Leelanau Peninsula AVA

Leelanau Peninsula is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in Leelanau County on a peninsula between Lake Michigan to the west and Grand Traverse Bay to the east in the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The wine appellation was established as the nation's tenth and Michigan's second AVA on March 30, 1982, by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) after reviewing the petition submitted by Lawrence Mawby, proprietor of the L. Mawby Vineyards & Winery in Suttons Bay, on behalf of local vintners proposing the viticultural area named "Leelanau Peninsula".

The 330-square-mile (211,200-acre; 85,470 ha) peninsula receives the tempering "lake effect" of Lake Michigan. Its climate is distinguished from the surrounding area by a more moderate high and low temperature range. This lake effect moderates the winter and summer temperature extremes, and delays budding of the vines beyond the late spring frosts. The lake effect also causes generally uniform climatic conditions, since large bodies of water retain heat and cold and react slower to temperature fluctuations. many types of fruit and vegetables. At the outset, Michigan's two wine-grape regions were 200 miles (320 km) apart along the Lake Michigan shore. The number of frost-free growing days, normally during the period of May 10 through October 13, in these two grape-growing regions differ by approximately 20 days. The southern region, Fennville on the Lake Michigan shore, averages 160–170 days and the northern region, Leelanau Peninsula, averages 140–150 days. Frost can occur on all but about 145 days of the calendar year. The soil in Leelanau Peninsula is complex, with glacial deposits of clay, sand, and loam on top of bedrock of granite and limestone. The hardiness zones are 6a and 6b.