Southwest Michigan wine country is ready for its close-up
Although less than two hours from Chicago, the small towns scattered along Lake Michigan’s southeastern shore can feel a world away. From New Buffalo and St. Joseph to Saugatuck and Douglas, beaches give way to dunes, then farmland stretching as far as the eye can see. Traffic thins to almost nothing.
Yet across the Lake Michigan Shore and Fennville AVAs, there’s a palpable sense of momentum. Grape growing goes back generations here, but a new wave of winegrowers is testing what the region can do, experimenting with styles and farming practices while challenging expectations of Michigan wine.
For Chicagoans, there’s a sense that Michigan is being embraced as their own local wine region — part of a broader shift in how people think about what they drink, says Zack Eastman, co-owner of Chicago wine bar and bottle shop Easy Does It. Increasingly, we want our wine to have the same connection to place and farming that we’ve long valued in food.
“Knowing where these grapes are coming from and paying more attention to how things are farmed has become so much more important to end drinkers,” he says.
A look back
Southwest Michigan has long been known as the fruit belt of the Midwest, where proximity to Lake Michigan moderates the climate, cooling the air in the spring and summer, and tempering winter’s extremes. The result is an especially favorable place for growing everything from cherries and peaches to blueberries and grapes.
In 1981, Fennville was designated Michigan’s first American Viticultural Area, and two years later, the broader Lake Michigan Shore AVA was established around it. Together, they form the heart of Michigan’s oldest commercial wine region.
Diverse yet distinctly Michigan
Michigan wines are often reduced to a single idea, but the state encompasses a wide range of climates, terroir and wine styles. Southwest Michigan is markedly warmer than the state’s northern wine regions, with a growing season that can stretch from budbreak in May through harvest in mid-November.
The comparison isn’t perfect, says Andrew Backlin, co-owner and head winemaker of Modales Wines in Fennville, but more established regions offer a useful shorthand. If the Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsulas — known especially for cool-climate grapes like riesling and gewürztraminer — evoke somewhere like the Mosel in Germany, southwest Michigan occupies a warmer register, closer to Alsace or the Jura in France, he says. That extra warmth and longer season allow for a much broader range of grapes and styles. Riesling thrives here too, but so do cabernet franc and pinot noir, even syrah and albariño.
“There’s a little bit of heat, but a lot of tension too,” he says. It’s cool enough to retain freshness, yet warm enough, he points out, that “we can even get zinfandel to ripen here.”
The next generation of Michigan wine
At the heart of southwest Michigan’s momentum is a new generation of winegrowers taking root. Alongside the multigenerational fruit farmers who established the region’s wine industry, an influx of transplants has arrived, lured by affordable farmland and the promise of still largely unexplored terroir. Meanwhile, a wine and viticulture technology program at nearby Lake Michigan College has become a defining homegrown gateway, producing successive waves of skilled, enthusiastic winemakers.
Filkins Vineyards, established in Coloma in 2024 by OneRepublic guitarist Zach Filkins and his wife, Lindsay, is one example. Longtime Chicagoland residents who vacationed frequently in southwest Michigan, the Filkinses were drawn by the chance to shape a burgeoning wine region. They recruited Jason Johnson, a 20-year Napa veteran, as their winemaker.
For Maxx Eichberg, co-owner of Stranger Wine Co. in Buchanan, what’s taking shape is a vibrant, close-knit community of people with “crazy pedigree.” For his wife and co-owner, Sidney Finan, part of the appeal is precisely what hasn’t yet been defined.
“There’s a lot of opportunity for us to invent our own version of how soulful Southwest Michigan wines can be.”
Where to go
For wine lovers who want to go deep
Modales Winery: One of the region’s benchmark wineries, Modales reflects the ambitions of Backlin, who cut his teeth in California with veteran winemaker Jed Steele, of Kendall-Jackson fame, as well as at Duckhorn in Napa Valley. Since 2024, the winery and its two estate vineyards have been certified organic, with biodynamic certification underway — a rarity in Michigan, making the winery’s guided vineyard tour especially worthwhile. In the tasting room, the mood is easygoing, with the casual feel of a wine bar. The wines are classic in expression — a floral, peppery syrah that invites comparison to the Northern Rhône, or a bold sauvignon blanc packed with gooseberry and lime. Riesling is compelling too, spanning the spectrum from dry to lacy off-dry and late-harvest styles.
2128 62nd St., Fennville, Michigan, 269-722-3505, modaleswines.com
Stranger Wine Co.: Despite its limited production, Stranger Wine has become one of Michigan’s most closely watched wineries. Founded in 2021, the project marries Eichberg’s background in winemaking and wine sales with Finan’s experience in organic farming. Regenerative viticulture is central to the pair, with a whole-system focus on reduced chemical inputs, biodiversity and soil health. Their downtown Buchanan tasting room, housed in a historic bank building, has an intimate, urban feel. Buy snacks there or bring your own food. Their viognier is dazzlingly fruit-driven, while the pinot noir is intensely fragrant, spry and mineral.
