2010-2011 Michigan Wine Industry Research State of Michigan, Department of Agriculture

The History of L. Mawby Vineyards by Sharon Kegerreis and Lorri Hathaway Larry Mawby spent his formative years on his family’s apple orchard in Rockford and on his grandparents’ nearby apple and peach farm just outside of Grand Rapids. In the summer, the family headed to their northern Michigan cherry farmstead in Suttons Bay, which was acquired in 1953. This idyllic childhood influenced Mawby in later years, prompting his own foray into wine grape growing and sparkling wine production. At age 13, in 1963, Mawby’s father, Edwin, sold the Rockford orchard to his brother, Roger, and moved the family to Suttons Bay on a permanent basis, though he maintained several fruit tree farms scattered around the state, growing cherries, apples, plums and peaches. The family also owned Mawby’s Farm Market alongside M-22 between Suttons Bay and Traverse City, where they sold fresh produce from their farms and the region. After graduating from Suttons Bay High School in 1968, Mawby attended Michigan State University where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in English in 1972. Mawby was very interested in literature and writing; even though he knew his future was in small-scale agriculture for which he already had vast, hands-on knowledge. A truly poetic experience occurred when, in college, Mawby hitchhiked around Europe, savoring the culinary heritage of Europeans and evolving his own love of wine and food. In particular, the culture and wine of the Burgundy region inspired him the most and strengthened his desire to work with the land as a full-time career.

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Planting Vines, Making Wine In 1973, a year after graduating from MSU, Mawby planted a small vineyard on one of the family’s farms. “I was very interested in the idea of making a living by growing horticultural crops,” said Mawby. “It made economical sense to grow wine grapes to make and sell wine.” Mawby consulted with Bernie Rink in Lake Leelanau, who grew grapes on the peninsula since 1964 and operated a grapevine nursery. He planted grape varietals proven in Rink’s vineyard as well as cultivars that Rink had not planted to determine if they could grow in the area. Mawby also planted 35 varietals he bought from Philip Wagner’s Boordy Vineyards in Maryland; yet, he quickly determined these varietals were not worth the effort. In 1974, Mawby planted six French-American hybrid grape varietals; some of which he had acquired from Rink. A year later, he planted even more vines that Rink had proven to grow in northern Michigan’s fickle climate: Marechal Foch, Cascade, Chelois, De Chaunac and Seyval. In this era, vineyard plantings in Michigan’s northwest region were still largely an unchartered territory. Making wine from these grapes was even more of a gamble. Mawby did not want to put the family farm at risk as he pursued his dream for commercial wine production so, in 1975, he bought a 32-acre strawberry and hay farm on Elm Valley Road in Suttons Bay. He continued to help his father run the family farms to generate income for his new wine venture. In 1976, Mawby earned a certificate for a three-day course in viticulture and enology at UC Davis, his only formal training in the field. It was that same year that he planted his first vines on his new farmstead. In 1978, he built a two-story structure with living space on the upper level and a wine production facility with the capacity to produce 2,500 gallons of wine on the ground level. 1 He used just one 440-gallon stainless steel tank for cold fermentation or as a holding tank and aged his wine in Limousin oak barrels. After bonding the winery as L. Mawby Vineyards on September 12, 1978, he released his first wines in the spring of 1979. He crafted 378 gallons of wine, blending his grapes to produce one 2

wine, which he called Picnic Rosé. 2 The wine was a blend of French-American hybrids. 3 “Every grape I grew went into the wine,” recalled Mawby. 4 He also produced an apple wine that won a bronze medal at the 1979 Michigan State Fair Wine Competition. 5 From the start, Mawby believed in slowly and steadily growing his business. Initially, he did not post signs directing visitors to his winery, choosing instead to sell wines at nearby Mawby’s Farm Market, which his family operated for roughly 20 years. The market sold only Michigan wines. At the time, the market also carried Leelanau Wine Cellars, Chateau Grand Traverse and Boskydel Vineyard wines, made by Rink who had opened his tasting room in 1976. After two years, in 1981, Mawby opened a tasting room in his wine production room and welcomed visitors, mostly on the weekends. Mawby distributed his wines to retailers in Traverse City, such as Blue Goat and a few other specialty wine shops. He also distributed his wines to key metropolitan areas, including Grand Rapids, East Lansing, Ann Arbor, Detroit, Kalamazoo and Midland. This time consuming, albeit important, distribution effort became too much for him as his wine production steadily increased. Therefore, in 1986, he hired Decanter Imports, a small, one-man operation, to target metro Detroit; Mawby continued distributing his wines on his own to the other metro regions until the mid-1990s. Early plantings of French-American hybrids Marechal Foch and Vignoles launched Mawby in the direction to produce wines reflective of those crafted in the Burgundy region of France. From the beginning, he intended to grow Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, two varietals that had not been widely planted in northern Michigan yet. “In the meantime, we thought ‘what hybrids can we grow that have the same flavor structure as Burgundy wines?’” said Mawby. “Can we grow Marechol Foch and make a lighter Pinot Noir? Can we grow Vignoles and make it into a Burgundy-style wine?” Through the 1980s, Mawby was producing 1,000 cases of wine each year. 6 His sense of humor was often expressed in the names of his wines, such as his 1984 Turkey Red table wine, 7 P.G.W. Pun, or “pretty good wine” 8 and Parker 96, named for renowned wine critic Robert Parker’s 3

