Michigan Winemakers Have a New Climate Worry: More Wildfire Smoke

Michigan winemakers have a new climate worry: More wildfire smoke

When wildfire smoke blanketed northern Michigan skies last month, Kasey Wierzba thought the vineyard at Shady Lane Cellars in Suttons Bay looked like a different planet. “That kind of pinky, peachy haze really was filtering through the whole vineyard. The visibility was really minimal,” said Wierzba, the general manager and executive winemaker at Shady Lane Cellars, a winery and vineyard that sits on the “little finger” of the state on Leelanau …

Could wildfire smoke change the flavor of wine grapes in northern Michigan?

Andy Fles, vineyard manager for Shady Lane Cellars in Suttons Bay, holds some muscat grapes which are in the buckshot berry stage of fruit development. (Photo credit: Vivian La/IPR News)This story is made possible through a partnership between Interlochen Public Radio and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization. When wildfire smoke blanketed northern Michigan skies earlier this month, Kasey Wierzba thought the vineyard at Shady Lane …