Lake Michigan College's Teaching Winery Wins Three Medals at 2026 Michigan Governor's Cup
BENTON HARBOR, Mich. – Student-made wines from Lake Michigan College’s commercial teaching winery, Lake Michigan Vintners, earned three medals in the 2026 Taste Michigan Governor’s Cup, the fourth annual edition of Michigan’s only statewide, industry-driven wine competition. The contest drew 214 entries from 44 wineries across the state, all judged in blind tastings by trade professionals from the Beverage Testing Institute.
Lake Michigan Vintners’ 2025 Sauvignon Blanc and 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon each earned Silver Medals, while the 2025 Rosé took home a Bronze. All three wines were produced entirely by students enrolled in LMC’s Wine and Viticulture Technology program. Wines and ciders produced through the associate degree program are marketed through Lake Michigan Vintners, housed in the Welch Center for Wine and Viticulture Technology, located on the College’s Benton Harbor campus.
“These wines are truly made by students,” said Tim Godfrey, Director of Wine and Viticulture Technology at Lake Michigan College. “They engage in every step of the process, making decisions and analyzing the results. These medals show that hands-on education can produce both highly skilled graduates and award-winning wine.”
Unlike programs where students may only observe production or complete isolated laboratory exercises, LMC’s direct-experience approach, now in its 11th vintage, has students participate in every stage from vine to tasting room. Students work the harvest, manage fermentation, run lab analyses, bottle the finished wine and, ultimately, pour it for guests.
“One of the most valuable aspects of the Wine and Viticulture Technology program is the practical experience we get from vineyard to bottling, and the creativity expressed through the winemaking process,” said Taylor Jackson, an LMC student who helped make the medal-winning wines. “To see the wines that we made as students stand beside those made by seasoned winemakers at the Governor’s Cup makes the experience that much more meaningful.”
Over the two years of the program, students log more than 600 hours of hands-on experience in the vineyard, winery, lab, and sensory evaluation classroom.
“We are not only teaching people how to make wine, but we are teaching them how to make award-winning wine,” Godfrey said. “We want students to leave here knowing how to make thoughtful production decisions and how to consistently pursue quality. That is at the center of our mission to prepare the next generation of wine professionals and help support and advance Michigan’s wine industry.”
All three medal-winning wines are available for tasting and purchase at the Lake Michigan Vintners tasting room at the Welch Center for Wine and Viticulture Technology, open Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 6 p.m. Registration for the program’s fall semester is open now.
About Lake Michigan Vintners
Lake Michigan Vintners is the teaching winery of Lake Michigan College and serves as a commercial learning environment for students in the Wine and Viticulture Technology program. Students gain hands-on experience in vineyard management, winemaking, sensory evaluation, production, packaging, and hospitality while creating wines and beverages that reflect Southwest Michigan agriculture and craftsmanship. More information and reservations are available at www.lakemichiganvintners.com.
About the Lake Michigan College Wine & Viticulture Technology Program
Lake Michigan College operates the only teaching winery in the Midwest. Nestled in the heart of Southwest Michigan’s wine country along the shores of Lake Michigan, the LMC Viticulture program connects career seekers, hobbyists, and lifelong learners with industry professionals to explore and learn the finer points of creating wines, from vine to glass. In just 18-24 months, students get hands-on, real-world experience with every facet of the wine industry as they work toward their associate degree. More information about the program is available at www.lakemichigancollege.edu/academics/culinary-wineviticulture/wine-and-viticulture.
Lake Michigan College Wine and Viticulture Technology Program faculty, staff, and students celebrate the program’s first wine competition awards. Front Row L to R: Karl Selzer (Instructor) Ed Bueche (Student) Taylor Jackson (Student) Jasmine Hein (Instructor), Maxwell Eichberg (Instructor), Tim Godfrey (Instructor). Back Row L to R: Sarah Eberly (Student), Jim Walsh (Student), Mark Vrla (Student), Demetrius Karos (Student).