rating system. 9 Mawby’s wines immediately garnered regional attention and earned awards each year. In 1984, Mawby earned gold medals for his 1983 Vignoles and 1984 Chardonnay at the Michigan State Fair. 10 And by 1985, he had nine acres of vineyards 11 devoted to these varietals, as well as others that he continued to grow. He also collected additional state fair gold medals for the 1986 Vignoles and Vignoles Reserve 12 and 1988 Vignoles. 13 He continued to collect awards for his wines during this era, including gold for his 1987 PGW Pun, silvers for his 1987 Marechol Foch and for his first sparkling wine release, N.V. Cuvee Brut, and a bronze for his 1987 Vignoles. 14 Over subsequent years, he continued to produce award-winning wines. Sparkling Wine Focus After developing Burgundy-style table wines to launch his winery, Mawby began analyzing how northern Michigan’s cool climate is cooler than the climate in Burgundy and more comparable to the Champagne region of France. He became enamored with the idea of producing sparkling wine for which the Champagne region was renowned. Remarkably, by the 1980s, Michigan’s reputation for sparkling wine production was thirty years in the making and well developed by a few wineries located in southwest Michigan. However, Mawby did not reflect on the success of the state’s early sparkling wine pioneers. It made more sense to him to compare his own property on the forty-fifth parallel in northern Michigan to the Champagne region, which shares the same latitude. In the fall of 1984, Mawby began making sparkling wine using the traditional méthode champenoise perfected in Champagne. The method entails wine undergoing a second fermentation in the bottle to create a more complex wine. From the start, he believed in

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applying the same practices used for centuries in Champagne. He used Vignoles to produce his first sparkling wine, NV Cuvee Brut. Over the next few years, Mawby began to slowly invest in sparkling wine equipment. He imported wine bottles from Rheims in the Champagne province and aged his wines in these bottles for three or more years to obtain the special complexity of this style of wine. He bought a French gyropallate to riddle the wine, or turn the bottles, while aging, as well as a disgorging machine and corker. At first, he bought a used tank press; later, he bought a brandnew one. 15 A sparkling wine that Mawby released in 1990 reminded him of the wine of Champagne. This confirmed his belief that great sparkling wines could be crafted in Michigan and, even more specifically, on Leelanau Peninsula. The wine received great response from customers. 16 Around this time, Detroit Free Press wine writer James Ricci called Mawby “the best of a new breed of Michigan wine makers.” 17

Notably, in 1990, L. Mawby Vineyards was selected to participate in a festival that was part of George H. Bush’s inauguration. Larry was one of only three Michigan vintners invited to present products at a VIP-only food, wine and festival. Chateau Grand Traverse and Fenn Valley Vineyards were the other selected wineries.

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Mawby knew he could continue to raise the quality level of his wines by focusing on sparkling wine production. Initially, he focused on crafting small batches, producing a few hundred cases a year and maintaining eighty-five percent table wine production. By 1992, his overall wine production reached 2,500 cases. Wines included Dry Vignoles, Pinot Gris, Seyval, Marechal Foch and sparkling wines. 19 In 1996, Mawby was still only handcrafting 500 cases of sparkling wine, though his passion for bubbly wine was quickly growing and his sparklers were earning many accolades. In a 1998 issue of Wine Enthusiast, L. Mawby Vineyards was declared a “Great U.S. Sparkling Wine Producer.” 20 A couple of years later, during a media visit to Michigan, Tom Stevenson, a 5

