The Best Michigan Wineries to Visit

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Michigan has exploded onto the American wine scene in the last several years. From a small number of producers in the late 1970s, Michigan is home to over 100 wineries spanning 2,700 acres of vineyards and is the fifth-largest state for wine production within the U.S. Although vineyards are present throughout the country, most of them are located around the arcs of Lake Michigan, where the “lake effect” moderates the climate, prolonging the growing season and protecting the vineyards from extreme cold during winter. With more vintages to their credit, Michigan’s winemakers are becoming more adept in cultivating European-style vinifera grapes, and they’re now changing the hybrids of the past Seyval Blanc as well as Chambourcin for instance -with newer stars such as Riesling Gewurztraminer, Riesling, and Cabernet Franc. Here are some of the most thrilling locations to enjoy the Michigan wine revolution.

Black Star Farm

Black Star Farms in Suttons Bay claims to be a “wine and culinary destination,” and it’s not without reason. It has two wineries and three tasting rooms. An Eau de-vie, a grappa distillery, horse stables, trails, a cafĂ©, and the chic, luxurious Inn at Black Star Farms. The Inn’s stays in The Inn include a VIP tasting at the barrel room. However, make sure to be sure to check out the events scheduled during your visit. It could be included in the weekly harvest dinners. Two tasting rooms are located in Traverse City, including one at Traverse Commons. The village is situated at Traverse Commons. Although Riesling and Chardonnay are the most popular here, Black Star has also scored impressive success with its reds.

Bonobo Winery

The Old Mission Peninsula winery has stars in the mix. The winery owners are HGTV Eco-carpenter Carter Oosterhouse and his wife, the actress Amy Smart. The Oosterhouse-Smarts launched this chic winery in 2014 with his brother Todd. They named it in honor of the endangered species of chimpanzee (the winery’s tagline is “Evolved Yet Primal”). The brothers gathered three barns to get the wood they used for their tasting room. There, they serve their wines alongside small plates for three courses, which changes every month. Bonobos are small-production wines, primarily white, produced sustainably by estates, and tend to be sophisticated, clean, fresh, and food-loving.

Brys Estate Vineyard and Winery

Walt and Eileen Brys have put their ambitious winery on the ladder in Michigan Red wine in less than ten years. The vineyard of 91 acres Old Mission Peninsula estate is constructed on the foundations of an architecturally renovated cherry orchard that gives the building an authentic, chic look that wouldn’t be odd at all in Napa Valley. The “bridge above the vines,” which stretches down to East Grand Traverse Bay, is a great photo opportunity from the patio on the upper level, where you can relax, drink, savor, and try Charcuterie. The beautiful mahogany-finished tasting room provides the ideal setting to sample their range of wines, including roses, reds, and whites (don’t forget to try the white wine with ice). Visit their website for times and tours for private parties.

Chateau Aeronautique Winery

Take off from this winery with a theme of flying (driving is an alternative). Commercial pilot Lorenzo Lizarralde lives two desires simultaneously with the personal (2,500 cases) Jackson operation. The airpark is in the park (a “fly-in community”). Old aircraft, landings, and take-offs surround it. Tours include a hangar as well as a cellar tour. The tasting room with a mural is home to many bottlings, including the winery’s dry, typical Chardonnays and Rieslings and a wide assortment of sweet whites and reds. Tasting rooms have been opened within the Irish Hills and Auburn Hills.

Round Barn Winery, Brewery, and Distillery

A dazzling, multi-faceted venture built around a stunning 1912 Amish round barn in Baroda. This operation, along with its sister business Free Run, deserves an online visit to find out what’s currently open and moving around — such as their main tasting area, which houses the main tasting room, which has 24 wine bottles and six spirits, and seven beers and the Public House, with local food options and a wide selection of beverages, including the 20 Round Barn beers available on the tap. In the winery, you can enjoy the 45-minute tasting experience of seven wines in the barn. Its Union Pier tasting room offers a full range of wines. Contact them to reserve a spot in the Winemaking Camp and get 24 bottles of wine you can make at the close of the course.

Julian Winery

This southwest Michigan winery is the oldest and most prominent and has a rich story. The founder, Mariano Meconi, flourished as a winemaker during the Prohibition era in Ontario, Canada, but the company relocated to Detroit following the repeal. The name is a tribute to St. Julian, Meconi’s patron saint. Hometown community in Italy (the winery’s motto: “Italian roots, Michigan soil”) Saint. Julian continues to grow and evolve, producing more than 60 products in every design, from a fresh Riesling up to Solera Cream Sherry to vodka. The typical tasting experience at the Paw Paw winery is for six tastings. However, you can make early reservations for special tastings paired with chocolate or cheese.

Shady Lane Cellars

A spirited, all-estate-grown exclusive winery on the Leelanau Peninsula, Shady Lane has been newly owned since 2013. Under a new winemaking director, Napa Valley veteran Kasey Wierzba was appointed in 2016. Shady Lane turns out only about 5,000 cases a year. Still, like many other Michigan wineries, those cases are divided between numerous, something-for-everyone bottlings, with particular emphasis on Rieslings — both still and sparkling, dry and sweet. The beautiful beam and fieldstone tasting room is an old chicken coop that has been renovated and has an outdoor bar and patio to enjoy the warmer summer months.

Tabor Hill Winery & Restaurant

Tabor Hill was a Michigan pioneer. In 1970, it was the first commercially owned winery to be established in Michigan in the years following Prohibition. It set the stage for the new era of winemaking by planting European wine grapes called vinifera. It is now one of the most renowned wineries in the state and is also one of the most frequented, having three tasting rooms across the southwest of Michigan: Tabor Hill Winery & Restaurant located in Buchanan; Tabor Hill Champagne Cellar in Bridgman and Tabor Hill Wine Port in Saugatuck. The principal winery in Buchanan provides walking through the cellars and vineyards and live music in the summer months.

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