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

Last Updated: April 2026

The Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail runs through the southwest corner of Michigan — from New Buffalo north through Baroda, Berrien Springs, St. Joseph, and up toward South Haven and Saugatuck. Fifteen member wineries sit within the Lake Michigan Shore AVA, one of the most productive grape-growing regions in the country, where the lake’s moderating effect on temperature creates a longer growing season than almost anywhere else in the Midwest.

I’ve been driving this trail for years, usually with a loose plan and a designated driver. This guide covers my favorite stops organized by geography — so you can build a route that makes sense — plus the planning details most guides skip entirely.

📌 In a Nutshell

• What it is: 15 member wineries in the Lake Michigan Shore AVA, southwest Michigan — from New Buffalo north to Saugatuck
• Why the wine is good: Lake Michigan’s “inland ocean” effect moderates winter cold and extends the fall growing season — 90% of Michigan’s vineyards are in this region
• Best for: Weekend road trips, girls’ getaways, wine-and-beach combos, fall color season sipping
• Start here: New Buffalo / Harbor Country for the southern end; St. Joseph for the middle; South Haven for the northern stretch
• Makers Trail Passport: Free app — collect stamps at participating wineries Sept–May and earn prizes. Worth downloading before you go
• Drive: Red Arrow Highway (US-12) is the scenic route along the southern end; US-31 connects the full trail north

About the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail

The Lake Michigan Shore AVA sits at the 42nd parallel — the same latitude as parts of France and northern Italy — with Lake Michigan acting as a climate buffer up to 80 miles wide and 600 feet deep. That means warmer falls, later frosts, and an extended growing season that allows grapes like Cabernet Franc, Riesling, and Traminette to fully ripen in conditions most of the Midwest can’t replicate.

The region produces more than 90% of Michigan’s grapes. What that means practically: the wines here are not novelty Michigan-made products — they’re genuinely competitive with cool-climate wines from anywhere in the country. Dry reds, aromatic whites, sparkling wines, and creative blends all show up on these tasting room menus, and the quality gap between the best and the rest has closed considerably over the past decade.

New Buffalo & Harbor Country Wineries

The southern end of the trail starts in New Buffalo and runs through Union Pier and into the Baroda area — all within easy reach of the Harbor Country beach towns. This is the most concentrated stretch of the trail and the easiest to cover in a single afternoon.

St. Julian Tasting Room — Union Pier

The Union Pier outpost of Michigan’s oldest and largest winery is a good first stop — relaxed, approachable, and well-stocked with the full St. Julian portfolio. Wine slushies, hard cider flights, and the Sweet Revenge red are the things to try here. Staff are genuinely helpful for first-time trail visitors who aren’t sure where to start.

• 📍 9145 Union Pier Rd, Union Pier, MI 49129
• 🌐 stjulian.com
• ⏰ Confirm current hours before you go

Hickory Creek Winery

The smallest production winery on the trail, and one of the most interesting. Hickory Creek specializes in European-style small-batch wines with a hand-hewn hickory bar in a red barn tasting room — the kind of setting that makes you stay longer than you planned. At any given time they pour over 20 varieties. The award-winning Syrah and the Blue Star White (named for the historic Blue Star Highway) are both worth trying.

• 📍 750 Browntown Rd, Buchanan, MI 49107
• 🌐 hickorycreekwinery.com
• ⏰ Confirm current hours before you go

Baroda & Berrien Springs Wineries

Baroda is the heart of the trail — a small town surrounded by vineyards that’s worth a full afternoon. Most of the best-known names on the Lake Michigan Shore Wine Trail are clustered here within a few miles of each other.

Dablon Vineyards Estate Winery

Sleek tasting room, large windows overlooking the vineyard, a patio that earns a long afternoon. Dablon specializes in estate-grown European-style reds — the Carmenère is a rare Midwest find, and the Cabernet Franc aged in French oak is as good as anything I’ve had on this trail. This is the stop I bring first-timers to when I want to make a point about Michigan wine.

• 📍 111 W Shawnee Rd, Baroda, MI 49101
• 🌐 dablon.com
• ⏰ Confirm current hours before you go

Tabor Hill Winery & Restaurant

Tabor Hill has been producing Michigan wines since 1971 and the experience shows — both in the wines and in how smoothly the operation runs. Choose between a guided tasting in the Estate Room, a glass on the patio with vineyard views, or a full meal in the restaurant. The Traminette — a semi-sweet white with floral notes — is the signature recommendation for anyone new to the trail. It’s the wine I’d hand someone who says they don’t like Michigan wine.

• 📍 185 Mt Tabor Rd, Buchanan, MI 49107
• 🌐 taborhill.com
• ⏰ Confirm current hours before you go

Round Barn Estate Winery, Brewery & Distillery

The most social stop on the trail. Round Barn operates out of a beautifully restored turn-of-the-century Amish round barn, and on summer weekends it has a festival energy that the quieter tasting rooms don’t. Wine, craft beer, and distilled spirits all under one roof, plus live music every weekend from May through October and hiking trails on the grounds. Go on a weekday if you want a more relaxed experience — weekends get busy fast.