British wine writer and renowned sparkling wine expert, told Mawby he should make more sparkling wine after tasting the vintner’s wines. After his visit, Stevenson wrote an article for Decanter magazine titled “State of America.” In the article, he mentioned Mawby’s 1995 Mille as rating almost as high as sparklers he praised from New York. He described Mawby “as fanatical of the follower of the sacred bubble” that he had ever met. And, while Stevenson said Mawby was in an experimental stage that was necessary to satisfy his curiosity, he was confident that the result would be a greater finesse in his winemaking. Stevenson also mentioned Mawby’s Crémant in a handful of notable bubblies. 21 This early praise prompted Mawby to specialize on sparkling wine production and hone his skills to improve quality and create a niche in the growing northern Michigan wine market. Within a few years, Mawby achieved his goal and immediately saw quality improve and his identity as a sparkling wine producer solidified. Mawby decided to eliminate table wines from his offerings; a big risk since, at the time, his still wines made up 85 percent of his total production. In 2000, he discontinued the wholesale of still wines, and stopped serving still wines in the tasting room two years later. By 2003, Mawby was solely crafting sparkling wines. That same year, writer Sharon Kapnick stated that Mawby’s wines “sparkle” in her Time magazine article, “America: Land of the Red, White and Rosé.” Time magazine also listed L. Mawby Vineyards as one of five wineries to keep an eye on in the country. Very quickly, demand for Mawby’s sparkling wines increased. In 2004, Mawby created a second wine label called M. Lawrence to enable him to rapidly increase production volume using the Charmat, or bulk, method for sparkling wine production, where the second fermentation occurs in large capacity steel tanks, rather than in individual wine bottles. Mawby called this his “cuvée close” method. This process required less aging and was less costly, which allowed him to produce more wine and offer it at a less expensive price point to consumers. He

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also used grapes from Leelanau Peninsula and “anywhere else on earth” to the meet the demand. Initial wine releases produced under the M. Lawrence brand included Us, Sex and Fizz. Prior to the M. Lawrence label, Mawby sold 75 to 80 percent of his wines from his tasting room. The M. Lawrence brand was distributed more widely due to its wide appeal and lower price point, and by 2005, 43 percent of Mawby’s wines were sold in venues other than his tasting room. Mawby’s overall wine production in 2005 was over 3,000 cases of each label. Other noteworthy praise included Mawby being dubbed "fizzmaster extraordinaire" by British wine writer Tom Stevenson in his Wine Report 2005 22, and recognition of Mawby’s sparkling Tailsmøn Brut in a 10-page chapter of Paul Lukacs’ The Great Wines of America: The Top Forty Vintners, Vineyards and Vintages in 2006. Incidentally, Mawby traveled with Lukacs throughout the Midwest for a series of wine dinners to promote the book and the wine. Demand for his wines continued to increase. In 2006, he produced about 4,000 cases of each wine label. The M. Lawrence brand earned 55 to 60 percent of total sales. Meanwhile, he continued to produce the successful L. Mawby Vineyards line of wines using méthode champenoise. For this product line, he used only grapes grown on his vineyard and on Leelanau Peninsula, which enabled him to label the wine with the Leelanau American Viticultural Area (AVA) designation. Mawby reached maximum vineyard capacity on the farm in the spring of 2007 when he added five acres to reach a total of 18 acres of grapevines. Industry and Regional Advocate Through the years, Mawby has quietly led the charge and teamed with others in the industry to further evolve northern Michigan’s blossoming wine industry. Quite notably, he helped initiate 7

the establishment of the federally-designated AVA for the region, encouraged additional plantings of wine grapes on the peninsula, helped spearhead the collaboration among several wineries to market the region as a wine trail and established a regional wine program that raised funds for Leelanau Conservancy. Mawby has also assisted with wine production in the launching of new wineries, including Shady Lane Cellars and Willow Vineyard, as well as shared his knowledge and specialized sparkling wine equipment to other winemakers for sparkling wine production. He has further aided in maintaining the region’s focus on tourism and preservation of natural resources and beauty by holding the office of Village Council President of Suttons Bay, starting in 2002. His term ends in 2012. Designation of the Leelanau Peninsula American Viticultural Area (AVA) Mawby played an integral role in establishing Michigan’s second AVA, Leelanau Peninsula, on March 30, 1982. Along with Bernie Rink of Boskydel Winemaker Larry Mawby

Vineyard in Lake Leelanau, Bruce Simpson of Good Harbor Vineyards in Leland and the Mike Jacobson

of Leelanau Wine Cellars in Omena, he initiated the petition for the Leelanau Peninsula AVA. The interest in obtaining the AVA was due to federal laws stating that any wine labeled “estate bottled” must be part of an AVA. All the winemakers were producing estate-­bottled wines and wanted to label them accordingly. Mawby and Rink wrote and submitted the successful application. The Leelanau Peninsula AVA is 75,000 acres. As defined by TTB, “The Leelanau Peninsula viticultural area encompasses all of Leelanau County, Michigan, excluding the offshore islands.”4

