Lori and Brian Herron enjoy the fruits of their labor. In its first year, Social Vines yielded 1,000 cases of wine. | J. Adrian Wylie
Just east of Dexter, in a bucolic setting known for hosting increasingly popular Fourth of July fireworks shows, Lori and Brian Herron’s vision for Social Vines is bearing fruit.
“You can still go up north to the vineyards, but now you’ve got one in your backyard, which is kind of fun,” says Lori, who’s made viticulture (grape cultivation) and enology (wine-making) into a second career after decades as an occupational therapist.
The homestead for their blended family now includes a rarity for Southeast Michigan: a vineyard, winery, and tasting venue. She’s dedicated two acres to grape varieties best suited for the short but hot growing season, with a trellis system and regenerative farming practices free of glyphosate.
An on-site production facility yielded 1,000 cases this year (about 2,400 gallons), generally on the lighter, fruitier, and more acidic side of the wine spectrum.
Related: Vinyl & Wine
In July, they opened a small tasting room and a spacious pavilion providing sunset views over the rolling landscape. Brian hand-built its fifteen picnic tables of several sizes and configurations.
It’s open two days a week until early November, but Lori says she’s getting “creative about how we can stay somewhat open in the winter months” for private events and to-go bottle sales.
By next season they hope to convert a shipping container near the pavilion into a serving station, even as they pursue a long-term goal of moving an old barn that sits toward the front of the property closer to the vineyard and accommodating more visitors indoors. (They’ve had over thirty-five meetings with township officials already on the long road to gaining that approval.)
She’s partnered with local businesses to bring in charcuterie boards, food trucks, and fresh flowers (from Scherdt Farm across the street) to foster a relaxed, family-friendly feel, complete with yard games. A harvest celebration is set for October 18.
Brian, president of Dexter-based Opus IVS, which makes diagnostic tools for cars, bought the seventy-acre property in 2015. He saved it from housing developers not by outbidding them, he explains, but with a cleaner, one-page offer. When Lori joined him two years later, the vision for a boutique vineyard with small-scale hospitality began to take shape.
“It’s a beautiful property, and we can share some of it,” she says. “And I think we’ve done a good job.”
Social Vines Vineyard & Winery, 6620 Dexter Ann Arbor Rd., Dexter. (734) 888–4187. Fri. 4–8 p.m., Sat. 2–8 p.m. Closed Sun.–Thurs. socialvines.com