Tickets are available for the Aug. 21 tasting in Traverse City
August 7, 2025 (Traverse City, MI) — The fourth annual Dirt to Glass™ conference returns to Traverse City, Michigan this month, Aug. 21-22. The conference, a collaboration between Michigan State University, Michigan State University Extension and industry innovators, shares the latest research and information aimed at elevating Michigan’s grape and wine industry and empowering growers, winemakers and professionals.
For the first time this year – Dirt to Glass™ organizers will host a public tasting event as part of the industry conference and it has been included among Traverse City Food and Wine programming as well.
“The Company We Keep: A Dirt to Glass™ 2025 Tasting Experience” will feature 100 wines to taste Aug. 21 at Kirkbride Hall, 700 Cottageview Dr., Suite 200 in The Village at Grand Traverse Commons, 1200 W. Eleventh Street, Traverse City, Mich.
The wine tasting list includes over 60 Michigan made wines, each carefully vetted by master sommeliers, influential buyers and industry professionals. The rest of the wines are curated to include bottles from as far as Austria and Germany, and stateside from Washington and Oregon.
By placing locally-grown wines alongside counterparts from across the country and around the world, organizers aim to show the high quality of Michigan wines within the context of the international wine market.
“We’re working to place the best of Michigan wines into the hands of consumers to show how they hold their place among some of the finest wines made around the world,” said Amanda Danielson, owner of Trattoria Stella in Traverse City, Mich. and an organizer of Dirt to Glass™.
Shady Lane Cellars, an award-winning and SIP-certified sustainable estate winery based in Suttons Bay, Mich. is just one of the participants in this public tasting event.
Kasey Wierzba, general manager and executive winemaker for Shady Lane Cellars, served on the tasting panel to judge wines and – like many others who did so – will be in attendance to talk about how wines from across the world are stylistically relevant to so many made here in Michigan.
“This will be an immersive, fun and well-rounded tasting experience,” Wierzba said.
“The Company We Keep: A Dirt to Glass™ 2025 Tasting Experience” opens at 5 p.m. to VIP ticketholders and 6 p.m. to general admission. The event runs until 9 p.m. on Aug. 21, 2025.
Tickets are available at https://events.anr.msu.edu/event.cfm?eventID=5F56657E9AEBF93DBF2C7CD5058DA26D9C0AA639D125367690DAFB7DBF6055C3.
General Admission is $75 or $60 for Michigan State University alumni. Tickets are included for those registered for Dirt to Glass™ Day 1.
VIP tickets are $100 or $80 for Michigan State University alumni. VIP Tickets are included for Dirt to Glass™ Day 2 registrants.
Industry professionals looking to pre-register to attend Dirt to Glass™ Aug. 21-22 can do so here: https://events.anr.msu.edu/event.cfm?eventID=D1D5B7272E3829639319661B0FA9711B125B2BBC9CD4713535324061D852DF3F