201 E. Front St., Buchanan, Michigan, strangerwineco.com
Domaine Berrien: At Domaine Berrien, co-owner and winemaker Amy Birk is putting her stamp on one of southwest Michigan’s pioneering estates. The winery’s roots go back to 1992, when Tom and Abigail Fricke uprooted cherries to plant syrah, viognier, marsanne and roussanne. Birk, the longtime assistant and protege to winemaker Wally Maurer, took over in 2022. Among her standouts are a violet-scented cabernet franc that’s strikingly peppery and a viognier that’s juicy with peach and blossom notes. Set amid the vines, the winery is an ideal picnic spot (kids and dogs welcome). For a deeper dive, book a special winemaker tour through the vineyard and cellar, complete with barrel samplings of not-yet-released wines and a charcuterie tasting on the deck.
398 E. Lemon Creek Road, Berrien Springs, Michigan, 269-473-9463, domaineberrien.com
Lake Michigan Vintners: Located within Lake Michigan College’s Welch Center for Wine and Viticulture, Lake Michigan Vintners is both a working winery and a training ground for the next generation of Midwest winemakers. It’s also a welcoming wine bar, where tasting student-made wines by the glass offers a glimpse of just how much new talent is bubbling up in southwest Michigan. Many of the young winemakers you’ll meet across the region are graduates of the college’s Wine and Viticulture Technology program. Stop by for a glass or wine-and-cheese flight, or book a guided tasting or barrel tasting.
2774 E. Empire Ave., Benton Harbor, Michigan, 269-927-4731, lakemichiganvintners.com
For romantic escapes and celebrations
Tabor Hill Winery and Restaurant: With sweeping vineyard views and a revamped restaurant, Tabor Hill is a polished choice for a romantic getaway or bridal shower. James Beard Award-nominated chef Justin Carlisle draws on local farms for his seasonal menu, while the vineyard lounge hosts live music on summer weekends. Winemaker Sage Briggs oversees an impressive range of wines, from bright, red-cherried sangiovese to a gorgeously sun-kissed albariño.
185 Mt. Tabor Road, Buchanan, Michigan, 269-422-1161, taborhill.com
Dablon Vineyards and Winery: Soaring ceilings, an industrial-chic tasting room and cozy fireside lounge make this one of the region’s more elevated places to settle in for an afternoon. Owned by Chicago attorney and Music Box Theatre founder William Schopf and his daughter, Brody Sheldon, Dablon offers a broad range of wines, from a spry, floral Estate White to a refreshing merlot pét-nat rosé and elegant cabernet sauvignon. Sundays bring live music through the summer and fall. From November through March, movie nights pair Music Box films with wine and popcorn.
111 W. Shawnee Road, Baroda, Michigan, 269-422-9463, dablon.com
Filkins Vineyards: Perched on a hilltop, Filkins is worth a stop for the setting alone — panoramic vineyard views, a stylish tasting room and a broad deck perfect for enjoying the sunset. Order a flight with one of the winery’s grazing boards, or book the 90-minute vineyard tour for a closer look. Fans of bold, brooding reds may be surprised by Anthos Red, a blend of syrah and cabernet sauvignon, while the Incensa White delivers a rush of tropical fruit cut by bracing acidity.
6991 Ryno Road, Coloma, Michigan, 269-468-9463, filkinsvineyards.com
For easygoing, family-friendly afternoons
Fenn Valley Vineyards: A lush, rolling lawn overlooking the vineyards makes Fenn Valley an inviting spot for a picnic. Bring a blanket and lawn chairs, then settle in with a thirst-quenching dry riesling. Fenn Valley’s Music in the Vineyards series brings live music outdoors every Thursday and Saturday through the warmer months, while summer cookouts, winemaker dinners and other events add to the easygoing appeal. Kids are welcome, as are leashed dogs outdoors.
6130 122nd Ave., Fennville, Michigan, 269-561-2396, fennvalley.com
Lemon Creek Winery: Wine is only part of the story at Lemon Creek, where the family’s farming roots stretch back more than 165 years. The farm still grows an abundance of fruit alongside wine grapes, with seasonal U-pick shifting from cherries and peaches to apples and grapes throughout the year. In the cellar, winemaker Jerardo Bocanegra brings fresh energy to that long legacy. Come for a flight — his carménère is a particular standout — and stay to pick fruit, or time your visit for Friday evening live music and food trucks.
533 E. Lemon Creek Road, Berrien Springs, Michigan, 269-471-1321, lemoncreekwinery.com
Michigan Wine Co.: This small, family-run winery is easy to settle into, with plenty of outdoor space for kids and dogs, vineyard-side seating and rotating food trucks serving everything from lobster to tacos and pierogies. Owner and winemaker Joe Krajkiewcz, an engineer who first got hooked on winemaking through home kits, brings a curious, open-minded approach to the cellar. There’s a lovely floral lift to many of his wines, gamay is especially pretty, while Cab & Cab, a blend of cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc, balances generous fruit with freshness.
6781 124th Ave., Fennville, Michigan, 269-543-5011, michiganwineco.com
Anna Lee Iijima is a freelance writer.