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The wine industry in northern Michigan is bigger than ever, and vineyards are popping up everywhere you look. It's a business that has a multi-million dollar impact on the state, and is expected to continue to grow. Winemakers on the Leelanau Peninsula say the region is great for grapes; the snow insulates the vines, the peninsulas are surrounded by water, and the summer sunshine doesn't hurt either.

9&10's Sara Simnitch and photojournalist Jeremy Erickson go from vine to wine, talking to Mark Carlson of Silver Leaf, Larry Mawby of L Mawby and Andrew McFarlane of Leelanau.com and the Leelanau Wine Trail in this special report:

The 10th Annual Empire Asparagus Festival will be held May 17-18, 2013 and features a slew of asparagus-themed events including a Street Dance & Pig Roast from 7-10 PM Friday, a fun run (or walk), Asparagus Eats/Wine and Beer Tasting,  Asparagus recipe contest, the Asparagus Parade, chalk art, music & dance and kids games and a 7 PM Finale Fun Food with Live Music on Saturday night. You can get all the details on the tasty eats and drinks below!

A feature by Susan Bayer Ward titled The Empire Strikes Back... With Asparagus explains:

There's a reason Empire touts itself as the apex of asparagus-a vegetable whose short growing season begins in early May and flows into June. The area's sandy soil, plentitude of water and temperate microclimate-fostered by Lake Michigan, make this the perfect place to nurture wild and farmed asparagus. In fact, Michigan ranks third behind California and Washington as a producer of this commercial crop which garners the state a surprising $29 million annually.

Truth be told, only one local farmer, Harry Norconk, runs a 240-acre asparagus-growing business south of town. But what the heck, this slender green harbinger of spring grows wild all over the place. And while surrounding towns, for years, positioned themselves as prime purveyors of cherries, morel mushrooms and wines, Empire decided to become the Valhalla of that savory veggie-the asparagus.

Also see Stalking Local Asparagus in Empire from MyNorth.com.

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Leelanau celebrates wine, art & love the first weekend of February with the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association's Taste the Passion weekend.

The weekend starts with a special winter benefit for the Glen Arbor Art Association called Art From Michigan's Wine Country. on Friday evening (Feb 1) from 6-8 PM. The event takes place at The Homestead and  features an invitational art exhibit, wine from the Leelanau Wine Trail and delectable small plates by  Chef Jon Piombo. Proceeds from the evening will benefit three GAAA programs for area children: art scholarships, after school art classes, and the summer migrant children's art program. Participating artists include: Beth Bricker, Wendy Cheney, Celeste Crouch, Don Drabik, Harvey Gordon, Alex Helfers, Angela Saxon, and Rodger Skinner.

Your $20/advance reservation ($25 at the door) ticket includes: one glass of wine, small plates menu and coffee. Call The Homestead at 334-5100, to pre-purchase by January 30 and get more info at www.glenarborart.org or call 231-334-6112

Then enjoy Taste the Passion, a weekend wine tour (February 2 & 3) at 20 tasting rooms on the Leelanau Wine Trail. This annual event is a celebration of wine, chocolate and love. Tickets are just $30, and your ticket allows you to chart your own course, enjoying food and wine pairings at the wineries along the trail. Tickets are limited - click the link to order them today!

Photo credit: Friends at Silver Leaf by explortise - view more in his Taste the Passion slideshow!

Here's a few ideas to help make your Thanksgiving holiday a little more local ... and a lot tastier!

It all starts with the turkey. I'm not sure if the folks at Hubbell's Farm or Haymaker Poultry Co. have any left, but I do know that one great place to get a tasty turkey is Biehl's Circle B Turkey Ranch. You can order them at the Merc in Leland and Oryana in Traverse City (and probably elsewhere as well). Don't forget to check the local produce and products at your favorite store - the Merc, Anderson's in Glen Arbor, Cedar City Market, Hanson's in Suttons Bay and Oryana and Burritt's Market in Traverse City all feature a lot of great food that hasn't traveled too far. There's a indoor farmers market at the Grand Traverse Commons every Saturday from 10 AM - 2 PM. If last week is any guide, there will be PLENTY of potatoes, squash and also lots of greens! If anyone has other ideas to localize your table, post them in the comments!

