2014 Midwest Grape Production Rankings

For the first time, Midwest Wine Press has tabulated wine grape production in the 11 state Midwest region. (Whenever possible, grape production figures include only wine grapes, although some states do not distinguish between wine and table grapes.)

The total area of grapes under cultivation in the Midwest is 12,300 acres or about 19 square miles. (In comparison, there are 13.7 million acres of corn in Iowa alone.)

The total Midwestern grape production figure also provides insights into how much wine is being made each year from Midwestern grapes.  If each acre of grapes yields four tons of fruit, then the Midwest is producing over 22 million bottles of local wine per year.  There are five standard 750 ml bottles in a gallon, so that translates to about 4.4 million gallons of Midwest wine per year.  (That’s a lot of wine, but California produces as much wine as the Midwest every two and one half days.)

See related story: 2014 Midwest Winery Rankings

1.  Michigan- 2,650 acres

Leading grapes- Riesling, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay

2. Ohio- 2,200 acres

Leading grapes- Riesling, Catawba, Chardonnay

3. Missouri- 1,700 acres

Leading grapes- Norton, Vignoles, Chambourcin, Chardonnel

4. Iowa- 1,200 acres 

Leading grapes- Edelweiss, Marechal Foch, Frontenac

5. Illinois- 1,066 acres 

Leading grapes- Chambourcin, Cab Franc, Frontenac, Marquette

6. Minnesota- 845 acres 

Leading grapes-  Marquette, Frontenac clones, LaCrescent and Elmer Swenson varietals

7.  Wisconsin- 700 acres

Leading grapes- Marechal Foch, University of Minnesota and Elmer Swenson varietals

8.  Indiana- 650 acres 

Leading grapes- Traminette, Chambourcin, Vidal Blanc

9. Kentucky- 600 acres 

Leading grapes- Vidal Blanc, Chambourcin, Cab Franc

10. Kansas- 350 acres 

Leading grapes- Chambourcin, Seyval Blanc, Norton

11. Nebraska- 338 acres 

Leading grapes- Frontenac, Marechal Foch, Brianna