Six favorite Vineyard SIPS for your summer road trip to Traverse City!
It’s our first road trip of the summer and we want to share how a single day trip in Michigan can feel like a European or Napa Valley adventure! Of Traverse City’s two wine-growing peninsulas, Old Mission Peninsula Wine Trail is smaller and more easily encompassed in a single day: just a little under 20 miles from end to end, and in places as little as a mile wide. With the current Coronavirus situation most of the wineries are open for wine by the glass and bottle sales only…but no reservations are necessary (we did our entire Saturday trip without a single reservation!). You can hit the Old Mission trail and follow your own timeline enjoying the gorgeous views, sips of wine and snacks. It really is a day trip perfectly suited for social distancing outside in nature and a fun way to start baby steps back into travel. Here are our six favorite vineyard SIPS and why we think you will love them:
Brys Estate Vineyard and Winery is one of our favorite Traverse City wineries because of its awesome deck, seasonal wine drinks (Frosé friends!) and lavender farm. You can enjoy the tasting experience in a new way here- for the first time, the family-owned winery is offering a “tasting tower,” a black metal rack that holds five glass of wine in a spiral formation. Each glass contains a one and one-half ounce pour. Guests can make their own wine selections (and yes, Frosé CAN be one of your choices!) and the wines are accompanied by tasting notes. In the summer they offer their Frosé. It’s their award-winning pinot noir riesling in slushie form and we have to admit, it’s to die for and perfect on a warm sunny day! Enjoyed with your best gals and a couple of charcuterie boards equals the perfect day! A bottle of the winery’s homemade hand sanitizer is placed on each table…it smelled so good we had to buy one to take away with us. The winery has also set up an outdoor, walk-up lawn bar, just off the parking lot. Guests can order wine by the glass or a Frosé. If you are in Traverse City between May and November you must visit the Secret Garden at Brys Estate. They have over 7,000 lavender bushes down in their secret garden and we definitely recommend giving yourself an extra 15 minutes to go down and see and smell them. There is also a little shop there and they sell all things lavender! During the summer months they offer U-pick berries, herbs and flowers- they even provide the scissors and sell vintage vases for your beautiful stems (an awesome photo op as well!).
Must grab souvenirs included lavender lip balm, hand sanitizer (smells so good!), lavender essential oils, baked goods and custom Secret Garden ice cream flavors from Traverse City’s Moomer’s Ice Cream for the foodie in us all!
Bonobo Winery was founded by brothers and long time Traverse City natives, Todd and Carter Oosterhouse. Bonobo is also known for their beautiful building and patio with a jaw dropping view of West Bay. We sipped our wine sitting at an outdoor picnic table with a view of the vineyards, bay and the large Bonobo ape mural. We learned that Bonobos are known for their playful spirit, being welcoming, peaceful and without conflict. We loved their Rosé and the beautiful hand poured candles in Bonobo bottles from a local producer. It was also fun to get a take-home Bonobo logo stemless wine glass with our wine purchase. We will be drinking our Rosé out of it all summer long!
A winery that has some of the best wine plus an amazing view is Mari Vineyards. It’s a 12 million dollar estate that resembles a Tuscany style experience. Mari Vineyards looks like it was transplanted straight from Italy, with its warm stone villa nestled among rows of grape varieties. Some are a little more exotic than intended! In the flurry of activity surrounding the initial planting in 1999, several rows of vines were mixed up and mis-planted. Rather than destroying the plants, Mari Vineyards created something new: the flagship wine dubbed “Row 7,” which contains a combination of the different varieties accidentally all planted together. We loved that the lawn is set up for first-come/first-serve blanket seating to enjoy wine by the glass. They even outlined proper 6ft social distancing on the hill so everyone knows where to position themselves.
2 Lads Winery, an ultramodern structure of glass and steel that enjoys a gorgeous hilltop view of East Bay. Owners Chris Baldyga and Cornel Olivier opened this cutting-edge winery and plan to concentrate their energies on producing “bold” red wines, but their whites are every bit as good. Our favorite is their “bubbles” in particular the sparkling Pinot Grigio. This was our only stop with a significant wait but their outdoor space is a beautiful place to wait. We love this edgy gravity-fed winery and tasting room!
Bowers Harbor Vineyard. From the second we were personally greeted at the gate driving in we felt welcome and at home here. Not only do they have great wine, they also offer cider, are super friendly (including dog friendly) and have such a gorgeous setting. They have tables and chairs set up right in-between the rows of vines. Romantic couples and families with children and dogs all co-exist here perfectly. There was live music being played outside and we really had a hard time leaving this place after our tasting tier was finished!
Mission Table/Jolly Pumpkin brewery and restaurant. It’s not a winery, but they do have a nice line of wines under the Bonafide label, made for them by Peninsula Cellars. We ended our day here for dinner and switched things up to beer! Another beautiful setting with plenty of outdoor seating a views from the lawn.
These were our six favorites and filled a full day but there is SO MUCH more to explore in and around Traverse City! We can recommend unique food trucks and restaurants, artisanal local food products, shopping, art and best places to stay while exploring Traverse City. Road Trips are going to be epic for the summer of 2020- let Taste Journey help you plan yours!
