🎉 Wine Folly+ Now Available 👉
Wine Folly LogoWine Folly Logo in Red

Michigan 101

5 out of 5 starsTrusted by 20,000+ students

Discover Michigan wine

Surrounded by the Great Lakes and rooted in 300 years of winemaking history, Michigan is cool in both senses of the word.

  • 7 chapters
  • 11 videos
  • 3h
  • certificate
$99.99
lifetime access · usd

30-day money-back guarantee

Michigan 101 course mark

Introduction

Wine from the cool-climate heart of the Great Lakes

Glacial soils, the Great Lakes' moderating Lake Effect, and a winemaking history that goes back three centuries. Michigan is one of the most distinctive cool-climate wine regions in North America. We'll get you fluent in the AVAs, the grapes, and the producers worth seeking out.

Curriculum

What you'll learn

  1. Chapter 1

    History

    300 years of Michigan winemaking, from the first French explorers to today's modern wine country.

  2. Chapter 2

    Grapes

    Cool-climate varieties like Riesling, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay, plus over 50 unique varieties thriving in Michigan's microclimates.

  3. Chapter 3

    Terroir

    How Michigan's glacial soils and Great Lakes effect create distinct wine characteristics you can see and taste.

  4. Chapter 4

    Regions

    The five key AVAs, Leelanau Peninsula, Old Mission Peninsula, Lake Michigan Shore, and more.

  5. Chapter 5

    Buying

    Navigate Michigan's wines and vintages and find alternatives to better-known varieties.

  6. Chapter 6

    Tasting

    Experience Michigan's diversity as Christine Marsiglio, our Director of Education, tastes through 6 different wines from this cool-climate state.

  7. Chapter 7

    Certification exam

    Ace the 50-question quiz finale and earn your Michigan Wine Certificate.

Inside the course

The story behind the cool-climate label

The basics

What makes Michigan unique

Michigan's Lake Effect creates one of the most distinctive cool-climate wine environments in North America. We'll trace the history from French Jesuit explorers to today's hybrid revolution, and unpack why glacial soils and Great Lakes proximity matter so much for what's in your glass.

Goals

Taste like a pro, with a pro

Identify quality and regional character in Michigan Riesling, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc. Learn the differences between Leelanau, Old Mission, and Lake Michigan Shore, so you can read a Michigan wine label and know what to expect.

Companion

Hybrids and the future of cool-climate wine

Hybrids make up 30% of Michigan's plantings, and they're a key part of the state's identity. The course covers Marquette and other cold-hardy hybrids alongside the European varieties, so you understand the full picture of what Michigan can do.

Course wines

Get to know Michigan's wines

Taste through six wines that capture Michigan's diversity, from cool-climate Riesling to cold-hardy hybrids.
  • Riesling

    Riesling

    Michigan's most planted grape, Lake Effect-driven, complex, and high-acid.

  • Chardonnay

    Chardonnay

    Michigan's second most planted grape, oaked, unoaked, and even sparkling.

  • Pinot Grigio

    Pinot Grigio

    Cool-climate Pinot Grigio mirroring Northern Italian and Alsatian styles.

  • Pinot Noir

    Pinot Noir

    Michigan's leading red, complexity and elegance in equal measure.

  • Cabernet Franc

    Cabernet Franc

    A grape that's quite happy in warm and cooler climates alike.

  • Marquette / Hybrids

    Marquette / Hybrids

    Hybrids make up 30% of Michigan's plantings, a key part of the state's winemaking tradition.

Every region, grape, and map at your fingertips. keep studying with Wine Folly+ →

Free preview

Try a lesson on us

Drop your email and we'll send a free chapter from Michigan 101.

Your wine guides

Taught by world-class wine educators

Cool-climate wines reward precision. You'll learn from a James Beard award-winning author of the bestselling Wine Folly book and one of the world's most credentialed wine educators. Over 20,000 students taught.
Christine Marsiglio

Christine Marsiglio

Director of Education

Christine leads the tasting modules through 6 cool-climate wines from across Michigan.

Director of Education and one of only 35 Bollinger award-winning Masters of Wine worldwide.

Read full bio
Christine is our Director of Education and one of only 35 Bollinger award-winning Masters of Wine worldwide.

Before Wine Folly, she taught the WSET Diploma in London and contributed to the latest global Diploma materials. She also led tastings at Decanter, running panels and organizing the Decanter World Wine Awards.

She's the rare expert who can teach at the Master of Wine level and still meet a beginner where they are.
Madeline Puckette

Madeline Puckette

Wine Folly Founder

Madeline frames the regional story, how 300 years of Great Lakes winemaking shaped today's cool-climate identity.

Wine Folly co-founder, James Beard Award winner, and New York Times bestselling author.

Read full bio
Madeline co-founded Wine Folly in 2011 and turned it into the world's go-to wine cheat sheet.

She's a James Beard Award winner, a New York Times bestselling author, and was named both Wine Blogger of the Year and Wine Communicator of the Year by the International Wine & Spirits Competition.

Her articles, infographics, and videos are what made wine knowledge feel approachable to a generation of drinkers.

student reviews

What students are saying

“If you're new new to wine then this is great. If you have some experience then this is relatively basic. Nicely put together with the videos, graphics, and quizzes etc. My biggest gripe isn't the basicness of the information though. It's the presenter. Learn. How. To. Correctly. Pronounce. Things. Several grossly mispronounced Michigan city names. It's TRAHverse City, not taVERSE like the verb.”

Andrea L.

“This course was excellent and exceeded expectations. It was fun , engaging and thorough without being too complex.”

Peter H.

→

enroll

Ready to start?

Michigan 101

$99.99
one-time · usd · yours forever
5 out of 5 stars
  • 7 chapters of regional deep dive
  • 3+ hours of expert video
  • Tasting walk-throughs with our wine experts
  • Lifetime access, yours forever
  • Michigan 101 certificate ($50 value)
view on shop

30-day money-back guarantee

Buying for a team? See bulk pricing for trade & teams.

Next step

Ready to go deeper?

Wine 201 takes you from confident regional drinker to certified wine professional, taught by the same Wine Folly instructors.

explore the next course →

explore more

Other regions to discover

Each course is taught by the same Wine Folly team. Pick a region, dive in.