On Monday, the wineries of the Leelanau Peninsula joined those of the Old Mission Peninsula in the 2nd annual Northern Michigan Wine Summit. Trade and industry representatives heard from wine & food experts about the amazing quality and character of our Northern Michigan wines. The moderator & panelists were:

• Chef Eric Villages – Cookbook author and host of the TV Show Fork in the Road (a Michigan focused cooking & culinary travel show now in 10% of CPB markets nationwide)
  
• Richard Leahy – East Coast Editor and Director of Programs for Vineyard & Winery Management (also see his blog: Richard Leahy’s Wine Report)
• Madelline Triffon – Master Sommelier and wine & beverage director for Matt Prentice Restaurant Group (owner of numerous restaurants in southeast Michigan & Michigan’s largest privately owned caterer)
• Claudia Tyagi – Master Sommelier and private wine consultant for The Whitney and others (be sure to check out the regional representation on The Whitney Collection wine list!)
• John State – Executive Chef of the JW Marriott of Grand Rapids (presided over opening of JW’s signature restaurant, six.one.six)
• Kristin Kitely – Food and Beverage Director for Crystal Mountain Resort (has overseen food & wine pairings at the Michigan Wine & Grape Council annual meeting for a number of years)
  

The panel and attendees then adjourned to the Top of the Park for a tasting and even some music from Mike Moran (voted Northern Michigan’s best musician this year). For more, see Summit offers taste of area wine from the Traverse City Record-Eagle, which begins:

Skip Telgard remembers when suggesting a Michigan wine with dinner to customers at his Leland restaurant might prompt a quizzical look or a furrowed brow.

“It used to be a kind of adventure to recommend Michigan wines,” he said.

That’s no longer the case. More than half the wine sales at The Bluebird restaurant are Michigan-made selections, a figure that’s doubled in the past five years, Telgard said. Many of his customers now ask for locally made wines, and he sees a growing public awareness about the quality of Michigan wines among both northern Michigan residents and visitors.

“If there wasn’t quality wine in the bottle, that wouldn’t be happening,” he said.

Amen.

Here are some more photos from the Northern Michigan Wine Summit.

Here’s a video from the Northern Michigan Wine Summit by Scott Allman: