fruit varietals.

As the only competition dedicated to Cold Climate grape
varietals, the ICCWC’s goal is to recognize the best wines produced in the Cold Climate wine industry. This competition will take place August 16, 2023. We are looking forward to seeing Michigan wines win big! Make sure to enter soon. Follow the link below.

Double A Vineyards Spring 2024 Inventory Released

MWC SPONSOR SHOUT OUT!! BIG NEWS!! Double A Vineyards Inc. has released inventory online for Spring 2024 delivery. Customers may begin to place their pre orders for 2024 on the website and will be able to view their new product offerings. Customers can conveniently place their orders for 2024 by phone, website or by utilizing the Double A chat function on the website!
Learn more at doubleavineyards.com