Black Star Farms, Old Mission
by
Kathy Sullivan
Summary: The Black Star Farms Old Mission is one of the newer wineries on Old Mission Peninsula. There is also a winery and tasting room in Suttons Bay on Leelanau Peninsula. This Old Mission Peninsula winery has a spacious tasting room and the adjacent winery focuses on producing white wines and distilled beverages.
Black Star Farms established the winery and tasting room on Old Mission Peninsula in 2007 after establishing the agricultural destination site Black Star Farms in Suttons Bay. Travelers to Black Star Farms Old Mission will also want to visit the Suttons Bay location for a different and unique experience.
Winery
The long one-story building on Old Mission Peninsula was once home to a farm market, Underwood Farm Market. Black Star Farms renovated the building that now houses a tasting room, winery and distillery. A quick tour of the winery afforded different sites of winery tasks. At the time of our visit, bins of Pinot Gris grapes were awaiting pressing. Cleaning in a winery is a constant task. One of the winery workers had climbed into a stainless steel tank, through the opening in the front of the tank near the bottom, and was cleaning the inside of the tank. In another area, a still remained warm in the late afternoon after distilling during the morning.
Vineyards
Black Star Farms owns and leases 88 acres of vineyards on Old Mission Peninsula. Grapes growing in the vineyards include Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Dornfelder, Gamay Noir and Regent.
Tasting Room
Black Star Farms Old Mission focuses on producing white wines and producing distilled beverages. The large tasting room has a circular tasting counter made of oak barrel staves. Visitors will discover that when the grapes are in season, a small dish of grapes will be on the tasting counter. It’s fun to taste and compare the grape traits with the wines produced with it. Enjoy the ambiance of the fireplace while tasting wines. The tasting room has wine accessories available for sale.
Wines
Wines produced at the Old Mission site and Suttons Bay sites are available for tasting in the Old Mission tasting room. The following are descriptions of some of the wines produced at Black Star Farms Old Mission.
Arcturos 2009 Pinot Gris was clear with a yellow hue. The aroma had notes of grapefruit and citrus while grapefruit nuances were noticed on the taste. The finish was refreshing. Arcturos Sur Lie Chardonnay 2009 was produced with stainless steel. There was an apple aroma. The taste was smooth with apple, citrus and tropical nuances. The finish was crisp and fruity. Arcturos Riesling 2009 offered floral and peach aroma nuances. The taste had peach notes. There was a slight touch of effervescence on the tongue. While crisp, the finish was slightly sweet.
Artisan Red 2009, unoaked, was light red. It was a blend of Marechal Foch, Regent and Dornfelder. The aroma and taste offered berry fruit nuances. There were no tannins on the finish. The fruity finish was sweet with 4.2 residual sugar but still crisp. This is a red wine for white wine drinkers.
Spirit of Apricot was clear. The aroma was floral and had notes of apricot and alcohol. The very smooth taste had apricot notes. There was heat on the finish. Spirit of Apricot had 40 percent alcohol.
Enjoy a visit to Black Star Farms on Old Mission Peninsula and taste the wines with grapes from Old Mission Peninsula. When you have the opportunity, visit their location in Suttons Bay on Leelanau Peninsula.
Black Star Farms Old Mission
360 McKinley Rd. East
Traverse City, Michigan 49686
GPS: N44º 47.790’ W85º 34.101’
