Willow Vineyard, Leelanau Peninsula

Visitors to Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula will discover a delightful combination of fun activities, quality wines and exquisite landscapes. Upon reaching Traverse City, it is easy to find your way to the wineries on the Leelanau Peninsula. Don’t miss the nearby Sleeping Bear Dunes, a National Lakeshore. While driving between the wineries, stop and enjoy the scenery and the small town atmospheres.

Leelanau Peninsula Wineries

More than 20 wineries are located on Leelanau Peninsula. Twenty-two of these wineries belong to the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail, which claims to be the oldest wine trail in Michigan. To help travelers navigate their way to the wineries, the wine trail offers three loops with suggested wineries. The loops are: Sleeping Bear Loop,  Northern Loop and Grand Traverse Bay Loop.

45 North Winery, Leelanau Peninsula

Located in the cooler state of Michigan, numerous winemakers have discovered that Michigan is a great place to produce wine.  The Leelanau Peninsula is one of Michigan’s five AVAs (American Viticulture Appellations). Even though the region is so far north, the vineyards on the peninsula are protected by the Lake Michigan lake effect. It is important to note that this region has the same 45 parallel as Bordeaux.

L Mawby produces sparkling wines.

The most popular wine grapes growing on the Leelanau Peninsula are Riesling and Pinot Noir. Other wine grapes in the region are Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Cabernet Franc. In addition to numerous types of grape still wines produced, the region also produces fruit wines and sparkling wines as well as distilled items and hard ciders.

Some of the wineries are located close to Lake Michigan and travelers will want to take numerous photos of the landscape which may include the sparkling blue waters and thriving vineyards.

Wine Trail Traveler has visited and written reviews about many of these wineries. These reviews are available online.

Enjoy your visit to Leelanau Peninsula soon!

Cheers,
Kathy