Crisp and sultry wines, dreamy views and September’s still-sunny skies. You in? An under-the-radar getaway awaits in Petoskey’s wine country.
This article first appeared in Traverse Northern Michigan. Find this story and more when you explore our magazine library. Want Traverse delivered to your door or inbox monthly? View our print subscription and digital subscription options.
Oh to know the easygoing glow of September in Northern Michigan. There’s a hush after the summer rush, just before fall color leaf-lookers arrive, when the resort towns take a beat. Somehow, there’s a settled energy in the air and just a little more room to roam. And if you can sneak away to experience Up North’s glorious fall lull, there’s no better place than the rolling hills surrounding Petoskey. The Lake Michigan town, best known for its rambling, sandy beaches and stellar ski resorts, is emerging as an up-and-coming wine destination.
A group of growers and winemakers pioneering Michigan’s newest and northernmost American Viticultural Area, known as the Tip of the Mitt AVA, are making the most of the region’s climate and soil, distinct from other established appellations in Michigan. These soils are laden with the fossilized corals we know as Petoskey stones, deposited when the glaciers receded to create the Great Lakes and to gift the land with glacial moraines. Winemakers here say calcite-rich Petoskey stones—large and rough-edged unlike their wave-tumbled shoreline counterparts—are prevalent in vineyard sites across the region and add to its unique terroir.
Photo by Jacqueline Southby
Growers putting down roots are embracing cultivation of all-new varietals—wine grapes with names like La Crescent, Frontenac, Marquette—developed at the University of Minnesota’s Horticultural Research Center. It’s simply too cold here for traditional vinifera like riesling or pinot noir, so the focus is on cold-hardy hybrids that thrive on the sandy, gravelly hillsides across the tip of Northern Michigan and actually bask in its harsh winters.
Head to Petoskey’s small, family-farm operations to experience a fresh winemaking style that comes with these new varietals. For fans of sauvignon blanc, dry, delicate La Crescent has lovely lemon aromatics and crisp acidity, while Marquette, with its jammy, plum and sweet cherry characteristics has emerged as the “it” red of the region. (Rosé wines made with Marquette grapes are a delight, too.)
The tasting rooms have an open-armed, mom-and-pop hospitality that shows off Petoskey’s emerging wine scene with stay-awhile vibes. This means generous pours of not only wine but also brews and ciders, elaborate sipping snacks, patios, pergolas and treehouses to loll about in, and a handful of super chill winery dogs as the friendliest of concierges.
The official Petoskey Wine Region is a collection of 16 (and counting) wineries, with still more independent tasting rooms peppering the countryside—far more than one can explore in a single day. Here’s a start, each just a stone’s throw from the other.
BOYNE VALLEY VINEYARDS
This time of year, wind your way up the hill past happy vines and the winery crew in early- to mid-harvest. The family-run team offers tastings of their estate-grown vintages, except on Friday afternoons and Saturday—then it’s full pours. Take your pick of peaceful sipping spots: a cool converted silo, a breezy treehouse, gracious Adirondacks with a blanket to keep the cool air at bay. The grazings here are more than an afterthought: Expect to make a copycat order when their artful charcuterie platter parades by.
Boyne Valley Vineyards backs up to the scenic 113-acre Postle Farm Preserve with a couple of miles of marked trails, so after wine, wander the scattered meadows and hardwood forest. Vineyard dogs roam the property, too; guests’ dogs are allowed on a six-foot leash.
Sip: The estate Marquette rosé is a lush, off-dry delight, with juicy raspberry and strawberry notes. La Crescent has bright flavors of stone fruits and lemon zest with gentle acidity.
Photo by Jacqueline Southby
MAPLE MOON SUGARBUSH & WINERY
Experimentation is a hallmark of the Petoskey Wine Region, and family-owned Maple Moon takes it to another level as the first commercial maple winery in the country. Founders Todd and Christi Petersen and team harvest maple sap from their 28-acre sugarbush, then ferment the natural sugars—no grapes involved. Besides its own maple wine vintages, Maple Moon produces several grades of syrup, maple ginger and maple bourbon hard ciders, maple root beer, maple candy and maple cream. As you bask in the golden September light on their deck overlooking a handsome grove of trees, there is nowhere else you want to be.
