Michigan has come a long way since a handful of intrepid producers decided to try their luck planting Vitis vinifera varieties in the 1970s. Now world-class wine is being made across this geographically diverse state, from the hilly farmlands edged in bluffs on the Old Mission Peninsula to the gently rolling valleys and sandy dunes of the southwest.
“It seems every year there are more skilled producers embracing cool climate rather than trying to emulate the style of warmer regions,” says Amanda Danielson, advanced sommelier and owner of Trattoria Stella in Traverse City. “In the past we tended to focus more on the tourist side of things—frosé slushies and busloads of bachelorettes. We’re seeing more winemakers out there striking a balance, focusing on better barrel selection and more judicious use of oak and working with our acids and aromatics rather than suppressing them.”
With almost two dozen nationally recognized scenic byways, Michigan might be best experienced by car—and in winding, leisurely fashion if you can spare the time. Your route will be dotted by vineyards, especially if it traces the contours of Lake Michigan, where the vast majority of wineries are clustered.
The Lake Michigan Shore and Fennville AVAs are in the relaxed-paced southwest corner of the state, above the border with Indiana and directly across Lake Michigan from Chicago. The other appellations hug the rolling northernmost coastline of the mainland: Leelanau Peninsula, which unfurls from Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes to the western arm of Grand Traverse Bay and straddles two bodies of water (Lake Leelanau and Lake Michigan); Old Mission Peninsula, just across the deep blue bay from Leelanau; and Tip of the Mitt, Michigan’s newest AVA, which represents the sandy-soiled top of the mitten, surrounded by water on three sides.
Starting from the southwest and moving north along the Lake Michigan shoreline, we’ve mapped some of the Wolverine State’s best wineries to check out right now, and how to fuel up properly along the way—from upmarket home cooking in Fennville and killer whitefish melts in Saugatuck to cherry everything in Glen Arbor, and plenty of hyper-seasonal cooking in and around Traverse City.
Along the way, you’ll discover that the food and drink makers here are a passionate and welcoming bunch, eager to indoctrinate visitors into Michigan’s bounty and natural beauty.
Fennville/Lake Michigan Shore
With vast stretches of sugar-sand Lake Michigan beach, charming lake towns and rolling vineyards and farmlands, there’s an easy, pastoral vibe to Michigan’s southwest. The sloping moraines provide air drainage to the lake, which helps keep frost from settling on the vines. Enhancing the nurturing terrain and soil are cool nights and warm days, which help grapes mature with the right balance of sugar and acidity, providing crispness to white wines and complexity and depth to reds. This so-called “lake effect” enhances the quality of the European grape varieties that thrive along the shoreline.
Wyncroft Wines
Wyncroft owner James Lester has been making Old World-style wine at the 42nd parallel in southwestern Michigan since the early 1980s. He eventually opened his own estate winery in 1998.
Wyncroft’s elegant, single-vineyard Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays were menu staples of fine-dining icons like Chicago’s Alinea and Next long before the Midwest wised up to Michigan’s winemaking potential. Lester later created the Marland label, sourcing grapes and pricing them for everyday drinking; think refreshing Cabernet Franc rosé and citrusy, Bordeaux-style Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc.
The affable Lester hosts tours through the estate trails and vineyards for 10 or less between April 15 and September 15 at the winery, which is a 15-minute drive from charming South Haven. The tour culminates with an al fresco tasting of five wines alongside local bread and cheeses, when Lester might lean on his theology degree to set the record straight on whether Jesus drank “real” wine. (He did indeed.)
Modales Wines
Just six miles north of Wyncroft, this small craft winery in Fennville produces terroir-driven, minimal intervention whites and reds “with the chops to be on the world stage alongside the classic Wyncroft,” says Danielson.
Owners Jim and Carol Gonzalez purchased the former La Esperanza vineyard in 2014, on the site where one of the earliest families to settle in the area built their home and planted peach and cherry orchards over a century ago.
