THE TM 911 Franklin Street Weekly Newspaper Michigan City, IN 46360 Volume 37, Number 4 Thursday, February 4, 2021 SSowingowing tthehe SSeedseeds by Edmund Lawler o the west are Lake Michigan’s endless ho- Also unique to the region that holds 90 percent rizon and the prevailing westerly winds of Michigan’s vineyards is the Midwest’s only com- moderating temperatures along its eastern mercial teaching winery and tasting room, Lake Tshore. To the east is a glacial moraine and Michigan Vintners. It is part of Lake Michigan its gently sloping hills. To the south is the Indiana College’s six-year-old Wine and Viticulture Tech- state line and to the north the Kalamazoo River. nology program operating from a new $7 million, In between is a rolling bed of sandy, nutrient-rich 14,000-square-foot teaching winery on its Benton soil underlying the nearly 1.3 million acres of the Harbor campus. Known as the Welch Center, it pro- federally recognized Lake Michigan Shore American vides students a real-world laboratory in the sci- Viticultural Area, home to a bounty of fruit farms, ence, business and art of winemaking in a region orchards and vineyards growing dozens of variet- where wineries are elegant engines of tourism. ies of wine grapes. Southwest Michigan’s unique The two-year degree program and its compan- combination of lake-effect climate, glacially sculpt- ion commercial teaching winery is led by Michael ed topography and enriched, well-drained soil are Moyer, a former winemaker in Washington State key ingredients of what the French call terroir: the and graduate of the University of California-Da- characteristic fl avor and taste of a wine bestowed by vis’ Viticulture and Enology program, not far from the environment in which it’s grown and produced. Continued on Page 2 THE Page 2 February 4, 2021 THE 911 Franklin Street • Michigan City, IN 46360 219/879-0088 Beacher Company Directory e-mail: News/Articles - [email protected] Don and Tom Montgomery Owners email: Classifieds - [email protected] Andrew Tallackson Editor http://www.thebeacher.com/ Drew White Print Salesman PRINTE ITH Published and Printed by Janet Baines Inside Sales/Customer Service T Becky Wirebaugh Typesetter/Designer T A S A THE BEACHER BUSINESS PRINTERS Randy Kayser Pressman Dora Kayser Bindery Delivered weekly, free of charge to Birch Tree Farms, Duneland Beach, Grand Beach, Hidden Shores, Long Beach, Michiana Shores, Michiana MI and Shoreland Hills. The Beacher is Jerri Primack, Jacquie Quinlan Production also delivered to public places in Michigan City, New Buffalo, LaPorte and Sheridan Beach. John Baines, Karen Gehr, Tom Montgomery Delivery they were hoping to create that would be similar to Sowing the Seeds Continued from Page 1 Walla Walla Community College’s. The mission was to develop a professionally trained class of wine- Napa Valley. Earlier in his career, Moyer was a wine makers and vineyard managers to help the local instructor who developed the science of winemak- industry grow,” Moyer, a Utah native, says. “I was ing curriculum at Walla Walla (Washington) Com- very excited about it and went home and told my munity College’s Institute for Enology and Viticul- wife, and she was excited as well. I was expecting ture. The college cultivates several acres of teaching her to say, ‘No way. We’re not leaving.’ We had met vineyards and operates a commercial teaching win- in Walla Walla and had started raising our family.’” ery called College Cellars of Walla Walla. He was delighted, however, that his wife, Erica, If it sounds a lot a California native, like Lake Michigan agreed the possible College’s program, it opportunity to launch is. A delegation from a hybrid academic/ LMC visited Walla commercial program Walla and essential- sounded too good to ly took home their pass up. blueprint. And for all “But I was a little practical purposes, apprehensive,” Moyer they made off with said. “Afterward, I Moyer as well. But it asked them to send was more of a seduc- some Michigan wine tion than an abduc- because I never had tion, Moyer assures. any before. They put “I was working as together some bottles a winemaker for the from local wineries. Figgins Family’s Le- I was expecting fruit onetti Cellar in Walla wine or maybe some Walla, and the owner Riesling, maybe some said, ‘I’m giving some cold-hearty varieties. guests a tour. Can I didn’t know what to you come down and expect. meet them and have “What I got was a a glass of wine with selection of dry red us?’ They told me wine — Cabernet about what they were Franc, Syrah and doing in Michigan, Merlot. The wines and I was intrigued,” knocked my socks Moyer says. off.” The conversa- Moyer fi gured if tion over a glass of Michigan winemak- wine serendipitously Michael Moyer directs Lake Michigan College’s ers can ripen Syrah evolved into a job Wine and Viticulture Technology program. grapes — which typi- interview with the LMC delegation led by then- cally produce bold, full-body wines — then the possi- president Bob Harrison and Mike and Lisa Welch, bilities were endless in a state boasting the nation’s longtime supporters of the college whose name now longest freshwater coastline, where most vineyards graces LMC’s teaching winery. are within 25 miles of Lake Michigan. The big lake’s The impromptu interview went well. insulating effect extends Southwest Michigan’s “They described the wine region and the program cool-climate growing season by up to a month. THE February 4, 2021 Page 3 The selection of wines clinched the deal, and by January 2015, Moyer began planting the seeds of YouYYoPleaseoouu Don’tDDoon considernn’’t’t NeedNNeeeedd the program to grow a well-trained talent pool for volunteering for the Michigan’s wine industry. Wine is big business in boardttoo b be ofe aTheMMu Musician usuSchoolsisiciciaann of the Mitten State, the nation’s fourth-largest grower ttooAmericanbbe e oon n th thehhee MusicBBo Board!oard! of wine grapes. A study by the Michigan Craft Bev- erage Council estimates the wine industry produces TheThhee SchoolSchchhooooolo oof f AAm Americanmeerricriccaann MMu Musicususis c oof offersffffefers wwo world-classorlorlld-cclaass cco concertsononcncecerertrts a $5.4 billion economic impact on the state, includ- aanandndd ccl classeslaasssseess tth throughouthrroouugghhoouutt HHa Harborarrbboorr CCo Country.ouunnttrryyy. IIf f yyo yououu llo loveovvee mmu musicusiicc ing tourism, business with wholesalers, retailers, aanandndd th thehehe aar arts,rtsts, p pleaseleeaassee c consideroonnssididdederr vvo volunteeringollulunntteerriinngg fof forr th thehhe bbo boardoaarrdd oof f bars and restaurants. More than 1.7 million people TThThehee S Schoolcchhooooll oof f AAm Americanmmeerriccaann MMu Music.ussiicc.c visit Michigan’s wineries each year, contributing ArthurAArrththhuhurr A Andersonnddeerrsoonn JJo Johnohhnhn BBa Balichallicllichh PPh Philiphiiliipip BBa Baumanauummaann about $252 million in tourism dollars. Moyer found the program’s early days could be RobR b BlakeBBlalakkeke MarcoMMaarrco ChavarryCCh hahavarrryy TTo Tomomm FFli Flintliinintt daunting. PriscillaPPrrissccilllaa LeeL e HellengaHHeelllennggaa BBil Billll KKo Korbelorbbeel P Patatt PPu Putnamuttnaamm “I got here and realized, ‘Oh my gosh, I don’t LollyLLoolllyly RobertsRRoRbbeberrtsts RonRRoon SpearsSSpppearrss GarthGGaarrththh TaylorT ayyllor have any students,’” Moyer says. He enlisted Can- RyanRRyyaann VanVVaann Plew-CidPleew-CCidd dice Elders, the college’s savvy executive director of marketing and communication, who quickly got the word out on the new program, and the enormous We’dWWee’’dd likellikkee to o aad addddd bbo boardoaarrdd mme membersemmbbeerrss tto o hhe helpellpp wwit with:thh: potential of the winemaking region in which the SocialSSoocciaal MediaMeddiia EEv Eventveent planningppl laannniinngg FundraisingFFu unnddraaisiinng program would be rooted. A cohort of students was CommunicationsCCoommmmmunniicattioonnss AdvertisingAAddvveerttisiing GrantGGraannt writingwwrrittinngg not far behind. ToT seeseee ab aboutboouut bbe becomingcoommmiminnngg partppaarartt ofof Michiana’sMMicchhiannaa’s mmu musicalusiccaal co connection,onnnneecttiooonnn,, pplpleaseleeassee contactccoonnntataaccctt TTh Thehe SSc Schoolchhhooooll ofof AAm Americanmmeeeririicicaaann MMu Musicusssicicc aat t scschoolofamericanmusic@gmail.comchhoooolooffammeeriicannmmumussis c@@[email protected] https://schoolofamericanmusic.com/hhtttptps::///sc/schchoooooloo offafamammmeerie icicannmnmmsussisic.iic.ccommm// ((2(269-409-1191266699-440099-11119911 The Welch Center opened in the fall of 2019 Then there were the local winery owners to deal with, including a vocal minority concerned a new commercial winery backed by the resources of a col- lege would be an unwelcome competitor. Moyer per- suaded them the degree program and Lake Michi- gan Vintners were to their advantage. “I maintain good relationships with the wineries here, the winery owners,” he said. “One of the most vocal of them came up to me a couple of years ago and said, ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t want what I said to lead to bad blood.’ And I said, it’s all good.” Is it ever. “The program is a game-changer for Michigan. Mike is teaching students all the right things,” TakeTake Care!Care! says John Braganini, president of Michigan’s old- est and largest winery, St. Julian Wine Co., based 8 MAPLE STREET in Paw Paw. “The program does two things. It THREE OAKS, MI 269.340.0346 OPEN EVERY DAY gives the growers’ children, who if they choose to GOODSANDHEROES.COM NOON - 5PM EST Continued on Page 4 THE Page 4 February 4, 2021 some point in the future one of the community col- Sowing the Seeds Continued from Page 3 leges up north would do the same because the fruit and winemaking techniques in the southwest are continue growing grapes, very different from up north.” the opportunity to study The most important lesson college students study- somewhere locally. Other ing for wine industry must learn is how to manage than that, they have to the supply chain. go to Michigan State’s Ag “It is the most essential component of the busi- School or to Cornell Uni- ness,” Braganini says.