Winemaker's Notes on the 2025 Growing Season

A Season of Precision and Teamwork: Drew Perry on the 2025 Vintage in Leelanau County

For Leelanau County winemaker Drew Perry, the 2025 growing season wasn’t defined by a single dramatic weather event or vineyard surprise — it was about coordination, growth, and getting all the details right.

“Honestly, the hardest part of the season was all the moving parts that we had as a company,” Perry said. With production expanding, logistics became critical. “Getting all of our tanks set the day before we started harvesting” was one of those behind-the-scenes wins that set the tone for harvest.

Mother Nature largely cooperated. The season was “solid — mild coming up until the end but ended nicely.” Summer heat never became excessive, and September held steady without heavy rain. Perhaps most remarkable for Northern Michigan: “It didn’t snow at all during harvest, which is a rarity.”

Consistency in the Vineyard

When asked which varietal stood out, Perry’s answer was telling: “Not really any — which is good.” Even Albariño, a grape the team continues to fine-tune, “fell in line with where we thought it would end up.”

Chemistry across the board was steady. “Usually I want very specific chemistry parameters — this year we didn’t have to do a ton of major alterations.” Vineyard adjustments, like refining the timing of leaf blowing and dialing in weed control, helped fruit ripen evenly and cleanly. “We were hitting our timing windows really well,” he noted.

Innovation in the Cellar

In the cellar, experimentation met intention. The team incorporated “a lot of non-traditional yeast in our whites and reds,” proactively addressing vineyards that had shown fermentation surprises in past vintages. In some cases, they used a new yeast strain which helped to stabilize the wines early in the process.

For reds, attention to detail never stopped. “Cap management was key,” Perry said, with pump-overs and punch-downs happening “5–6 times a day, even in the middle of the night.”

Despite the busy pace, 2025 was also about balance. Thanks to teamwork between vineyard and cellar crews — the harvest avoided the punishing late nights common in the industry. The team was “able to give more breaks, more time off.”

Sustainability and Looking Ahead

Long-term sustainability continues to shape decision-making. “Over the last 10 years we’ve made a ton of changes but especially over the past four years,” Perry said, the team has refined how they manage weeds and build soil health. Consolidating production into one location is another step that “will help make life for our team members more sustainable.”

And of course, harvest runs on more than grapes. The fuel of choice? “Lots of pizza — Roman Wheel, all the toppings.”

When asked for a standout moment from 2025, Perry didn’t mention a tank, a block, or a lab result. Instead, it was personal: “When Jorge (a member of our vineyard crew) told me he’s gonna be a dad.”

In a year defined by precision and progress, it’s clear that people — just as much as weather or winemaking — made the 2025 vintage one to remember.