With winemaker Andrew Backlin and vineyard manager Ben Guerrin, the Gonzalezes set out to produce serious wines—from savory Pinot Blanc and mineral-forward Sauvignon Blanc to peppery Blaufrankisch and more experimental Rkatsiteli and Petit Manseng—and restore the farmland through organic practices on their two distinctive vineyards.
The winery offers guided, five-pour tastings at its onsite bar, preselected flights on the enclosed patio and guided, vine to wine vineyard and production facility tours.
Other Noteworthy Wineries
Keep an eye out for wines made by Buchanan micro-winery Stranger Wine Co., which uses organic and regenerative practices to produce exciting pours from complex Pinot Gris to carbonic Pinot Noir.
Danielson is likewise keeping tabs on Filkins Vineyards in Coloma, which OneRepublic guitarist Zach Filkins and his wife Lindsay recently opened at the former site of Karma Vista Vineyard. “They acquired it from Joe Herman who was decades ahead of the times in terms of farming practices, so there is a ton of potential there,” she says.
Where to eat: Perhaps the most oft-recommended restaurant in the region by locals, Salt of the Earth in Fennville, is relentlessly popular for good reason. Its simple, excellent fare features mostly ingredients sourced from regional farms (don’t skip the house-baked bread or homemade pastas) and its warm hospitality makes you feel at home.
In nearby Saugatuck, Pennyroyal Cafe & Provisions serves hearty, soul-soothing breakfast, lunch and dinner. Think twice-baked potato hash with eggs, whitefish melts with pickled peppers and crisp-skinned roast chicken.
Where to stay: The relaxed, centrally located Historic Hotel Nichols dates back to 1884 and is the only remaining historic hotel in downtown South Haven. Rooms mix modern amenities with the building’s rich heritage, evident in the original wood floors, exposed brick and intricate details. A bright, 12-room B&B in a historic Victorian mansion, Carriage House at the Harbor boasts harbor views from its many tiered porches and is a six-minute walk to North Beach.
Leelanau, Old Mission Peninsula and Grand Traverse Area
“The grape growing and winemaking throughout Old Mission and Leelanau peninsulas has been gaining in quality and sophistication for the last 15 years,” says Danielson. Joining early pioneers are several up-and-comers who tread the line of innovation and respect for the region’s inherent gifts.
Conveniently situated midway between the two peninsulas, Traverse City is an excellent home base for exploring the wineries of these two AVAs. It’s also home to some of the state’s best restaurants—a handful of which are pouring the pioneering wines that put Michigan on the global map.
Black Star Farms
A quick 15-minute drive from Traverse City to Suttons Bay on the majestically hilly M-22 byway deposits you at this rolling hillside vineyard that’s home to two wineries and three tasting rooms producing and pouring superb, regionally expressive wines shepherded by founding winemaker Lee Lutes.
Lutes and his team are ever tweaking their way toward the perfect Pinot Noir (a perfectionist, Lutes says they got close with the 2017 Acapella); producing Sauvignon Blanc that turns the oft-heavy-handed category on its head (drinking like lush ruby red grapefruit and dewy grass after a rainstorm); and turning out elegant Gamay Noir with currant and subtle earthy notes with serious aging potential for the most patient among us.
“There’s no better time to drink Michigan wine than now,” Lutes says. “There is so much good wine being made. We’ve had five good vintages in a row.”
Should you need a (teensy) break from wine, the tasting room features a formidable cocktail list with a rich and smooth house apple brandy Manhattan.
This dynamic, 160-acre estate is also home to an eau-de-vie and grappa distillery, private horse stables and trails, a bistro and upmarket accommodations in the form of The Inn at Black Star Farms. Staying at one of the inn’s 10 handsome rooms includes a VIP tasting at the onsite barrel room and chef-prepared breakfast.
Left Foot Charley
Left Foot Charley is the area’s only urban winery. It’s located in the former Northern Michigan Asylum—a sprawling yellow-brick preservation and adaptive reuse project tucked amid mature trees. This setting complements the atypical fruit sourcing and old-style winemaking that defines LFC.
