Southwest Michigan Wineries: A Guide to the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail

Last Updated: September 2026

Southwest Michigan wine country stretches from the Indiana line near New Buffalo north to Saugatuck and inland to Kalamazoo, with the thickest cluster of tasting rooms around Baroda and Berrien Springs. The official Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail includes about 15 member wineries, but some of the region’s best-known names, like St. Julian, Tabor Hill, Round Barn, and Dablon, aren’t members. This guide covers both, organized by area so you can build a route that makes sense.

I’ve been driving these back roads for years, usually with a loose plan and a designated driver. Below are my favorite stops, plus the planning details most guides skip: which wineries are actually on the trail, what’s changed, and where the dogs are welcome.

Here’s how I’d plan it. Two or three wineries make a relaxed half-day; four or five is a full day, and that’s plenty. Pick one area and do it well rather than zigzagging across the region: the Baroda and Berrien Springs cluster alone can fill a Saturday. Fall is the best time to go, with harvest underway and the vineyards turning gold, but it’s also the busiest, so weekday afternoons are calmer and weekend groups should call ahead. Red Arrow Highway is the scenic drive through the southern end, and I-94 and I-196 connect the rest. And settle the designated driver question before the first pour, or book a tour.

About Southwest Michigan Wine Country

This corner of the state sits at the 42nd parallel on the southeast shore of Lake Michigan, and the lake does the heavy lifting. It buffers the vineyards from hard winter cold and spring frosts and keeps the fall warm longer, giving grapes like Riesling, Traminette, and Cabernet Franc time to ripen. According to the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail, the region holds about 90 percent of Michigan’s vineyards.

What that means in the glass: these aren’t novelty wines. You’ll find dry reds, aromatic whites, sparkling wines, and ice wine alongside the sweet crowd-pleasers, and the best of them hold their own with cool-climate wines from anywhere.

New Buffalo and Harbor Country

The southern end starts near New Buffalo and runs up Red Arrow Highway through the Harbor Country beach towns. It’s an easy add-on to a beach weekend, and Baroda is about 20 minutes north.

St. Julian Tasting Room, Union Pier

9145 Union Pier Rd., Union Pier, MI 49129

The Union Pier outpost of Michigan’s oldest and largest winery is a relaxed first stop, stocked with the full St. Julian lineup, including wine slushies and hard cider flights. Staff are good at steering first-timers.

Free Run Cellars, Union Pier

9185 Union Pier Rd., Union Pier, MI 49129

Round Barn’s boutique sister winery has a tasting room just up the road from St. Julian, in addition to its estate in Berrien Springs. Free Run Cellars is quieter than Round Barn and focused on small-batch wines, a good fit for an unhurried afternoon.

Solasta Winery, Sawyer

11945 Red Arrow Hwy., Sawyer, MI 49125

A newer Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail member right on Red Arrow Highway, a few minutes from the Sawyer exit and Warren Dunes. Check Solasta Winery for hours.

Tap the map to open it in Google Maps and save the wineries to your phone.

Baroda, Buchanan, and Berrien Springs

This is the heart of southwest Michigan wine country: small towns surrounded by vineyards, with a dozen tasting rooms within about 15 minutes of each other. Give it a full day.

Dablon Vineyards & Winery, Baroda

111 W. Shawnee Rd., Baroda, MI 49101

A sleek tasting room with big windows over the vineyard, leather sofas by the fireplace, and a patio that earns a long afternoon. Dablon specializes in estate-grown, European-style reds; the Cabernet Franc is as good as anything I’ve had in this region, and it’s the stop I bring first-timers to when I want to make a point about Michigan wine.

Tabor Hill Winery & Restaurant, Buchanan

185 Mt. Tabor Rd., Buchanan, MI 49107

One of Michigan’s pioneering wineries, Tabor Hill has been making wine here for more than 50 years. Choose a guided tasting, a glass on the patio, or a full meal in the restaurant overlooking the vineyard. The Traminette, a floral semi-sweet white, is the wine I’d hand someone who says they don’t like Michigan wine.

Round Barn Estate, Baroda

10983 Hills Rd., Baroda, MI 49101

The most social stop in the region. Round Barn pours wine, craft beer, and its own spirits in and around a restored Amish round barn, with live music on many summer and fall weekends and walking trails on the grounds. Go on a weekday if you want it quieter; weekends fill up fast.

Baroda Founders Wine Cellar, Baroda

8963 Hills Rd., Baroda, MI 49101

A trail member with a wine for every palate, from dry to sweet, and a roomy tasting room in Baroda plus a second tasting room at 415 State St. in downtown St. Joseph. Baroda Founders asks weekend groups to keep it under 15 people.