Once you have your bird and some ingredients, you need to think about how you're going to put it all together. Elizabeth Edwards at MyNorth/Traverse Magazine put together a collection of some of their best Thanksgiving recipes.

We asked Lee Lutes, winemaker at Black Star Farms to share some of his thoughts on wine pairings with the items below.

Two tasty appetizers are a Wild Game Sausage on Apple Slices with Cranberry Butter, with which Lee recommends a lighter red like Pinot Noir or Gamay Noir, and with the Wedge of Raclette Served With Spiced Walnuts and Pear Chips, he calls for something delicate maybe a bubbly (may we recommend Black Star Farms' really excellent Bubbly Nouveau when it's bottled) or a Pinot Grigio or a Pinot Blanc. Two tasty side dishes that really in season are Honey Roasted Root Vegetables and Buttermilk Biscuits with Pumpkin Butter. You'll be in great shape with Pinot Gris, Riesling, Pinot Blanc or Auxerrois. For dessert, how about a Plum Almond Tart, with which Lee would pair any of their Sirius dessert wines and also Ice wines.

See more thoughts on how make it a Michigan Thanksgiving on Absolute Michigan.

photo credit: Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash by carianoff

The Leelanau Peninsula has become well known for its Riesling and other crisp, cool-climate whites. What is often overlooked however, is just how good our red wines are!

To help everyone go beneath the surface, the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail presents The Hunt for the Reds of October, a free & fun event that will take place the weekend of October 26-28, 2012.

For the entire weekend, 12 wineries will be offering free tasting of a diverse selection of red wines: dark & spicy Cabernet Francs, smooth & floral Pinot Noirs and a diverse range of vinifera and hybrid reds that are representative of Leelanau’s vineyards.

“From the vineyard managers to winemakers to cellar masters, I think we’ve all developed methods that are allowing us to make the best reds possible on the Leelanau Peninsula. Our wines are maturing in all aspects due to the patience and understanding that experience brings to every phase of the winemaking process,” says Ryan Sterkenberg, owner of Gills Pier Winery. ”Of course, having three straight outstanding vintages in 2010, 2011 and 2012 doesn’t hurt a bit either.”

Get all the details on the wines being present at www.lpwines.com/redwine.

Head over to the village of Suttons Bay this Friday (October 19) from 5-8 PM for their annual Fall Art & Wine Walk. Participating shops will be open and you have a chance to meet award-winning local artists, sample Leelanau County wines and collect stamps to enter to win a $250.00 Village Shopping Spree!

One note is that the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association will be pouring wines from our 20 wineries at Case-Daniels & Rae!

photo: St. Joseph's Avenue. by John Levanen

Absolute Michigan has 2 pairs of tickets to give away for the event and we want to make sure everyone who reads Leelanau.com has a chance to enjoy this great event in our backyard. You must be 21 to enter and all you have to do is send your name as you want us to display it in an email to win@absolutemichigan.com. Include anything you want to say about Michigan food, drink or music. We'll draw the winners on Thursday morning!

This Friday, October 12 from 5-10 PM at the Village at Grand Traverse Commons you can enjoy a celebration of the bounty of Michigan at the October Festival at the Commons with Greensky Bluegrass from Porterhouse Productions.

The event features a food truck rally along with wines from Black Star Farms, ciders from Left Foot Charley and 19 great seasonal ales. In addition to full meals, the food trucks will be selling tasting portions and all the libations, food & music is 100% Michigan! Even better, 100% of the alcohol sales support the great work of Bay Area Recycling for Charities.

There's also a Silent Disco with DJ Dominate, glow in the dark LED disc golf, bonfires & heated tents. And speaking of that Michigan music, acts include Lindsey Lou and the Flatbellies, the Joshua Davis Band and Greensky Bluegrass - all Michiganders and all very good. Greensky Bluegrass all hail from Michigan and regularly light up stages across the nation with some of the finest names in bluegrass & music.