In lieu of a single-estate model, LFC is a collection of grape and apple growers throughout Northern Michigan that exclusively grow fruit for its wines, such as a creamy, bready 100% Chardonnay blanc de blanc sparkler made from grapes grown on a fourth-generation vineyard on Old Mission Peninsula. There’s also an unctuous, bright Pinot Blanc grown on a vineyard containing the state’s oldest planting of the grape.
Building on the last 40-odd years of Michigan winemakers asking themselves “whether they can grow grapes here,” winemaker Bryan Ulbrich and Company now constantly ask themselves the invigorating question: “What can we grow here?”
“I’m trying to understand the contributions of and what’s lacking from the soil and determine practices to strengthen the weaknesses of an area, which are what make it interesting,” Ulbrich says.
LFC’s winemaking takes place in the same building as the tasting room, where locally prepared snacks round out wine and cider flights and pours by the glass and bottle. The winery also features 90-minute tastings of its most lauded wines in its barrel room. The inviting four-season patio sits beneath tall trees alongside a babbling brook.
Mawby Winery
The Leelanau Peninsula lies at nearly the same latitude as the classic sparkling regions of France and Italy, sharing similarly long summer days and chilly nights. It took Mawby Winery founder Larry Mawby (one of the area’s OG vinifera producers) just over a decade to start making the cool-climate méthode Champenoise brut blanc de blancs estate cuvees for which his house would eventually become exclusively known and loved. Mawby, in fact, made still wines until the late ’90s.
These days Michael, Peter, Stu and Sharon Laing preside over this all-sparkling wine house about three miles south of Black Star Farms. Mawby’s portfolio has since expanded with a fresh, fruity line of Charmat method sparkling wines under labels including Sex (brut rosé), Fizz (pleasantly sweet) and Toast (bubbles and oak). The tasting room offers paid flights, snacky food options and wines by the glass.
BOS Wine
Dave and Jackie Bos met while both were working in Napa, but dreamed of opening a vineyard of their own in a younger wine growing region, where they could influence quality winemaking and sustainable farming practices. They opened BOS in 2010 just outside Traverse City in downtown Elk Rapids, where they now work with growers in both California and Michigan to produce their singular portfolio of biodynamic wines.
These include crisp, fruit-driven whites and rosés, such as zesty Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc co-fermented from the Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsulas and prickly, pét nat-esque Valvin Muscat and Pinot Blanc Méthode Agricole. Reds include peppery, rhubarb-scented Blaufränkisch and Merlot blends and plummy 100% Cinsault from Lodi.
Pop by the tasting room for wines by the glass and bottle there or in the lush garden, which opened in 2021. BOS also offers seated tastings and curated experiences; reservations are encouraged.
Shady Lane Cellars
This small-batch winery in Suttons Bay produces 7,000 cases per year of vibrant, food-loving wines. She archives this by blending instinct with science. As winemaker Kasey Wierzba puts it, “I love being highly technical and balancing that with a hands-off approach to the wine.” (Indeed, Danielson calls Wierzba’s palate one of the most technically sound in all of Northern Michigan.)
Shady Lane’s lineup includes amber-hued skin-fermented Riesling that tastes like dried apricots and bergamot; fresh, melony and creamy Pinot Gris; estate-grown Grüner Veltliner that’s like sunshine captured in a bottle; and earthy, lush Blaufränkisch with silky tannins and characteristic notes of pepper and dark fruit.
This is the first year in Shady Lane’s three-plus-decade history that its tasting room is open seven days a week year-round. Book a tasting or sip wines by the glass in the copper- and granite-trimmed tasting room in a former century-old chicken coop, or in the spacious outdoor tasting pavilion with furnished patio and outdoor fireplace amid towering evergreens. Private tastings on Fridays and Saturdays take guests through the vineyard and production facility.
45 North Winery
Steve and Lori Grossnickle's 100-acre farm, which sits right at the 45th Parallel amid rolling hills and pristine countryside, is devoted to conservation and sustainable wine-growing to preserve this beautiful landscape. 45 North actively farms 35 acres of such varietals as Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Vignoles, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Pinot Noir and works with regional growers.