Golden Muse Winery, Baroda

8903 Stevensville-Baroda Rd., Baroda, MI 49101

A trail member themed around the free-spirited Golden Age of Paris, with local art on the walls. It’s a fun stop if you like your wine with a side of atmosphere; see Golden Muse Winery for hours.

Red Top Winery, Baroda

482 E. Snow Rd., Baroda, MI 49101

Red Top is the creative one, with barrel-aged experiments and ciders on tap in a modern tasting room with a patio and lawn games. Good for groups that include people who aren’t sure yet whether they’re wine people.

Chill Hill Winery, Baroda

8986 1st St., Baroda, MI 49101

Look for the mural of two women chilling with a bottle of wine in downtown Baroda. Chill Hill goes full beach mode, with wines and hard ciders from its own Arrowhead Vineyards, about 400 acres of grapes nearby, plus slushies, sangria, and a build-your-own tasting of five pours.

Hickory Creek Winery, Buchanan

750 Browntown Rd., Buchanan, MI 49107

A trail member known for small-batch, European-style wines made from locally grown grapes, poured in a red barn tasting room. Hickory Creek also runs wine seminars if you want to learn as you sip.

Domaine Berrien Cellars, Berrien Springs

398 E. Lemon Creek Rd., Berrien Springs, MI 49103

A trail member with a reputation built on estate-grown dry reds that serious wine drinkers take seriously. Leashed dogs are welcome on the grounds, which puts Domaine Berrien on my list any time I’m traveling with mine.

Lemon Creek Winery, Berrien Springs

533 E. Lemon Creek Rd., Berrien Springs, MI 49103

The same family has grown grapes and fruit on this land for more than 160 years. Lemon Creek pairs tastings with U-pick seasonal fruit on the farm, wide-open outdoor seating, and the kind of unhurried pace that makes a long afternoon feel earned.

Free Run Cellars Estate, Berrien Springs

10062 Burgoyne Rd., Berrien Springs, MI 49103

If you liked the Union Pier tasting room, the estate is the original: a quiet vineyard setting for small-batch wines, a few minutes from Lemon Creek and Domaine Berrien.

St. Joseph, Benton Harbor, and Coloma

St. Joseph is a walkable beach town with a bluff-top downtown, which makes it a good home base; the Benton Harbor and Coloma wineries are 10 to 20 minutes away.

White Pine Winery, St. Joseph

317 State St., St. Joseph, MI 49085

A trail member with classic varietals and a downtown tasting room with gifts worth browsing while you taste. The white sangria at White Pine is one of the best I’ve had anywhere in the region, and none I’ve tried since has topped it.

Lazy Ballerina Winery, St. Joseph

A women-owned winery with a tasting room in downtown St. Joseph. Lazy Ballerina‘s Weko Beach White, named for the Lake Michigan beach in Bridgman, is exactly the wine you want after a morning on the water. Pair it with lunch and a walk along the bluff.

12 Corners Vineyards, Benton Harbor

1201 N. Benton Center Rd., Benton Harbor, MI 49022

A 115-acre estate winery and trail member a few miles inland, with extra tasting rooms in South Haven and Grand Haven. The 12 Corners lineup covers Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, and more; the oak-aged Marquette, a dry red with dark fruit and a peppery finish, is the bottle I keep going back to.

Lake Michigan Vintners, Benton Harbor

2774 E. Empire Ave., Benton Harbor, MI 49022

Here’s one most guides miss: a commercial teaching winery on the Lake Michigan College campus, where students help make the wines and ciders. Lake Michigan Vintners keeps short hours, typically Friday and Saturday afternoons, and closes for part of the winter.

Filkins Vineyards (Formerly Karma Vista), Coloma

6991 Ryno Rd., Coloma, MI 49038

If you knew Karma Vista, this is the same hilltop, now under new owners: OneRepublic guitarist Zach Filkins and his wife, Lindsay, bought it in 2024. Filkins Vineyards focuses on estate-grown dry reds, and the deck still has some of the best views in the county. Dogs are welcome in the outdoor area, and the tasting room is wheelchair accessible.

Contessa Wine Cellars, Coloma

3235 Friday Rd., Coloma, MI 49038

A trail member with an Italian villa-style tasting room and a terrace looking out over the orchards. Contessa is a quieter stop that rewards the detour; try the sweet reds if you’re a sangria maker.

Gravity Vineyards, Coloma

3101 Friday Rd., Coloma, MI 49038

A hilltop farm winery overlooking a pond and rolling vineyards, just down the road from Contessa, with a big deck that’s the main draw. Call ahead to confirm Gravity‘s current hours before you drive out.