Sip: Maple Gold, a sipper at 18 percent alcohol, has port wine and bourbon characteristics with a lingering maple finish. Make certain to do a Michigan maple syrup tasting to cap off your visit.
Photo by Jacqueline Southby
Photo by Jacqueline Southby
Photo by Jacqueline Southby
PETOSKEY FARMS VINEYARD & WINERY
Seek out a cushy perch on the deck at Petoskey Farms and take a moment to bask in the gorgeous rolling countryside: the vineyard, lavender fields and bucolic hills beyond. No elbow-to-elbow tasting bar experience here; instead, it’s low-key table-side service with extras like cheese and sausage boards sourced from iconic Plath’s Meats around the corner. Take your pick of wines (including estate-grown), luscious ciders or even a coffee flight to fortify you for the day’s adventure—the family-run farm opened a coffee bar on site last year.
Sip: Blaufränkisch, made with 100 percent Northern Michigan–grown grapes, is a dry red that the proprietors best describe as “inviting like a cozy cabin.” For hard-cider fans, go for the lively lavender ginger cider. And the Bees Knees latte is a lovely honey and lavender-laced pick-me-up.
Photo by Jacqueline Southby
GABRIEL FARMS & WINERY
It may not be on Petoskey Wine Region’s official roster, but Gabriel Farms is a beloved, bucolic oasis on the wine trail all the same. If the owners are on the property tending the vines and gardens, they’ll welcome you to their dream come true: a restored late-1880s farmstead with a soaring barn tucked into the sweeping countryside. Kristi and Duane Schuil purchased the post-Civil War era homestead with the intent to create a farm experience open to all. Rows of cold-hardy wine grapes, apple trees and berry bushes welcome guests as they drive up, as do the winery’s four lady Labrador retrievers. Patrons are free to walk the property—wine, beer or cider in hand—with one of the sweet pooches likely tagging along. On specific days in September, the family invites volunteers to help harvest and then unwind after a full day of picking with beer, wine and homemade treats. Stay in the loop on social media.
Sip: The semi-sweet estate-grown La Crescent is bright, fruity and refreshing. Peach hard cider is a perfect way to celebrate the harvest.
Photo by Jacqueline Southby
Photo by Jacqueline Southby
Photo by Jacqueline Southby
WALLOON LAKE WINERY
The Dennis family has farmed the property nestled between the arms of Walloon Lake over four generations, most recently as part of the North’s next frontier in cool climate viticulture. In 2017—when the Marquette grape was still unsung and relatively unknown—their oaked North Arm Noir won Best of Class in the Michigan Wine Competition’s dry red category. Winemaker Matt Killman has continued apace, pairing serious wines with a seriously relaxed atmosphere in the family’s rustic tasting room at Walloon Lake Winery. The come-one-come-all spirit extends outdoors to the bird-friendly habitat, bat houses and a certified monarch butterfly way-station. In the early days of September, the winery gardens welcome migrating butterflies that convene along Lake Michigan before flying to their winter home in the mountains of Mexico.
Sip: Windemere, named for Ernest Hemingway’s boyhood home on Walloon Lake, is a dry white blend of La Crescent, Frontenac Gris and Frontenac Blanc harvested from the nearby La-Di-Dah vineyard. It’s distinctly refreshing with tart citrus notes.
Photo by Dave Weidner
Photo by Jacqueline Southby
Photo by Jacqueline Southby
TIP: BOOK A WINE COUNTRY TOUR
If you’d like a gregarious driver to shepherd your crew through the snaking scenic highways in the Petoskey Wine Region—we know a guy! Jeff Kozisek and Petoskey native Kassia Perpich co-own Vine Ride Wine Tours, specializing in small group wine tours in their own backyard. Kozisek, with a gentle Mississippi accent, leads the way in a seven-person van, complimentary snacks and insider knowledge. Whether you love whites, reds (or perhaps a winery-crafted beer instead?) he’ll steer you correctly. Tours by appointment.