Rock Star Buys Winery & Vineyard in Southwest Michigan

A popular winery and vineyard in Southwest Michigan is under new ownership and its owner is someone whose music you've likely heard on the radio.

After a concert performance in Grand Rapids, OneRepublic's Zach Filkins visited some nearby wineries and decided that it was time to buy one. According to Mlive, Filkins and his wife Lindsay purchased Karma Vista winery in Coloma. Coloma is located on Lake Michigan, about 40 miles north of the Michigan - Indiana border.

Michigan Winery Makes a Lasting Impression

Zach and Lindsay recalled visiting Karma Vista after a OneRepublic concert in Grand Rapids in 2019. Both have experience in the restaurant business and have hosted wine parties and the wines they tasted at Karma Vista made a favorable impression on them.

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The couple notes that they discovered wineries in California when they were on their honeymoon and felt that purchasing a winery in Michigan was a good fit.

Joe and Sue Herman owned Karma Vista for 22 years. The couple decided that the timing for retirement was right when they sold the establishment to the Filkinses.

“We are incredibly grateful and humbled by the opportunity to take the torch from the Hermans and are honored to own and operate the very first winery that attracted us to Southwest Michigan wine country,” the couple said.

 

New Name, New Staff Members

As Zach and Lindsay Filkins took ownership, they changed the vineyard's name to Filkins Vineyards.

New staff members include Lindsay Filkins' sister Melissa Feris who was hired as the general manager. According to Mlive, winemaker Jason Johnson who has worked in California's Napa Valley for decades has been hired to lead the company's wine production.