Bandwagon Builds For Michigan Wine
Earlier this week, big time wine blogger Tom Wark came close to saying he’s excited about Michigan wine in his Fermentation wine blog.
Not to be outdone, New York Times wine writer Eric Asimov wrote this month, “But riesling from Michigan? My guess is you will be hearing a lot more about Michigan rieslings in the near future.”
Influential wine writers have written favorable stories about Michigan wine before. But one now gets the feeling that the “legitimacy” issue for Michigan wine is becoming past tense.
While you may still find a flawed wine in Michigan, overall quality has improved to the point where national writers whose livelihood depends on their reputations can comfortably endorse Michigan wine.
Acceptance of Michigan wine by opinion leaders like Wark and Asimov has positive implications for Midwest wine in general. Every state in the Midwest has high quality wineries. However, some states have more high quality wineries than others. Now, more than ever, it’s important that all states follow Michigan’s lead and elevate quality across the board. (It would also help if the darned weather would cooperate.)
