2025 Northwest Michigan Orchard & Vineyard Show
Registration opens at 8 a.m. on Jan. 14 and the cost for both days is $50 in advance and $55 at the door. The line can be long at the registration desk, so meeting attendees are encouraged to arrive well before the 9 a.m. start time or register online. Both days will feature educational programs and vendor exhibits.
One registration (tree fruit or grape session) will give attendees access to both the tree fruit sessions and grape sessions for both days.
The fruit industry luncheon will be Tuesday, Jan. 14, and is open to both tree fruit and grape registrants at a first come, first serve basis.
There will be two separate lunches on Wednesday, Jan. 15. One room will hold the grape industry luncheon and the other will hold the Cherry Marketing Institute luncheon.
The Cherry Marketing Institute annual meeting and luncheon will be Wednesday, Jan. 15. Wednesday’s Cherry Marketing Institute luncheon is free to cherry growers if they pre-register through the Northwest Michigan Orchard and Vineyard Show online registration. If growers do not have access to a computer, please contact the Cherry Marketing Institute at 517-669-4264 to register for the lunch.
The exhibit hall will be open during the show to feature vendors of orchard and vineyard equipment and supplies, commodity organizations and other exhibitors.
Both Tuesday and Wednesday will offer a variety of topics relating to research and information on tart cherries, sweet cherries, apples and wine grapes addressing production and marketing. Cherry, apple and grape sessions will be held on both days. Tuesday’s sessions will conclude with a social hour, and all attendees are invited to attend; the social hour is included with the registration fee.
The program is presented by the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Foundation in collaboration with Michigan State University Extension and AgBioResearch, Cherry Marketing Institute, Parallel 45, Michigan Wine Collaborative and the MSU Northwest Michigan Horticulture Research Center.
For more information on the Northwest Michigan Orchard and Vineyard Show, please call Jenn Zelinski at 231-946-1510 or email goodr100@msu.edu.
Special Events- January 14th
Cab Franc Comparative Tasting (2:35pm-3:45pm):
Join Winemaker Lee Lutes as he leads tasting room staff, winemakers, growers, and other attendees through a Cabernet Franc exploration of styles. Join us as we taste and explore the nuances between Michigan Cab Francs, including vintage, aging ability, regional expression, and winemaking styles.
Sourcing:
We will be sourcing submissions for wines to be tasted. Wineries producing a commercial Cabernet Franc that would like to submit a wine for consideration for the Cabernet Franc tasting at the 2025 NWMI OV Show may do so before December 20th. This will be single bottles from producers so that each wine can be juried and determined how they fit with the description and educational points best as outlined above. We hope to land a good representation of 9-12 wines from all over Michigan. The focus is for wines that are legally allowed to place the single variety indication of Cabernet Franc on the label. These wines will be tasted and final determination will happen by December 30th. You will be contacted by email for further submission instructions.
Qualifications are:
Must be of 2020 vintage or younger (20, 21, 22, 23)
Must be an eligible single variety indication
IF YOUR WINE IS CHOSEN IN SOURCING PHASE, Please have 4 bottles delivered by January 8th to one of the listed procurement spaces below*
Below are the locations to drop off product:
Old Mission wineries can drop their wine off at Chateau Chantal ATTN: Brian Lillie OR Black Star Farms ATTN: Lee Lutes
Leelanau Peninsula wineries can drop their wine off at Black Star Farms (OMP) ATTN: Lee Lutes
Southwest Michigan Wineries can drop off their wine to Fenn Valley ATTN: Brian Lesperance
Any other winery outside of these regions wishing to add your Cab Franc to the tasting can deliver to one of the 3 locations
Submitting wineries:
There are 2 phases to this process. The first is for sourcing and the second is for the show. Please only submit wines that can legally be labeled as the single variety of Cabernet Franc even if there is a small percentage of other wines in the bottle. Please submit 1 bottle for the jury process by December 20th and if your cab franc is chosen to be featured at the comparison 4 bottles by January 8th- three will be tasted and one is reserved in the chance of an unforeseen circumstance. Any wines not poured will be returned to the producer.
Deadline for submissions is December 20th.
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MWC Annual Meeting & Election (4:00pm-5:00pm):
Join us as we give an overview of MWC activities and achievements from 2024, goals for 2025, committee updates, execute our 2025 election, and more! This meeting is open to MWC membership and to the public. Only voting members of the MWC are eligible to vote. Ballots will be emailed to the membership profile contact email on January 14th.