Tickets are available online where you can also see a promo video - $20 in advance or $25 day of event. Here's Greensky Bluegrass absolutely tearing it up with Scott Law.

The 11th annual Harvest Stompede Vineyard Run & Walk and Wine Tour is a great way to experience the beauty of the Leelanau Wine Trail at harvest time, with local food pairings and wine from the exceptional 2011 vintage. The event takes place this weekend - September 8 & 9th, 2012 - and is considered one of the most scenic running & wine touring events in the Midwest.

“Harvest on the Leelanau Peninsula is an exciting time,” says Matt Gregory, of Chateau de Leelanau. “As vintners, we have literally waited all year for this moment. We have watched our grapes go from tiny green marbles to the perfectly ripe fruit that makes our region's wine stand out from the rest. We want to share this excitement with you at this years Harvest Stompede. Stop by any one of our 20 Leelanau Peninsula wineries and see how the harvest is going - I'm sure you won't be disappointed!"

The weekend's festivities kick off at 9:00am on Saturday morning at Ciccone Vineyard with the Harvest Stompede race. Race registration is now closed but it's a great event for spectators.

The Harvest Stompede Wine Tour starts at 11:00am following the race and continues on Sunday. It features a special wine pour and food pairing at each of 19 Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association member wineries. To highlight our region’s culinary excellence, each winery will be partnering with farmers and restaurants to feature local ingredients in their food pairings.

The event routinely sells out and advance tickets are highly recommended. Tickets are $40 and include commemorative glass and a special food and wine pairing at each tasting room. Food pairings, lodging packages and tickets are available right here.

Photo: 2011 LPVA Harvest Stompede & Wine Tour by KatSwinehart

via lpwines.com...

Last week the 35th annual Michigan Wine and Spirits Competition was held in East Lansing. Judges included Master of Wine and Master Sommelier Doug Frost, three Master Sommeliers along with internationally known authors, winemakers and wine educators. Leading the group was food and wine writer Christopher Cook, who judged at the competition for 12 years before becoming its superintendent in 2001.

Once again (see last year) wines from the Leelanau Peninsula (starred*) took a majority of top honors.

Best of Class Dry White: Chateau Fontaine – 2011 Pinot Blanc (Double Gold) *

Best of Class Dry Red: Shady Lane Cellars – 2010 Blue Franc (Gold) *

Best of Class Sparkling Wine: L. Mawby – Blanc de Blancs (Gold) *

Best of Class Semi-Dry White: Fenn Valley Vineyards – 2011 Vignoles Reserve

Best of Class Dessert Wine: Lawton Ridge Winery – 2011 Late Harvest Vignoles

Best of Class Fruit Wine: Chateau de Leelanau – Cherry Wine (Gold) *

In addition, L. Mawby won a Judges’ Merit Award for Blanc de Noirs, a method champenoise brut sparkling wine made from Pinot Noir grapes. This award is given to a wine that comes close to winning Best of Class and which the judges want to honor for its quality.

Here are additional Double Gold and Gold medal award winning wines. Click here for the complete list of medal-winning wines.

Double Gold 

Blustone Vineyards: Riesling 2011

Gold

Black Star Farms: BeDazzled 2011, Leorie Vineyard Merlot Cabernet Franc 2010, Spirit of Cherry NV

Brengman Brothers: Gary's Reserve Gewurztraminer 2010

Chateau Fontaine: Viognier 2011, White Riesling 2011, Woodland White 2011

Forty?Five North Vineyard & Winery, Cabernet Franc 2011, Pinot Gris 2011, Rose of Cabernet Franc 2011

Gill's Pier Vineyard & Winery: Cabernet Franc / Merlot 2010

Good Harbor Vineyards: Moonstruck NV

Photo credit: Pour by KatSwinehart

Check out the favorite Leelanau spots of chef Mario Batali courtesy Pure Michigan.