If you haven’t hit the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail in recent weeks, there’s considerable new incentive to do so soon, and it comes from recent wine competitions on the West Coast — California, to be exact.
The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition graded and reviewed nearly 6,700 wines from more than 1,000 wineries around the world, and three Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail wineries came away with a total of 14 medals in that competition alone.
Meanwhile, in another competition that pits wines against each other by their appellation and by varietal — the Harvest Challenge Competition in Santa Rosa, California — a Best in Class, Double Gold award was garnered by Karma Vista Vineyards & Winery in Coloma — scoring 95 points in that victory.
The Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail is a true wine destination that draws tens of thousands of visitors to the tasting rooms and vineyards of Michigan’s Great Southwest every year. When you couple that with the beauty of the Lake Michigan shore and unique beach towns, the region is increasingly on everyone’s must see list.
The 65 judges at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition produced these winners for our region:
Best in Class — Fruit
- Cody Kresta Vineyard & Winery of Mattawan — Peach
Double Gold — Red
- Lemon Creek Winery of Berrien Springs — Cab Franc
Double Gold — White
- Lemon Creek Winery — Petit Verdot
Gold — Dessert
- Cody Kresta Vineyard & Winery — Rudy’s Red
Gold — Red
- Lemon Creek Winery — Merlot
Silver — White Blends
- Cody Kresta Vineyard & Winery — Marsanne-Roussanne
Silver — White
- Karma Vista Vineyards & Winery of Coloma — Chardonnay
Silver — Red
- Lemon Creek Winery — Carmenere
- Lemon Creek Winery — Shiraz
- Karma Vista Vineyards & Winery — Syrah
Silver — Red Blend
- Lemon Creek Winery — Meritage
- Lemon Creek Winery — Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz
Bronze
- Cody Kresta Vineyard & Winery — Cabernet Franc
- Karma Vista Vineyard & Winery
Joe Herman, President of the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail says, “I am thrilled that three Lake Michigan Shore wineries scored so well with their West Coast counterparts in San Francisco, particularly in the red wine category. 2017 is perhaps one of the best vintages we have seen in a long time, and it really highlights what our region can do with vinafera reds.”
The Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail is a way to explore the amazing wine growing region around us with rolling hills close to beach towns all combining to enhance your experience of the flavor unique to Southwest Michigan so close by.
Be sure to ask your favorite restaurant or lounge for your favorite Michigan wines and if they don’t have any, ask them why not, and encourage them to add these award winning wines and others like them to their menu so that you and the visitors who come here for them can enjoy them with a great meal and among friends.
You can also visit the wineries to taste your own personal favorites and discover new favorites along the way. The Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail is a not-for-profit organization promoting the development of the outstanding wine producing and tourism industry in our back yard. Their mission is to stimulate interest in wine in general and specifically the wines of the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail, while assisting local wineries in becoming industry leaders.
Make plans, as well, to attend the Lake Michigan Shore Winter Wine Fest in Holland on February 29th. For tickets and info, click this link: http://LMSWineFest.com