Raise a Glass to Southwest Michigan
Make the most of the season with vineyard tours and apple picking
By Jeff Banowetz
A vineyard tour and wine sampling for those in the Chicago area typically started with a ride to O’Hare. But that’s no longer a necessity, as the wine-growing region of Southwest Michigan has matured, offering a food-and-drink experience that is increasingly worthy of a destination trip.
“This area of Michigan is becoming the sort of Napa Valley meets the Hamptons for Chicago,” says Matt Moersch, owner of the Moersch Hospitality Group, which operates the Tabor Hill Winery & Restaurant and Round Barn Winery & Estate in Buchanan, about 20 miles west of New Buffalo and two hours from Naperville.
While wine growing in the region dates back to the 19th century, it didn’t begin to take off commercially until the latter part of the 20th. Tabor Hill’s founder, Len Olson, planted 10 acres of French-American hybrid wine grapes in 1967, and it was one of the first wineries in Michigan to switch to European varietals of grapes. Before that, most grapes in the area were used to make sweet wines, grape juice, and preserves.
Tabor Hill sold its first bottle of wine produced from those grapes in 1971, and other smaller wineries soon followed the same path. In 1983, the Lake Michigan Shore American Viticultural Area was established, a federal designation that highlights the area’s suitability for growing grapes.
Now you’ll find more than 50 craft breweries, wineries, and distillers in Southwest Michigan—the local tourism organization (Visit Southwest Michigan) has even created a “Makers Trail” that highlights all the options for visitors.
Moersch moved to Buchanan as a young child because his father was interested in the wines grown in the region. “He enjoyed [the wine] as a customer, and he ended up doing some lab work for [the winery] because he was a high school science teacher,” Moersch says. “[Tabor] eventually offered him a job there that he accepted, and then we bought a farm right adjacent to Tabor Hill, where we started our own kind of nursery and sold grapes to Tabor.”
The Moersch family took over the ownership of Tabor Hill in 2017. They also run the adjacent Round Barn Winery & Estate (which also features a brewery and distillery), as well as a Round Barn Brewery and Public House in downtown Baroda, about 20 minutes away, and a tasting room in Union Pier.
Tabor Hill and Round Barn are connected by about 3.5 miles of trails on the property, allowing visitors to sip and hike while enjoying the fall colors. (The fastest route is only about a mile, if you’re in a hurry to get to the next tasting.) The Round Barn Distillery also offers a Bourbon Barn for those who prefer cocktails or flights of whiskey. “It’s become very popular for us,” Moersch says. “It’s got a great vibe there, and there are so many people who like to try a high-end cocktail or learn more about what goes into making a whiskey.”
Moersch is also excited about a new development at Tabor Hill—the hiring of James Beard Award–nominated chef Justin Carlisle. “He’s leading a whole new culinary team,” Moersch says. “We’re focusing on more approachable fine dining, with a heavy focus on farm-to-table and shareable dishes. Our new menu is almost like a tasting menu, with lots of smaller bites. We like offering family style, where you can try multiple things and pair them with different wines. We’re trying to bring down the stuffiness while elevating the quality.”
That suits the styles of wine made in the region. “I’d say Michigan has very well-balanced, food-friendly wines,” Moersch says. “They have some more acidity to them than wines from out west because [western wines] are grown in so much more heat. We tend to have wines that are Alsatian or Burgundian in style thanks to a bit cooler climate.”
So, red or white?
“We grow a lot of whites here,” he says. “We have some great reds that we’ve learned to grow over the years by manipulating the plants to make even better products. Now we can even grow things like Sangiovese and Cab Sauv. At the beginning of my career, they were harder to grow. But now we’ve figured out those processes with canopy management and thinning the grapes to get the highest quality.”
Fall is a busy time for Southwest Michigan wineries with the harvest going on, but it’s also become more popular for destination trips. “We keep adding more and more fall events,” Moersch says. “It’s a beautiful time of the year to be here, and the weather is perfect for relaxing and taking it all in.”
Apple Picking
For families, apple picking is one of the biggest draws to Southwest Michigan this time of year. The season typically runs from July through November, and you’ll find several farms and markets throughout the region. Fruit Acres Market & U-Pick in Coloma, for instance, features nine apple varieties that reach peak ripeness throughout the season. Jollay Orchard, also in Coloma, lets you pick your own apples and grapes, and it offers other fall farm activities, including a hayride, pumpkin patch, corn maze, and haunted house as Halloween approaches. A sixth-generation family orchard, Crane Orchards in Fennville has several varieties of apples you can pick as well as a pumpkin patch, corn maze, cow train, and hayrides. Be sure to check each orchards’ schedule before you go.
The Four Flags Apple Festival has been taking place in Niles since 1972. This year’s event, running Oct. 1 to 4, offers carnival rides and games, nightly musical entertainment, and just about any food that could possibly be made with an apple.
Nightlife
While some wineries and breweries have musical entertainment, be sure to check out The Acorn Center for the Performing Arts in Three Oaks. Located in a historic turn-of-the-20th-century factory building, this 300-seat venue offers a wide range of concerts and events throughout the year. It attracts a surprisingly large number of national headliners to the cozy space. This fall, you can see performances by Sheena Easton (Oct. 1), Jeff Tweedy (Oct. 20), and the BoDeans (Oct. 25). You’ll also find popular tribute acts on the schedule, like Billy Elton (performing songs from Billy Joel and Elton John) on Oct. 3, and Small Town (a John Mellencamp tribute band) on Oct. 17.
The Howard Performing Arts Center in Berrien Springs is known for its incredible acoustics and classical musical performances.
For more information on the area, visit swmichigan.org.
Photos: Tabor Hill Winery and Restaurant