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More Wine Grape Plantings on Leelanau Peninsula In the 1980s, Mawby and Bruce Simpson formed a vineyard management collaboration to encourage plantings of wine grapes by other growers in the region. By 1990, the pair had prompted growers to plant wine grapevines on 20 acres; varietals included Chardonnay, Vignoles and Pinot Noir. 23 Establishment of the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail Mawby also played a pivotal role in the formation of the state’s first wine trail, the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail, and the creation of the Leland Wine Fest. On March 15, 1983, vintners of the four wineries met informally to discuss the implementation of a brochure to cohesively promote the wineries and increase traffic through tasting rooms. The effort to create the brochures continued for several years and eventually expanded to include listings of area restaurants and overnight accommodations, making it even easier for the consumer to travel through Leelanau wine country. The group never became a legal entity, though it continued for six years before it dissolved due to the lack of interest. On the 15th anniversary of the initial group meeting, March 15, 1998, a new group was formed, officially reorganized as the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association (LPVA). Founding members included all Leelanau Peninsula wineries that were open at the time, except for Rink’s Boskydel. Rink opted out as he was focused on producing wine for loyal customers and on word-of-mouth publicity for growth. On May 8, 2000, the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association was established as a legal organization. 24 Today (2011), the LPVA has 18 members. Leelanau Conservancy Wine Program From 1999 to 2008, Mawby served on the board of The Leelanau Conservancy, a nonprofit organization created to protect, preserve and conserve the land and water resources of Leelanau County. In 2002, he initiated the Conservancy Wine Program to encourage area wineries to develop a wine on behalf of the organization and donate a portion of its proceeds. 9

At L. Mawby Vineyards, the dedicated wine is appropriately called Conservancy and is an extra dry Brut wine under the L. Mawby label. The wine is a blend that consists of grapes grown for Mawby by a number of Leelanau Peninsula growers. Two dollars from every bottle sold is donated to the Farmland Preservation Fund of the Leelanau Conservancy, a fund dedicated to the preservation of farmland in perpetuity. Conservancy wines can be found at other peninsula wineries. In October 2010, Mawby was reelected to serve on the conservancy board. As he stated, “I am passionate about the conservancy and the preservation of the area’s water and land.” Annual Picnic Series Mawby’s vineyard is on top of a picturesque valley, a short drive inland from M-22, which traverses Leelanau Peninsula and skirts along Lake Michigan and its bays. The lovely setting has become a popular, year-round destination. A particular draw for Mawby’s customers is his annual picnic series, which he started in the 1980s. Every summer, he hosts a number of picnics that features renowned regional chefs and their fresh, artisan cuisine, followed by a guided vineyard tour. Paired with his sparkling wines and original, down-to-earth humor, the luncheon feasts sell out nearly every year. Mawby’s quiet eloquence and natural sincerity shine through when he converses with guests in his tasting rooms and in the vineyards, and in his writing within the descriptions of his wine labels. His success is largely attributed to his personal style, skill as a winemaker and encouragement of celebrating everyday moments – not just special occasions – with sparkling wine. New Partnership & Growth In 2008, Mawby reached maximum production capacity of his tank-fermented M. Lawrence wine, which had experienced phenomenal growth and demand since the first wine release five

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years prior. The M. Lawrence label made up 60 to 70 percent 25of his overall wine production of 8,000 cases of sparkling wine, as well as an additional 1,500 cases for other wineries. 26 Mawby considered selling the brand and approached grape grower Stuart Laing, a former business owner, to financially evaluate the value of the M. Lawrence brand. After careful consideration, Laing was intrigued with the opportunity he saw and asked Mawby if he’d be interested in a partnership. On December 18, 2008, Mawby and Laing became business partners and the added capital allowed them to double the winery’s production capacity. From the start, the venture was a family affair. Laing’s wife, Sharon, and sons, Mike and Peter, work in the tasting room and winery, respectively. 27 An immediate, notable milestone in the new partnership was the donation of the thirty-twoacre vineyard by Mawby and Laing as an easement to The Leelanau Conservancy. While the partners gain a tax benefit, their primary intent was to permanently protect the vineyard from development. By 2010, production jumped to 12,000 cases of sparkling wine. This year (2011), the winery has the capacity to produce 20,000 cases annually. The vintners hope to achieve this maximum production capacity in the near future. As Michigan’s only vintners focused solely on the production of sparkling wine, Mawby – and now Laing – have certainly fulfilled a niche. More than three decades after launching L. Mawby Vineyards, wine distribution reached throughout Michigan and into New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia, North and South Carolina, Florida, Louisiana, Ohio, Illinois, Minnesota, Tennessee, Kansas, Iowa and, as of 2011, Indiana. Since 2006, wines have shipped into Denmark, Europe on a consistent basis, as well as periodically into Sweden and Germany. The partners now have additional overseas interest by retailers in France and the United Kingdom; though, distribution channels are still in development. Signature wines include Blanc de Blanc, which Mawby explained expresses the idiosyncrasies of Leelanau Peninsula and is chiefly made with whole-cluster pressed Chardonnay. His most 11

