(ChicagoTribune) - Visiting Wisconsin wineries is an easy way to enjoy a vast variety of wines while having the opportunity to learn direct from the winemakers, growers and purveyors of the state’s booming industry.

According to Anna Maenner, executive director for both the Wisconsin Winery Association and the Wisconsin Grape Growers, she has seen the explosion of growth firsthand since she started with the state’s wine groups six years ago. “Back then there were probably 40 or 50 wineries,” she says. “Now we have more than 100 and every year there are new wineries coming on.”

Wisconsin plants more than 800 acres of grapes for wine production each year at more than 100 vineyards located throughout the state. More than 1.7 million visitors came to the state to visit wineries within the five Wisconsin winery regions: Fox Valley; Door County; Driftless; Northwoods and Glacial Hills.

According to Wisconsin Tourism Secretary Stephanie Klett, wine lovers don’t have to go to California, Oregon or New York to get award-winning wines — they can look to Wisconsin for great wines.

“Our wine tours let you sample nationally and internationally recognized wines, talk one-on-one with local wine-makers and walk the same vineyards that were planted more than 170 years ago, before California’s wine rush even began," says Klett. “When experiencing one of our many wine tours or trails across the state, visitors will see why Wisconsin’s wine-making roots run deep and continue to grow today.”

Maenner says the diverse wine types produced in Wisconsin are a distinction of pride. She says one consultant who came from Napa Valley complimented the state's diversity compared to what he typically encountered in California. “He said in Napa they all grow the same grapes in each region, so as you go down the road they are all offering the same wine varieties. Here in Wisconsin, wine makers can be more creative and experiment more.”