The Old Mission Peninsula is an AVA of the northern United States, located in western Michigan. The youngest of Michigan's AVAs, Old Mission Peninsula was formalized as a separate appellation in July 1987, six years after Fennville, 155 miles (250km) to the south. It covers the whole of the narrow peninsula after which it is named – a total of 19,200 acres (7750ha). Only a small number of vineyards are currently planted here.
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The boundaries of the Old Mission Peninsula title are marked efficiently by the shorelines of Grand Traverse Bay, with the AVA capped at the southern end by Traverse City. The name 'Old Mission' refers to the Presbyterian mission which was founded on the peninsula in 1839; it was eventually relocated further west, to the neighboring Leelanau Peninsula. These promontories are just two of many which dot the complex eastern coastline of Lake Michigan.
The glacially deposited soils here are varied. The bedrock consists variably of granite and limestone, covered with clay-rich subsoils and free-draining topsoils of gravels, sands and loam. The climate is decidedly marginal, made suitable for viticulture only by the warming 'lake effect' of Lake Michigan, which moderates the extremes of both summer heat and winter freezes. Frost is a problem for vineyards on the Old Mission Peninsula, however, particularly as it is the coolest of Michigan's AVAs. Spring frost poses a particular risk to early varieties such as Merlot, whose delicate buds are often destroyed by sub-zero cold snaps.
The vineyards of the Old Mission Peninsula are planted predominantly with well-known Vitis vinifera varieties such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with particular emphasis on those which are suited to cool-climate viticulture, including Riesling and Pinot Gris. There are also hybrid plantings here, such as Chambourcin and Vignoles, although these have a much smaller representation than in the colder states to the west of Michigan.
