Traverse City, Michigan – Travel and Lodging

Getting its French title from proprietor Lucie Matthies’ middle name and paying homage to the French immigrants who settled in the area, Chateau Fontaine was a deserted potato farm and cow pasture when Dan Matthies discovered the property in the 1970’s with its favorable south-facing slopes for growing grapes.

Today, the cow pasture is one of three vineyards totaling 22 acres of grapes, including Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Noir, and Merlot, among others.

Chateau Fontaine’s white wines are a dry Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and “Woodland White”, made from Auxerrois, a little known grape variety in this country, originally from France. Semi-dry Gewurztraminer and semi-sweet White Riesling are our less dry selections. Our red wines are Pinot Noir and “Woodland Red”, an estate grown blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Syrah. We also have an excellent Cherry wine made from tart cherries grown nearby. Our wines are available at the tasting room near Lake Leelanau, at fine wine shops in the Leelanau and Grand Traverse area, and at select retailers around the state.

Chateau Fontaine
2290 S. French Rd.
Lake Leelanau, MI 49653
231-256-0000

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Located in the beautiful fields of Leelanau Peninsula, the Gill’s Pier Vineyard and Winery offers award-winning wines in an exquisite atmopshere. From Cabernet Franc to Semi-Dri Riesling, our wines will delight your palate and fill your senses. Founded by Ryan and Kris Sterkenburg in 2002, Gill’s Pier embodies the quality of the boutique vineyards of France and California with the approachability of a local winery.

Buy Gill’s Pier Wine via Amazon.com

The Grounds

With the foundation of Gill’s Pier, it was important to the Sterkenburgs to create an inviting entrance to the winery, cutting straight through the middle of the hay fields it sits in. The potato wagon made in the late 1800s by the Harrison Wagon Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan, sets at the entrance. Two large rocks, original to the property, flank the driveway. Rows of newly planted vines give the feel of driving into a Northern “Tara”.

The grounds have been a work in progress, starting with the pergola style porch area surrounding the front of the tasting room. Trumpet vines provide shade and a bright red bell provides the “call to guests” to wine taste. Perennials adorn the stone walkway to the viewing pond, while annuals lustfully grow in two colorful wood barrel posts by the door entrance. On the stone patio down by the pond sits inviting furniture for the destination visitor. The viewing pond has become the showcase just off to the west of the tasting room facility.

Plans are always in the works for ground improvements and creating spaces for special events.

Tasting Room

The tasting room is a pole barn (and a large one at that) and is located in the middle of the fields. It may not look like a wine tasting room on the outside, but once through the doors flanked by Bacchus faces, you’ll know your tasting experience will be a memorable one. The official opening of the tasting room was May of 2004.

The Gill’s Pier Name

Gill’s Pier was an actual Bohemian settlement that existed in the area where the vineyard and winery tasting facility is located. The pier was erected on the west shore of Leelanau Peninsula, along with a saw and shingle mill. William Gill and his son Wilbur were the owners and operators of the mill. The Gill’s Pier was where logs were brought in for the mill. At the height of activity in the late 1800s, the settlement consisted of 12 houses, a general store (now Fischer’s Happy Hour Tavern), a post office and St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church.

Kris and Ryan wanted to honor the name Gill’s Pier and felt a connection to the early settlers by doing the very same thing just 100 years later. Now the Gill’s Pier area is known for Gill’s Pier Vineyard and Winery.

Gill’s Pier Vineyard and Winery
5620 N. Manitou Trail
Northport, MI 49670
231-256-7003

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One of a kind location, come and visit or warm tasting room!
The regions first (and only) totally Certified Organic Vineyard, Orchards & Winery

NOW Leelanau’s FIRST Micro Brewery to open on site May 2011, serving crafted beers made by Guest Brewers. The farm has been selling Certified Organic products since 2001 and producing the first Organic Wines in 2007! We have available five crafted hard ciders and four Estate produced white wines. Please come visit and chat with our staff about Organic Agriculture and taste our products.

WINERY HOURS
April- May: Thursday-Saturday 11-6 Sunday 12-5
June-Aug: Monday-Saturday 10-6 Sunday 12-5
Sept-Nov: Thursday-Monday 11-5
Closed Nov 14th- April 1st.
Available by appointment only.

We are located approximately 3 miles south of Northport between Northport and Leeland off Manitou Trail.
Take Engles Rd to the end and turn right, tasting room 500ft.

Good Neighbor Organic Vineyard and Winery
9825 Engles Road
Northport, MI 49670
231-386-5636

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Welcome to Longview Winery, where estate-grown wines are the signature of our boutique style winery. Our wines are available for complementary tasting at our tasting room, which is located next door to the Cedar Rustic Inn, just north of the village of Cedar.

Five Michigan ‘Best of Class’ trophies in our first four years! Come taste the best!

Tasting Room Hours:

May-October: Mon-Sat 11-6, Sun 12-5
November: Mon-Sun 12-5
December: Fri-Sun 12-5
January: Closed
February-April: Fri-Sun 12-5

Appointment required for groups of 10 or more.

Longview Winery and Vineyard
8697 Good Harbor Trail (CR 651)
Cedar, MI 49621
231-228-2880

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First a dairy enterprise, and then a cherry orchard, this farm now annually produces over 1000 cases of Bordeaux varietal red wines, including Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc, and also produces fine Chardonnay, Riesling, and Gewurztraminer white wines.

Brothers Warren and Curtis Raftshol began the latest incarnation of their family farm in 1985. They were the first vineyard in the area to grow commercial-sized plantings of red vinifera grapes, which most local growers believed would fail in our northern climate. Their gamble paid off, as they are still renowned for Raftshol Red, one of the first red wines made in Northern Michigan (produced by Peninsula Cellars of Old Mission). Other local vineyards have since followed the Raftshol’s lead and are now growing red grapes.

A picture of the Raftshol’s mother Jean when she was twenty, graces the sign at the road. Because of Jean’s foresight in keeping the farm for her children, the Raftshol brothers are able to continue the long and honorable family tradition of earning a living from the land. The Raftshol Vineyards’ wine tasting room is open from noon until 5 p.m., seven days a week, year round.

Raftshol Vineyards
1865 N West Bay Shore Drive
Suttons Bay, MI 49682
231-271-5650

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We are located on the Leelanau Peninsula of Michigan where the cool climate creates our deliciously vibrant wines. This unique climate allows our winemaker Adam Satchwell to honor nature’s ripe fruit qualities in every hand-crafted bottle of Shady Lane.

Our tasting room is a century old fieldstone chicken coop that we lovingly renovated and converted to our tasting room. It’s a memorable environment to enjoy our exceptional wines.

We invite you to visit us for the full Shady Lane experience. Until then, please enjoy our wines in your local restaurants and most importantly in the comfort of your home.

Tasting Room

Shady Lane Cellars’ tasting room is located at 9580 Shady Lane, Suttons Bay, Michigan. To taste and purchase our wines, just take M-22 north from Traverse City 8 miles, then left on Shady Lane 1 mile.

Hours

May 1 – October 31
Monday through Saturday 11:00 to 6:00
Sunday 12:00 to 5:00

November
Friday & Saturday 11:00 to 5:00
Sunday Noon to 5:00

December & January
Saturday 11:00 to 5:00

February, March & April
Saturday 11:00 to 5:00
Sunday Noon to 5:00

Or by appointment

Shady Lane Cellars
9580 Shady Lane
Suttons Bay, MI 49682
231-947-8865

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