Michigan wine groups highlight Orchard show and Village to Village collaboration

The Michigan Wine Collaborative used its January newsletter to promote the Northwest Michigan Orchard & Vineyard Show held Jan. 13–14 at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa and to conduct its annual meeting and election on Jan. 13 at 4:00 p.m. The event brought together growers, winemakers and industry suppliers for sessions, a Cherry Marketing Institute luncheon, and registration-driven programming aimed at orchard and vineyard producers across the region.

Organizers listed session and luncheon plans alongside registration details, and highlighted collaborating research and outreach partners including MSU Extension/AgBioResearch, the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Foundation, Parallel 45, and the MSU Northwest Michigan Horticulture Research Center. Those partnerships signal continued emphasis on research-driven best practices for fruit production and value-added beverage enterprises that are a core part of Grand Traverse County’s tourism economy.

The newsletter also introduced a new regional hospitality initiative called Village to Village, a cross-village collaboration running Jan. 13 through Apr. 29 pairing the Village at Grand Traverse Commons with Elk Rapids businesses. Participating venues include Bos Wine, Ethanology Distillation, Left Foot Charley, and Trattoria Stella. The program features rotating weekly offerings and coordinated cross-village events designed to extend visitor itineraries and encourage spending across two commercial centers north of Traverse City.

For craft beverage professionals, the newsletter included industry training opportunities and calendar highlights, plus a slate of local tasting and dinner events across the region. That programming aims to help vintners, cider makers, distillers and hospitality operators time promotions and staff training ahead of spring and summer tourism peaks.

Economically, the combination of a trade-focused Orchard & Vineyard Show and a consumer-facing Village to Village campaign reflects a two-track strategy: strengthen production and technical capacity through research and training, while growing local demand and visitor flows through coordinated hospitality. In a county where agritourism and tasting rooms are important economic drivers, even modest increases in cross-village foot traffic and night stays can ripple through restaurants, lodging and retail.

For residents and business owners, the immediate takeaway is practical: the region’s viticulture and craft beverage networks remain active with research-backed programming and new marketing experiments that link downtown Traverse City-area assets with Elk Rapids. Village to Village runs through April 29, and craft beverage operators and hospitality partners can expect additional calendar updates and industry trainings as the season progresses.