Perhaps it seems an eclectic mix, but recently the Michigan Wine and Lumber industries have met on favorable terms in Paw Paw Michigan's St. Julian Winery.  There, mastermind (and master winemaker) Dave Miller, Ph.D., concocted the idea of bringing delicious Michigan wines together with fine Michigan oak.  The result?  Delicious Michigan oak-barrel aged wines!

Dave Miller, Ph.D., shows off his Oak Barrel Aging Room.

Dr. Miller received his doctorate from MSU where he studied plant physiology, including that of the oak.  It has been his observation that not only does the type of wood used in wine barrels affect the flavor of wine, but so too does the location the wood is grown and then subsequently aged.  After careful study of the oaks available in Michigan and under Dr. Miller's direction, St. Julian selected white oak grown near South Haven, in the Lake Michigan Shore Appellation*.  These oaks are felled and milled right there and then sent to a cooperage where they are cut into barrel staves.  From there they are sent back to St. Julian where they are aged in the open air for a period of two years.

Dr. Dave and his staves.

After aging, the staves are returned to the cooperage where they are turned into barrels ready to be filled with fine Michigan wine.  How long each vintage is aged depends on the type of wine as well as other factors.  Some of the wines St. Julian's currently has aging in their Michigan Oak barrels include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. 

For more information on the Michigan wine industry, go to the Michigan Wines Web site, and for more information on the Michigan Lumber industry, try Michigan State University, specifically its forestry pages.

*An appellation is a geographical name (as of a region, village, or vineyard) under which a winegrower is authorized to identify and market wine.