Winemaker Jay Briggs, brings magnetic exuberance and curiosity to the process—yielding expressive, food-friendly wines like herbaceous skin-contact Riesling; brightly acidic, floral Beaujolais-style Gamay Noir and juicy berry-esque Blaufrankisch with silky tannins.
The tasting room features rustic post-and-beam architecture and a cozy fireplace. Outdoor patio seating is year round, thanks to cozy fire pits scattered throughout. The vineyard is also home to a three-mile, all seasons recreational trail that winds through the scenic property and can be experienced on skis, by bike or on foot.
Things to do: Speaking of trails, to break up all the wine tasting, get some fresh air at the stunning Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, a glacial phenomenon that is home to the world’s tallest system of undulating, freshwater sand dunes—reaching up to 400 feet. Swim in Lake Michigan (usually June through September) or in the tamer (inland) Platte Lake, tube down the Platte River, hike the dunes or bike the 18-mile Glen Lake Gallop bike trail then build a fire and picnic lunch on one of the miles of public beaches.
Or simply take in the scenery from your car on the 7.4-mile Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, winding through sugar maple and beech forests and alongside glittering Glen Lake, up to the top of towering dunes with Lake Michigan serving as a deep, endless blue or frothy, steely gray backdrop, depending on the day.
Where to eat: After an invigorating outdoor activity, fuel up with lunch at nearby Cherry Republic in charming Glen Arbor. (Note: Cherry Republic also has a retail store in downtown Traverse City.) After a hearty lunch of BBQ cherry pulled-pork sandwiches, cherry salsa-infused chili or chicken salad dotted with dried cherries, meander the grounds’ crooked paths to the (seasonal) creamery for cherry soft serve.
Don’t skip a visit to Cherry Republic’s Great Hall, also known as the cathedral to cherries (so dubbed by colorful and warm founder Bob Sutherland). Here the state’s star fruit takes up every possible guise (well, over 200 at least): from dried and covered in chocolate or mixed into trail mix to salsa, candy, cookies and even oak-aged Pinot Noir (don’t knock it till you try it).
Be sure to try Sutherland’s proudest achievement: the poetically sweet-tart and aromatic cherry pie, which took the team years to perfect under the guidance of multi-time National Cherry Pie Making champion (and wife of a cherry farmer) Mary Lyon.
Chateau Grand Traverse
You can’t really mention winemaking on the Old Mission Peninsula without crediting Chateau Grand Traverse and its owners, the O'Keefe family; they helped bring this scenic strip of land protruding into the Grand Traverse Bay to winemaking acclaim.
Fifty years after founder Ed O’Keefe Jr. planted northern Michigan’s first Riesling vines, Chateau Grand Traverse is now the largest commercial winery in the region, proffering everything from Gamay Noir, Grüner Veltliner and whole-cluster Riesling to cherry port.
Its spacious year-round tasting room on Old Mission Peninsula offers two affordable five-wine flights; you can pair them with snacks on the heated, three-season patio. Guests can also stay in one of six country-chic rooms at The Inn at Chateau Grand Traverse next door, which offers both vineyard and bay views.
Mari Vineyards
Featuring a handsome stone structure with arched porticos perched atop a hill overlooking Lake Michigan on the Old Mission Peninsula, Mari Vineyards is one of the most picturesque wineries on this list. But there’s cutting-edge substance to match the views, thanks to intrepid, forever curious winemaker Sean O’Keefe.
Mari self-describes as the “Northwest Frontier” of the Great Lakes winemaking region, producing some 24 varieties of estate-grown reds, whites, oranges and sparklings from experimental Italian grapes alongside traditionally grown appellation varieties.
Think musky, cola-esque red blends of Pinot Noir, Teroldego and Merlot; melony, grapefruity Sauvignon Blanc and prickly, cherry- and licorice-scented sparkling wine cider, in which Nebbiolo, Teroldego and Refosco skins are co-fermented with cider apples.
