Market Watch, November 2019
90 MARKET WATCH MARKETWATCHMAG COM NOVEMBER 2019PHOTO BY TK TKwest People warned him about the snow but six inches of snow is all it takes to protect the graft and keep the ground here from freezing Snow is actually our saving grace Grand Traverses Rieslings from the late 70s were so good that restaurants in San Francisco were selling them Today the winery produces about 120000 cases annually with distribution extending as far as Virginia and Washington D C The wines range from the 2013 Reserve Merlot 30 a 750 ml to a 2016 Grüner Veltliner 16 Eddie OKeefe is taking a more regional approach to his marketing lately and is currently focusing on Chicago 1975 acquired the 32 acres he owns today A few years after the acquisition Mawby took his first stab at vinifera planting Pinot Noir Pinot Gris and Chardonnay vines In the 1970s there were just five local wineries here and the cherry grow ers thought we were weird Mawby recalls Cherries had been the dominant crop for more than a century His first harvest in 1978 was 400 gallons and his first wine was called Picnic rosé priced around 6 a bottle and sold mostly at local farmers markets Tourism Boost Wine has benefited here because this area has always been a summer tourist destination Mawby says Since the start weve gotten visitors curious about our local products But it wasnt until the 1990s that wine really proliferated as people began giving up successful business careers to move here and build wineries Mawby currently makes 25000 cases a year ranking in the top ten among wineries in the state by volume His wines and ciders are notable for such eye catching names as Freestyle Grace and the biggest seller of all Sex a sparkling rosé made with Pinot Noir Chardonnay and Muscat and priced at 17 a 750 ml Mawby has distributor deals in Illinois Minne sota Ohio Virginia and Maryland and supports a wine club of 1600 members But the distribution footprint is limited by how many grapes he can buy from growers in the area Over on the smaller Mission Peninsula Chateau Grand Traverse is another local wine pioneer It was founded in 1974 by Ed OKeefe Jr a former Olympic gymnast para trooper and undercover narcotics agent for the U S Trea sury Department with 30 acres of Riesling Today he is chairman and CEO and his son Eddie is president There were no wineries on this peninsula at all when my dad got his start Eddie says He moved one million cubic yards of earth to form vineyards facing toward the sun in the south Urban winery Left Foot Charley barrel room pictured in Traverse City Michigan makes 10000 9 liter cases of wine and 10000 cases of cider a year with its offerings including unqiue varietals Blaufränkisch and Kerner distributed as far as New York and Washington D C MICHIGAN WINE GRAPE PRODUCTION 1997 2024P thousands of acres Source Michigan Craft Beverage Council123456789102024P20162014201120062003200220001997MW1119_
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