Our Viticulture

Location: Buchanan Michigan, Lake Michigan Shore AVA
Acreage: 15.2 Acres
Initial Planting: Cabernet Sauvignon, 1989
Most Recent Planting: Chardonnay, 2021

Soil Profiles: The soils of Avonlea can be broadly characterized as Riddle’s Loam. However, Avonlea is positioned in the middle of some of the most intense glacial events seen in Berrien County, MI. Because of this, our soils are extremely diverse and change drastically between each block on our 15 acres. The top of the vineyard where our Chardonnay, Three Row Pinot, and future Gamay Noir live, consists mainly of iron rich clay and sand soils. This block is also covered with granite, chert and ancient Pennsylvanian seabed deposits. The grapes grown on this soil produce wines of great tension and length.

The oldest block on Avonlea was planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc in 1989 and has soils that are resemblant of those in the Graves region in Bordeaux. Fist-sized granite and chert pebbles litter the vine rows and help to retain heat throughout the day aiding the vines in their ripening. The wines from this block are powerful, dense, and long-lived.

The middle hill on Avonlea is where our Riesling thrives. The soils on this hill are particularly special. Beneath a 10-16” layer of sandy clay loam, exists a 3-5 foot vein of pebbly blue clay. When the soil was studied, a five-gallon bucket of this blue clay would have roughly a 50:1 ratio of pebbles to soil. The presence of these pebbles allows the vines to successfully penetrate the heavy, rich blue clay and benefit from all it has to offer. The resulting wines are powerful examples of this terroir and only reveal themselves after 5-10 years in bottle. 

The front hill, where Pinot Noir, Petit Verdot, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon are planted, is the most textbook example of a classic Riddle’s Loam. This hill consists of very deep, well-drained soils formed in loamy and sandy soil. The resulting wine from this block is lighter in style due to the much lower clay content, but rich in phenolic power and acid structure.

Climate: Avonlea resides in the Lake Michigan Shore AVA. Considered a zone 6 on the USDA climate hardiness map, the AVA averages over 2900 growing degree days a year. We benefit from the warming and protective effects of Lake Michigan to the west. Summers here are warm but not hot enough for vines to shut down production. In the late summer and fall, Lake Michigan retains the summer heat and extends our growing season by almost a full month. The winters are moderated by the lake’s heat retaining properties, allowing vinifera varieties to thrive here. Our little microclimate is perfect for growing world-class vinifera, and we believe in its untapped potential and exciting future.

Original Varietals Planted: Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot

At Stranger Wine Company we are dedicated to the implementation of regenerative viticultural practices on our estate. Great wine starts with healthy grapes and healthy grapes start with healthy vines. As such, enhancing and maintaining vine health is of paramount importance to us when considering our farming practices.

Over the past several years, we have worked to implement a spray program that is focused on biological and organic products. working to systemically enhance the vines' natural defense systems through inoculation with Biofungicides helps build up the colonies of beneficial bacteria and fungi that hinder the activity of harmful fungi. In utilizing a biointensive spray program, our hope is that the vines will systemically build up a natural defense system which will make them more resistant to the diseases without the application of harsh fungicides.

With the goal of biodiversity in mind, we also leave several pollinator patches throughout the vineyard, and welcome the growth of our native flowers amongst our vines. Our vineyard is home to several species of bees, butterflies, birds, and insects that need their natural habitat in order to continue thriving. In order to protect the pollination sites and habitat for other beneficials, we do not use herbicides and instead rely on our in row cultivator to help manage under vine weeds. Everywhere else, the “weeds” are encouraged to grow as they otherwise would. 

All of our labor (with the exception of spraying) is also done manually to minimize our CO2 output and avoid soil compaction.

In the Fall of 2024, we started working with Tending Tilth, a local woman owned sheep grazing company, to welcome our first herd of sheep out to the vineyard. They are excellent at helping out with weed management, fertilization, and soil aeration. Ewe better believe that we are excited to continue implementing grazing in the coming years.

During the 2024 growing season we took control of farming one of our most beloved vineyard sites in the state, Old Shore. The Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris from this gorgeous site have had us smitten since day one. We are humbled to have to opportunity to work with these vines, and start implementing more of our regenerative practices at this vineyard.

We are also immensely grateful to the other growers in Southwest Michigan who we work with to source additional fruit for our wine program. Without them, Stranger Wine Company wouldn’t be what it is today.

Here are some of the vineyards you will see us working with:
Old Shore – Buchanan, MI
Shiny Quarter Vineyard- Buchanan, MI
Tom's Vineyard – Berrien Springs, MI
Abigail's Vineyard– Berrien Springs, MI
Outcross Vineyard– Benton Harbor, MI