“We make what the season does best; we’re not necessarily appealing to the majority of people,” O’Keefe says. “We’re pushing acids and tannins—leaning into our climate instead of trying to pretend we’re not on the edge here. We are.”
If the weather’s nice, grab an Adirondack chair and hang out on the sprawling lawn with its spectacular lake views or in the inviting tasting room. There’s lounge, high- and low-top seating anchored by a stone fireplace so it’s easy to get comfortable. Four-glass tastings and wines by the glass are accompanied by seasonal shareables and charcuterie.
2 Lads Winery
Set on 58 acres at the tip of Old Mission Peninsula, 2 Lads specializes in cool-climate red and sparkling wines along with small runs of whites. The 10,500-square-foot, multilevel facility deploys gravity-flow and gentle handling to create delicately nuanced wines.
Among the standouts: elegant Cabernet Franc/Merlot blends and refreshing, fruit-driven sparkling Pinot Grigio. The bar offers wine flights and pours by the glass, plus house charcuterie and packaged food options at the bar. Hour-long guided tastings (which require reservations) include current favorites, small production offerings not often served in the tasting room, plus the occasional selection from the extensive 2 Lads wine library.
Things to do: While you’re there, consider driving another 10 minutes up picturesque M-37 to the restored 19th century Mission Point Lighthouse, which also features hiking trails and beach access. (Note to the intrepid: Through its keeper program, you can pay $200 to stay and work at the lighthouse for a week.)
Where to eat: Traverse City’s restaurant scene has blossomed into a regional food haven full of passion-fueled, independently owned options.
Danielson’s 20-year-old Trattoria Stella anchors the city’s scene and sprawling Village at Grand Traverse Commons in the rehabbed Northern Michigan Asylum on the city’s west side. It offers a sexy menu of upmarket Italian classics, like burrata with shaved salami and charred tomato vinaigrette, shaved celery and mushroom salad and maltagliati pasta with crisp-edged beef cheeks and vidalia onions. The food is rounded out by elegant cocktails and one of the most thoughtful Italian wine lists in the state.
Two-year-old Modern Bird is one of the hottest reservations in town, nailing the balance of elevated food in approachable environs. Chef/owners, and husband and wife, Andy Elliott and Emily Stewart serve seasonal specialties like smoked whitefish agnolotti and spinach-artichoke galettes, plus their killer staple: crunchy-stretchy cheddar bread with ranch.
Or hit up the buzzy, Sichuan-leaning Crocodile Palace for delectable grilled romaine, dan dan noodles and mapo tofu, much of it slicked in addictive chili oil.
For casual breakfast and brunch, The Towne Plaza tops Danielson’s list of faves. Think stuffed tomatoes with pancetta and poached eggs and slow-roasted pork belly BLTs.
HexenBelle, a Palestinian bakery, also serves superb brunch, such as shakshuka and coconut curry fried rice.
For lunch, drive (or bike; it connects to the area’s comprehensive Traverse Area Recreational Trails system) seven miles north of downtown to Farm Club, a restaurant, bakery, brewery, mill, farm and market, where farm-to-table takes on a (very) literal meaning. Nearly everything you’ll drink and eat on the breathlessly changing menu is produced onsite.
The romantic Artisan Waterfront Restaurant & Tavern at the Delamar hotel serves inventive Great Lakes food alongside magnificent bay views and superb craft cocktails.
Where to stay: Delamar Traverse City sits just steps from city center. The sprawling lakeside hotel in a former Holiday Inn features modern yet comfortable guest rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows, onsite dining, yoga studio, swimming pools and a seasonal patio.
The hotel has an exclusive partnership with Mari Vineyards, giving guests access to a tasting of four cellar-aged reserve wines no longer available to the general public paired with gourmet charcuterie.
Just down the street, the modern Hotel Indigo features over 100 contemporary guest rooms sporting hard-surface flooring with area rugs, oversized murals and spa-inspired showers. The seasonal rooftop venue overlooks beautiful West Grand Traverse Bay.
