Taking its name from the county with more fruit farms than any other in Michigan, Domaine Berrien Cellars & Winery in Berrien Springs, Michigan, opened for business in Spring 2002.

The current owners, Wally and Katie Maurer bring some unusual skills to winemaking. Amateur winemaking was Wally Maurer's hobby when he was not working at his purchasing manager's position for a water utility company in Chicago. He's joined in the Domaine Berrien Cellars venture by his wife Katie, a construction company engineer with a Chicago-based firm.

Until the recent deaths of Katie's parents, Abigail and Tom Fricke, Domaine Berrien was a two-generation family business. Now, the Maurers will inherit Tom Fricke's 80-acre fruit farm at one of the highest elevations (770 feet) in Berrien County in the Lake Michigan Shore AVA. Thirty acres of that farm are planted to over 20 grape varieties.

Tom Fricke was also an amateur winemaker for 25 years. He claimed that his vineyard, which he began to develop in 1992, had similar growing conditions to the Northern Rhone Valley of France. This belief prompted Fricke to break with tradition and become the first to plant Viognier, Marsanne, Rousanne and Syrah in Michigan.

Breaking with tradition is Domaine Berrien's mantra and consumers are enthusiastic about the 3,000 cases currently being produced. The future looks bright as well. There are 4,000 cases projected from the 2007 harvest and, with another 25 acres of tart cherry orchards cleared and readied for planting, the Mauers are predicting 5,400 cases by 2010, at which point they think they’ll be maxed out.