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Michigan wine acreage growing while total grape acres decline

Recent analysis of Michigan’s grape acreage confirms vineyards in the state are declining even as wine acreage grows.

The 2020 Michigan Grape and Hop Inventory Report finds wine grape acres have increased by 10 percent since 2016 while juice grape acreage has declined by 25 percent.

Michigan Craft Beverage Council director Jenelle Jagmin tells Brownfield wine grape acreage increased to nearly 3,400 acres and added two more farms over the past four years with Riesling the top planted wine variety in the state.

“I believe we’re the only state with that distinction—that Riesling is the number one planted variety—and that’s something that we can continue to hang our hat on,” she says.  “It continues to grow very well in Michigan.”

She says over the past three years growers have also planted an increasing number of cold hardy red grape varieties more suitable to Michigan.

The analysis found total grape acres have declined by more than 4,000 since 2011 with 60 farms exiting production.

The study also set a baseline for hop acreage in Michigan finding hops are grown on 670 acres at nearly 70 farms with Centennial hops the top planted variety.