Getting around: Traverse City is very pedestrian- and bike-friendly, thanks to the multi-use TART system, which weaves through Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties. You might consider leaving the rental car parked at your hotel and renting a bike for the duration of your trip. The friendly, knowledgeable crew at Brick Wheels offer regular and e-bike rentals, plus comprehensive, downloadable Google Maps of the area’s trail systems.
Tip of the Mitt
Since it was approved in 2016, the newest of Michigan’s AVAs has swelled to include some 14 wineries. “There are some really hard-working and intelligent people claiming a seat for hybrids at the quality table,” Danielson says.
Encompassing Charlevoix, Emmet, Cheboygan, Presque Isle and parts of Antrim and Alpena counties, it has a longer frost-free growing season and generally less extreme climate than the adjacent region to the south. Tourism has been big business for the charming town of Petoskey since the late 1800s. It’s a great home base for exploring this beautiful area.
Folklor Wine & Cellar
This small-production, 52-acre winery in Charlevoix was started by Derrick Vogel and Izabela Babinska in 2021. It’s grounded in respect for the environment. A few miles from Lake Michigan, the pair are restoring an apple and pear orchard and planting cold hybrid vines, plus a small planting of more cold-tolerant vinifera vines that fare well in cooler regions like Austria and Germany, with an ultimate goal of producing wines and ciders with 100% estate-grown fruit. (For now they’re also working with a handful of regional growers.)
Folklor’s calls its wines and ciders “liquid landscapes,” letting the fruit shine with minimal intervention. Light-bodied, summery 100% Marquette is a crushable, chillable red; acidic, lees-aged Riesling has strong aging potential; and a bright, robust and tannic dry cider is blended from three types of apples from orchards in nearby Antrim.
“Folklor is a standout for sure and I think we will see some very interesting wines continue to come from them and other producers,” Danielson says.
Where to stay: The Inn at Bay Harbor—designed to honor the inns of the late 19th century—feels far more historic than its 26 years. Now a 105-room Marriott Autograph Collection hotel and set of charming cottages, the resort features a spa, 45 holes of golf, afternoon tea and gourmet onsite dining. The sandy beach outside your door boasts some of the best sunset views anywhere. Hotel Walloon is a charming boutique hotel on tranquil Walloon Lake with 32 large rooms richly appointed in mid-century style.
Where to eat: Whether or not you nab a room at the Inn at Bay Harbor, be sure to book a table at the onsite Vintage Chophouse, a handsome all-American steakhouse with buttery leather seating and lake views.
Expect hearty classics like jumbo shrimp cocktail, towering wedge salads dotted with chili-rubbed pork belly, Great Lakes walleye in beurre blanc and thick-cut steaks glossed with garlic duck fat; oh, and a superb wine list.
The Walloon Lake Inn (at the Hotel Walloon, natch) is another lakeside treasure 10 minutes from Petoskey. Renovated in 2014, this elegant spot is the place to come for Parmesan panko-crusted whitefish or a classic steak au poivre.
Julienne Tomatoes has built up a loyal local fan base over the past quarter century for its excellent sandwiches (think grilled ham and Brie and turkey with smoked Cheddar, spinach and roasted tomato) and devotion to area farmers.
For liquid delights beyond wine, Tap 30 Pour House in downtown Petoskey pours 30 (duh) ever-rotating craft beers, ciders and craft spirits with a solid menu of comfy pub food to match.
When in Northern Michigan, smoked local whitefish dip is essential snack food. Upon arrival in town, pick up a pint (trust us) and some crackers at the friendly Toski Sands Market; theirs is creamy, salty, richly smoky and punctuated with scallions and briny capers.
More Michigan Coverage
- Lake Michigan has a bustling wine scene. Here’s how to explore it.
- Michigan’s Old Mission Peninsula AVA is tiny but mighty.
- The best outdoor adventures in Michigan, according to beer and wine pros.
- The state that quietly became the Midwest's craft spirits capital.
- The great ice wine tradition of the American Midwest.
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Published: October 28, 2024