popular sparkling wine is Sex, which clearly communicates his fun attitude about enjoying the wine and the moment. Together, these two wines equal nearly half of the winery’s production. Sandpiper, another top seller, exemplifies a mosaic of all the wines entering the wine facility each year. Detroit, a 2010 release exceeded the partners’ expectations. A M. Lawrence blend of Riesling, Traminette and Cayuga, Detroit honors Metro Detroiters and their perseverance and unflinching spirit. The early, rapid success has launched the wine blend into other markets with labels specific to each region. These labels will feature “GR” for Grand Rapids, “Chi” for Chicago and “Indy” for Indiana. Through the years, Mawby’s niche and skill in sparkling wine production has garnered the winemaker and his wines national attention. Reflecting back on Mawby’s early wine years, respected wine writer Dan Berger stated that Mawby was “key to a lot of pioneer work” 28 in Michigan. Renowned Chef Mario Batali, a part-time resident on Leelanau Peninsula, described the wine most succinctly and accurately, after tasting L. Mawby sparkling wine at a benefit dinner for the Leelanau Conservancy. Batali called the wine, “remarkable and world class.”

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Endnotes Leon Adams, The Wines of America, Third Edition, (New York: McGraw Hill, 1984): 215. Larry Mawby, Telephone Interview, 10 December 2010. 3 Leon Adams, The Wines of America, Third Edition, (New York: McGraw Hill, 1984): 215. 4 Larry, Mawby, Telephone Interview, 10 December 2010. 5 David Averill, “Chinese to serve area wine to Mondale,” Traverse City Record Eagle, 31 August 1979, p 16. 6 Sandra Silfven, “State wines: Taste grape!,” The Detroit News, 22 August 1986, 2D. 7 Larry ten Harmsel, “Autumn Rambling,” West Michigan, October 1984, p 37. 8 Traverse City Record Eagle, “A closer look at region’s wineries,” 11 June 1989, 2D. 9 Traverse City Record Eagle, “A closer look at region’s wineries,” 11 June 1989, 2D. 10 Grand Traverse Autumn, “Wineries.” 11 Leon Adams, The Wines of America, Third Edition, (New York: McGraw Hill, 1984): 215. 12 Christopher Cook, “Michigan wines have improved, expert says,” Detroit Free Press, 27 August 1986, 6C. 13 Greg Burks, “The Wonderful Native Wines of Northern Michigan,” Living Well, September-October 1990, p413. 14 Vintner & Vineyard, “Chateau Grand Traverse Steals the Show,” October 1988. 15 Paul Lukacs, The Great Wines of America: The Top Forty Vintners, Vineyards, and Vintages, (New York: W. W.Norton and Company, Ltd., 2005): 218. 16 Paul Lukacs, The Great Wines of America: The Top Forty Vintners, Vineyards, and Vintages, (New York: W. W.Norton and Company, Ltd., 2005): 217. 17 Carolyn Damstra, “The Great Grape State,” Michigan History, September/October 2001, p 34. 18 Mike Norton, “Area wineries add spirits to Bush inauguration,” Record-Eagle, (Traverse City). 19 John J. Baxevanis, The Wine Regions of America: Geographical Reflections and Appraisals, (Pennsylvania: Vinifera Wine Growers Journal: 1992): 168. 20 Francie Todd, “Michigan Wine Industry,” MSU Alumni Magazine, 2001 Spring/Summer. 21 Tom Stevenson, “State of America,” Decanter.com, 1 May 2000. 6 February 2011 . 22 Tom Stevenson, “Wine Report 2005,” 5 February 2011 . 23 Jim Rink, “Field of Dreams in Leelanau County,” 12 March 2009, . 24 Larry Mawby, Telephone Interview, 10 December 2010. 25 Hudson Cattell, “Mawby Sells a Half Interest,” Wines & Vines, 15 January 2009. 26 Sandra Silfven, Leelanau County Vintner Larry Mawby Celebrates 30th Anniversary, The Detroit News, 4 December 2008. 27 Hudson Cattell, “Mawby Sells a Half Interest,” Wines & Vines, 15 January 2009. 28 Dan Berger, Telephone Interview, 6 October 2009. 1 2

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