• 📍 10983 Hills Rd, Baroda, MI 49101
• 🌐 roundbarn.com
• ⏰ Confirm current hours before you go

Red Top Winery

A more lighthearted stop with a genuinely creative approach — Red Top ages some of their wines in rum, tequila, cognac, and bourbon barrels, producing flavor profiles you won’t find anywhere else on the trail. The tasting room has an upbeat, no-pressure vibe. Good for groups that include people who aren’t sure yet whether they’re wine people.

• 📍 482 E Snow Rd, Baroda, MI 49101
• 🌐 redtopwinery.com

Chill Hill Winery

Downtown Baroda, music-filled, relaxed. Chill Hill’s grapes come from Arrowhead Vineyards — one of the largest commercial growers in the Lake Michigan Shore AVA with nearly 400 acres under vine — which means you’re getting the best of southwest Michigan fruit in an approachable, affordable tasting room format. The Ice Wine is a standout: sweet, rich, and worth trying even if dessert wines aren’t your usual order.

• 📍 8986 1st St, Baroda, MI 49101
• 🌐 chillhill.net

Free Run Cellars

The boutique sister winery to Round Barn, with two locations: the original vineyard estate in Berrien Springs and a tasting room in Union Pier. Free Run focuses on small-batch wines with more restraint than Round Barn’s social scene — better for quiet afternoon sipping. The Free Run Fusion, a light fruity white, is the accessible entry point; their reds reward the more adventurous taster.

• 📍 10062 Burgoyne Rd, Berrien Springs, MI 49103 (estate) | Union Pier tasting room also available
• 🌐 freeruncellars.com
• ⏰ Confirm current hours for both locations before you go

Domaine Berrien Cellars

More than 20 years of production from a 40-acre estate vineyard, with a reputation built on dry reds that serious wine drinkers take seriously. The Red Satin — a smooth, fruit-forward blend — is the crowd-pleasing introduction, but the whole lineup rewards exploration. Leashed dogs are welcome on the grounds, which puts it on my list any time I’m traveling with mine.

• 📍 398 E Lemon Creek Rd, Berrien Springs, MI 49103
• 🌐 domaineberrien.com
• ⏰ Confirm current hours before you go
• 🐾 Leashed dogs welcome outdoors

Lemon Creek Winery

The same family has farmed this land since 1834 and has been producing wine here for more than 40 years. Lemon Creek was the first Michigan winery to grow and bottle Cabernet Sauvignon — and they’re still among the best at it. Wide-open outdoor seating, scenic vineyard views, and the kind of unhurried atmosphere that makes a long afternoon feel earned.

• 📍 533 E Lemon Creek Rd, Berrien Springs, MI 49103
• 🌐 lemoncreekwinery.com
• ⏰ Confirm current hours before you go

Gravity Vineyards & Winery

Hilltop setting overlooking a lake and rolling vineyards — one of the most scenic tasting experiences on the entire trail. The spacious deck is the main draw, but the wines hold up: bold reds and creative blends, with the Chocolate Cherry Dessert Wine earning repeat orders from people who don’t usually go for dessert wines. Worth the drive even if you only stop here once.

• 📍 3101 Friday Rd, Coloma, MI 49038
• 🌐 gravitywine.com
• ⏰ Confirm current hours before you go

St. Joseph Area Wineries

St. Joseph sits about 30 miles north of New Buffalo — a coastal town worth a stop on its own, with a walkable downtown and good waterfront dining. The wineries in and around St. Joe are a natural midpoint on a two-day trail drive.

Lazy Ballerina Winery

Southwest Michigan’s only women-owned winery, with tasting rooms in downtown St. Joseph and Bridgman. The Weko Beach White — named for a nearby Lake Michigan beach — is light, refreshing, and exactly the wine you want after a morning on the water. The downtown St. Joe location is easy to combine with lunch and a walk along the bluff.

• 📍 St. Joseph tasting room: 106 State St, St. Joseph, MI 49085
• 🌐 lazyballerinawinery.com
• ⏰ Confirm current hours before you go

White Pine Winery

Award-winning winemaker, classic varietals, and a charming downtown St. Joe tasting room with wine-themed gifts worth browsing while you taste. The white sangria here is one of the best I’ve had anywhere on this trail — a standard I keep applying to every other version I encounter, none of which has topped it yet.

• 📍 St. Joseph tasting room: 126 State St, St. Joseph, MI 49085
• 🌐 whitepinewinery.com
• ⏰ Confirm current hours before you go

Karma Vista Vineyards

Perched on one of the highest points in Michigan’s southwest fruit belt, surrounded by vineyard and orchard. The Ryno Red — a semi-sweet red built for both cooking and drinking — has become a staple for a lot of people who discover it here. The setting is the reason to go out of your way; the wine is the reason to come back.

• 📍 6995 Hills Rd, Coloma, MI 49038
• 🌐 karmavista.com
• ⏰ Confirm current hours before you go

South Haven & Saugatuck Area Wineries

The northern stretch of the trail runs through South Haven and up toward Saugatuck — both worth a full stop for beaches and restaurants on their own. The wineries here are fewer but strong, and the scenery along US-31 through this stretch is some of the best on the entire drive.

