Despite an uncertain future, for Michigan wineries, it’s business as usual. And that business is the production of first rate wines that can compete with any in the world, at the same time maintaining a distinct character that is uniquely Michigan. However, Michigan winegrowers today face a far more lethal adversary than even the phylloxera scourge that wiped out most of Europe’s vineyards at the end of the 19th century, and the Pierce’s Disease epidemic that is currently ravaging California wine country. The impending menace to Michigan wineries goes by the name ‘HB 4959’, a House Bill that if passed in the state legislature will certainly mean the end of the vibrant wine industry that exists in Michigan now. The bill proposes banning in-state direct shipping of wine, effectively cutting off Michigan’s 42 rurally located farm-based wineries from their mainly urban market (visit www.WineMichigan.org to learn more about this issue).