THINK LOCAL DRINK LOCAL by ERIN MARIE MILLER
F
or winemakers in Michigan, the last few years
have been anything but easy.
After contending
with the e ects of stubborn in ation in a postpandemic entrepreneurial economy that still lags behind its Midwestern neighbors, tari s issued earlier this year generated confusion – and a trade war – at the international level. With stop-and-go levies disrupting partnerships and a ecting the Crooked Vine Vineyard
prices of imported French oak barrels, bottles, corks and more, the cost of producing wine in America has increased, even as demand continues to wane. “What we're seeing now is unprecedented, because we have several other external pressures (beyond normal business challenges) that we don't necessarily have easy control over,” says Brian Lille,
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12 | MICHIGAN UNCORKED
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