12 Corners Vineyards

A 115-acre estate winery four miles off Lake Michigan’s Gold Coast, with a downtown South Haven tasting room that makes it easy to combine with a beach day. The Marquette — a dry red with blackberry, cherry, and a soft finish of black pepper, aged in oak — is the bottle I keep going back to. The portfolio also includes Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Gewurztraminer.

• 📍 16938 Lemon Creek Rd, Baroda, MI 49101 (estate) | South Haven tasting room also available
• 🌐 12corners.com
• ⏰ Confirm current hours for both locations before you go

Cogdal Vineyards

Small, family-owned, and half a mile from Lake Michigan. Cogdal makes a Maple Wine from maple syrup harvested at the vineyard — genuinely unusual and worth trying even if it sounds like a gimmick (it isn’t). The “Little Man” award-winning blends and Nana’s Kiss rosé are the more traditional crowd favorites.

• 📍 1621 Pleasant Valley Rd, South Haven, MI 49090
• 🌐 cogdalvineyards.com
• ⏰ Confirm current hours before you go

Fenn Valley Vineyards

North of South Haven in Fennville, Fenn Valley offers full wine-country atmosphere — tasting, educational tours, small plates, vineyard walks, and picnic space. The dry red Capriccio is one of the most refined wines on the trail; it’s the bottle I’d recommend to anyone who’s skeptical of Midwest reds. Plan at least two hours here — it’s not a quick stop.

• 📍 6130 122nd Ave, Fennville, MI 49408
• 🌐 fennvalley.com
• ⏰ Confirm current hours before you go

Contessa Wine Cellars

In Coloma, southwest of South Haven — a small winery in an Italian villa-style tasting room with orchard views from a European-style terrace. The Dolce Vita sweet red is the one to try, and it makes an excellent base for sangria. A quieter stop that rewards the detour.

• 📍 3235 Friday Rd, Coloma, MI 49038
• 🌐 contessawinecellars.com
• ⏰ Confirm current hours before you go

Inland — Paw Paw & Kalamazoo Area

The trail extends inland from St. Joseph toward Paw Paw and Kalamazoo — farther from the beaches but still solidly within the Lake Michigan Shore AVA. These stops are worth adding to a longer trip or a dedicated wine weekend centered further east.

St. Julian Winery — Paw Paw

The flagship location of Michigan’s oldest and largest winery, operating since 1921. Over 100 products including wines, distilled spirits, and ciders — the Blue Heron in its telltale blue bottle is the Michigan souvenir bottle worth picking up. A more commercial experience than the boutique stops, but the history and breadth of the portfolio make it worth the inland drive if you’re doing the full trail.

• 📍 716 S Kalamazoo St, Paw Paw, MI 49079
• 🌐 stjulian.com
• ⏰ Confirm current hours before you go

Cody Kresta Vineyard & Winery

Small boutique winery in a vintage 1882 homestead — handcrafted wines from Lake Michigan Shore AVA grapes in a Tuscan-inspired tasting room. The semi-sweet Traminette is the standout; the Chardonnay, Riesling, and Cabernet Franc round out a tight, focused lineup that rewards a slow tasting.

• 📍 8970 W H Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49009
• 🌐 codykrestawinery.com
• ⏰ Confirm current hours before you go

Lawton Ridge Winery

One of Michigan’s oldest wineries — producing wine from their grapes since 1974. Food-friendly wines in a comfortable, unpretentious setting; the Traminette here has a slightly spicy quality that sets it apart from other versions on the trail. A quieter stop that suits people who want good wine without the scene.

• 📍 13845 Lawton Rd, Lawton, MI 49065
• 🌐 lawtonridgewinery.com
• ⏰ Confirm current hours before you go

Wine Tours & Planning Tips

Fruitful Vine Winery Tours

If you want someone else to handle the logistics, Fruitful Vine Tours in Baroda runs three-stop tours with a meal, private party options, and both open-air “Wino Wagon” and luxury coach formats. A practical solution if your group wants to cover multiple wineries without a designated driver situation.

• 📍 1159 W Lemon Creek Rd, Baroda, MI 49101
• 🌐 fruitfulvinetours.com

The Makers Trail Passport

Download the free Makers Trail app before you go. The passport lets you collect digital stamps at participating wineries, breweries, cideries, and distilleries across southwest Michigan between September and May — earn enough stamps and you unlock prizes. It covers more than 50 producers beyond just the wine trail, so if your group includes beer and spirits drinkers it maps out the full southwest Michigan drinks scene in one place. Details at makerstrail.org.

How to Plan Your Route

Two to three wineries is the right number for a half-day; four to five is a full day if you’re moving efficiently. Most people try to do more and end up rushing — the tasting rooms on this trail reward slowing down. Red Arrow Highway (US-12) is the scenic route for the southern stretch from New Buffalo through Baroda; US-31 connects the full trail north to South Haven and Saugatuck. Pick a geographic section and cover it well rather than trying to hit the whole trail in one trip.

For more on the towns along the way: New Buffalo travel guide · Harbor Country guide · Lake Michigan beach towns

Frequently Asked Questions