South Haven, Fennville, and Saugatuck

The northern stretch mixes wine with some of the best beach towns on the lake. The wineries here are fewer but worth the drive, especially in fall, when you can pair a tasting with an orchard stop.

12 Corners Tasting Room, South Haven

511 Phoenix Rd., South Haven, MI 49090

The easiest way to taste 12 Corners on a South Haven beach day, without the drive inland to the estate.

Cogdal Vineyards, South Haven

1621 Pleasant Valley Rd., South Haven, MI 49090

Small, family-owned, and about half a mile from Lake Michigan. Cogdal is known for its Maple Wine, made with syrup from trees on the property, which sounds like a gimmick and isn’t.

Fenn Valley Vineyards, Fennville

6130 122nd Ave., Fennville, MI 49408

The northern anchor of the trail, in its own Fennville AVA, with tastings, tours, small plates, and vineyard walks. Plan at least two hours; the dry red Capriccio is the bottle I’d recommend to anyone who’s skeptical of Midwest reds. Fenn Valley also has a tasting room at 310 Butler St. in downtown Saugatuck. Nearby Crane Orchards has its own winery, too, which makes an easy fall pairing; see my Saugatuck and Douglas guide.

Inland: Paw Paw, Mattawan, and Kalamazoo

Farther from the beaches but still in the Lake Michigan Shore AVA, these stops are worth adding to a longer trip or a Kalamazoo weekend.

St. Julian Winery, Paw Paw

716 S. Kalamazoo St., Paw Paw, MI 49079

The flagship of Michigan’s oldest and largest winery, founded in 1921. St. Julian Winery makes wines, ciders, and spirits, and the Blue Heron in its telltale blue bottle is the Michigan souvenir bottle. It’s more commercial than the boutique stops, but the history makes it worth the drive.

Cody Kresta Vineyard & Winery, Mattawan

45727 27th St., Mattawan, MI 49071

A trail member pouring handcrafted wines in a boutique tasting room. Cody Kresta‘s semi-sweet Traminette is the standout, with Chardonnay, Riesling, and Cabernet Franc rounding out a tight lineup.

Lawton Ridge Winery, Kalamazoo

8456 Stadium Dr., Kalamazoo, MI 49009

A trail member with food-friendly wines in a comfortable, unpretentious tasting room on Kalamazoo’s west side. Lawton Ridge suits people who want good wine without the scene.

Wine Tours and Planning Tips

Book a Winery Tour

If you’d rather not assign a designated driver, Fruitful Vine Tours in Baroda runs multi-stop winery tours with a meal, in open-air wagons or coaches, plus private party options. Book ahead for fall weekends.

Use the Makers Trail Passport

Download the free Visit Southwest Michigan app before you go. Its Makers Trail Passport covers more than 40 wineries, breweries, cideries, and distilleries, mostly in Berrien County; collect a code at each stop between September and spring, and every 10 unlocks a reward, from a gift certificate to a hoodie. Details are on the Southwestern Michigan Tourist Council’s passport page.

Dogs and Accessibility

Leashed dogs are welcome outdoors at Domaine Berrien and in Filkins Vineyards’ outdoor area; call ahead anywhere else, since many tasting rooms allow service animals only. Filkins is wheelchair accessible. At Dablon, the stone stairs from the parking lot are steep, but there’s a drop-off and accessible parking near the entrance. Most patios and lawns are fine for wheelchairs in dry weather; vineyard walks usually aren’t.

For more on the towns along the way, see my Lake Michigan beach towns guide.

Southwest Michigan Wineries: Questions & Answers

What is the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail?

It’s an association of about 15 member wineries, plus extra tasting rooms, in the Lake Michigan Shore and Fennville AVAs of southwest Michigan. Several popular wineries in the region, including St. Julian, Tabor Hill, Round Barn, and Dablon, aren’t members but are easy to add to the same route.

How many wineries can you visit in one day?

Two or three make a comfortable half-day; four or five is a full day. The Baroda and Berrien Springs area has the most wineries close together.

Is Karma Vista Vineyards still open?

Karma Vista in Coloma is now Filkins Vineyards. OneRepublic guitarist Zach Filkins and his wife, Lindsay, bought it in 2024, and it’s open at the same address, 6991 Ryno Rd.

What wines is southwest Michigan known for?

Cool-climate grapes like Riesling, Traminette, and Cabernet Franc do especially well here, along with Pinot Noir, dry red blends, sparkling wines, and ice wine.

Pick a corner of the region, book a driver, and leave room in the trunk. Southwest Michigan wine country rewards slowing down, and the best part is you can end the day watching the sun set over the lake.