Lake Michigan Shore AVA
| Wine region | |
Michigan AVAs | |
| Type | American Viticultural Area |
|---|---|
| Year established | 1983 |
| Years of wine industry | 159 |
| Country | United States |
| Part of | Michigan |
| Other regions in Michigan | Leelanau Peninsula AVA, Old Mission Peninsula AVA, Tip of the Mitt AVA |
| Sub-regions | Fennville AVA |
| Growing season | 155 to 175 days |
| Climate region | Region Ia-IIb |
| Heat units | 2250–2620 GDD units |
| Soil conditions | Sandy loam |
| Total area | 1.28 million acres (0.52×106 ha) |
| Size of planted vineyards | 14,472 acres (5,857 ha) |
| No. of vineyards | 930 |
| Grapes produced | Baco Noir, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chambourcin, Chancellor, Chardonnay, Chelois, Concord, De Chaunac, Gamay Noir, Gewurztraminer, Kerner, Lemberger, Malbec, Marechal Foch, Marsanne, Merlot, Müller-Thurgau, Muscat Ottonel, Niagara, Petit Verdot, Pinot gris, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Roussanne, Sauvignon Blanc, Seyval blanc, St. Vincent, Syrah, Traminette, Vidal Blanc, Vignoles, Viognier |
| No. of wineries | 33 |
Lake Michigan Shore is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in southwestern corner of the state of Michigan bordered by Lake Michigan and entirely encompassing Berrien and Van Buren counties in addition to portions of Allegan, Kalamazoo and Cass counties. The wine appellation was established as the nation's 46th and Michigan's third AVA on October 13, 1983, by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) after reviewing the petition submitted by Charles W. Catherman Jr., vice president and winemaker of the St. Julian Wine Company, and Michael F. Byrne, winemaker of Warner Vineyards, proposing a viticultural area known as "Lake Michigan Shore".
The 1.28-million-acre (0.52×106 ha) area has specifically been known by two names, "Fruit Belt" and "Lake Michigan Shore", while also generally referred to as "Southwestern Michigan" or "Western Counties".
"Michigan's southwestern counties, behind the towering sand dunes of the Lake Michigan Shore and extending east and north to Kalamazoo are one of the great fruit-producing sections of the earth." Several state and national books on wine and grapes refer to this area generally as the area behind the sand dunes on the Lake Michigan shore. After carefully evaluating the petition for this viticultural area, ATF agreed that "Lake Michigan Shore" is the most appropriate name as the land borders the shore and is close to Lake Michigan including acreage 30 to 60 miles (48 to 97 km) inland because the entire area shares the same terroir most notably the tempering "lake effect" of Lake Michigan. At the outset, the area included nine commercial wineries, approximately 930 grape growers, and 14,472 acres (5,857 ha) under vine. The previously approved Fennville viticultural area lies within the northwest corner of the Lake Michigan Shore viticultural area.