Fruit Wine is Good

Ahh, my heart leapt when I saw the headline Michigan's Wine Country Grows Where the Cherry is King in the New York Times this morning. Finally, the much-maligned, underrated, humble fruit wine would get some well-deserved press.

But no. The article is largely about how growers are replacing cherry orchards with vineyards. Behold the only mention of fruit wine in the entire article:

[The six wineries of Old Mission] all offer daily tastings of their rieslings and pinot noirs and, naturally, some version or other of a cloying cherry port.

“The sweeter the better,” admitted both Dave and Debbie Bridgewater, loading up on bottles of their favorites at Chateau Grand Traverse. [emphasis mine]

Admitted. Like drinking cherry wine is something to be ashamed of.

Why not highlight some of the many fruit wines available in the area, like these cherry wines from Cherry Republic? Or the award-winning fruit wines of Leelanau Cellars?

Fruit wine has a long and noble history, especially in northern Europe, where it's hard to grow grapes but comparatively easier to grow things like berries and apples. Indeed, cold places in the US like Michigan and upstate New York are full of fruit wineries.

Montezuma Winery in Seneca Falls is my favorite; order yourself some Vin de Myrtille, Cranberry Bog, or Dragonfly and see if you aren't converted.