12 Corners Vineyards' founding friends all grew up in Michigan. They knew the weather—the way the lake effect keeps everything a little warmer, producing lots of soft snow. They understood the way that microclimate affected the richness of the soil, and how fruit from the region was exceptionally fine. They also shared a passion for wine, which led them to copurchase their own 115-acre estate and begin planting vines. They cultivate riesling, cabernet franc, merlot, and traminette, giving familiar grapes interesting twists by cultivating them in a variety of textured soils and slopes. The winemaker of the group, Glen Greiifendorf, brings out the interesting terroirs in every varietal bottled.