You're invited to share the love of Leelanau and Leelanau wine at the Taste the Passion wine tour, held February 4 & 5, 2012. This special weekend celebrates wine, chocolate and love at the wineries of the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail.
Your ticket allows you to chart your own course, enjoying food and wine pairings at 17 wineries along with a optional winter and Valentine-themed activities at many of the wineries.
"Taste the Passion is definitely our most intimate event," says winemaker Larry Mawby. "Our tasting rooms are cozy places in wintertime, and with less people on the trail, it's a great opportunity to talk directly with winemakers and vineyard owners. To top it all off, Leelanau County is a winter paradise, offering everything from cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, to enjoying great meals at our restaurants, and evenings by the fireplace. This is a perfect chance to score a Valentine's Day touchdown!"
Tickets are just $30, and quantities are limited. Secure yours as soon as possible, as most of LPVA trail events do sell out. There are also lodging packages that include tickets! Get all the details right here.
If you want to add a little more fun to your weekend, on Friday night (Feb 3) at Mountain Flowers Lodge from 6-8pm, the The Homestead and Glen Arbor Artists will be hosting “Art from Michigan’s Wine Country.” Art will be on display and for sale from local artists. To purchase tickets in advance call The Homestead 231-334-5100.
Photo credit: 2010 Taste the Passion by KatSwinehart
Great art, wine and food are the main events of a special evening, Art from Michigan’s Wine Country which kicks off the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association’s Taste the Passion weekend (Feb 4 & 5, 2012). For a fourth year, this fun winter event will be held on Friday, February 3rd at the Homestead's Mountain Flowers Lodge and features wine from Leelanau wineries, original art by local artists and a fabulous small plates menu designed by The Homestead’s Chef Piombo.
The price is $20 per person advance reservation by February 2 and includes one glass of wine and food stations with delectable small plates and coffee. Additional wine available for $4/glass or three glasses for $10. Call The Homestead at 334-5100, to make a reservation with will call ticket at the door for pre-paid reservations. $25 per person admission at the door.
The invitational art exhibit and sale offers recent original works by nine Leelanau artists. The artists will be on hand to discuss their work. This is a great opportunity to meet local artists and celebrate a perfect pairing of wine and art. A portion of the art sales will benefit Glen Arbor Art Association's summer programs.
Five dollars of each ticket goes to support the Glen Arbor Art Association class scholarships and a free after-school art program for Glen Lake students. Scholarship assistance and the after-school art program provide arts opportunities for those who could not otherwise afford art classes.
For more information go to www.glenarborart.org or call the GAAA office at 334-6112.
Photo credit: Victoria Creek Winter-Looking West by Mary Fuscaldo
The Leelanau Enterprise reports that plans are in the works for the Bay Area Transit Authority (BATA) to provide a "beach bus" that would provide express service between points of interest along the Lake Michigan shore.
One route would start in Suttons Bay and end at Sleeping Bear Point with intermediate stops at Leland, Good Harbor, The Homestead and Glen Arbor...
Initial reaction to the beach bus proposal was favorable from Tom Ulrich, deputy superintendent of SBDNL.
“It fits right within our goals of providing an opportunity to visit the park without people having to drive from place to place … using gas and filling parking spaces,” Ulrich said. “If it’s simply a bus route to get people to the beach without cars, it sounds like a good idea to me.”
They note that another proposal in the works is a wine country shuttle that will be tested on the Old Mission Peninsula. Don Coe of Black Star Farms commented: “I know that public transportation has been used to promote tourism in other wine regions, such as the Napa Valley. It makes a lot of sense.”
Photo Credit: Empire Beach View by StacyN - MichiganMoments
Here's yet another national feature on Michigan wines that highlights the Leelanau Peninsula. John Flesher of the Associated Press touts the wine industry as one on the bright spots in Michigan’s economy, as it is growing 5 times faster that the state’s economy. The article quotes Leelanau winemaker Dan Matthias as saying "It's one of the brightest spots we have in the state of Michigan." It continues:
Michigan’s reputation for quality wine has surged while its lineup of varieties has expanded. Wineries are now turning highly regarded selections of merlot, pinot noir, pinot blanc, cabernet franc and ice wines, a dessert variety made with grapes frozen before harvesting.
“It’s been like an explosion the last couple of years. They’ve been winning medals left and right, competing across the U.S. and internationally,” said Yolanda Daly, director of the Pacific Rim Wine Competition in San Bernadino, Calif. “Beautiful wines are coming out of Michigan.”
As word spreads, businesses in Michigan’s wine regions reap the benefits. About 1 million people visit the state’s wineries each year. They tend to have enough money for dining out, buying gifts and entertainment, said Brad Van Dommelen, president of the convention and visitors bureau in Traverse City, recently named by TripAdvisor.com as one of America’s top 10 wine destinations. (read)
The industry pumps about $300 million into the state’s economy each year and employs thousands of people in wine production and spinoff jobs in hotels, restaurants and shops.
“We’re also making lists of the top foodie towns because of our restaurants,” Van Dommelen said. “When you offer a top-quality wine experience along with that, it’s huge for tourism—and for the entire local economy.”
Beyond the quality of the wines, we have a very special wine touring destination that provides a playground for families and individuals that you just can't match in most other wine regions in the country.
Photo credit:Â vineyard by beachpiks
Thanksgiving is just a week away and here's a few ideas to help make your holiday a little more local ... and a lot tastier!
It all starts with the turkey. I'm not sure if the folks at Hubbell's Farm or Haymaker Poultry Co. have any left, but I do know that one great place to get a tasty turkey is Biehl's Circle B Turkey Ranch. You can order them at the Merc in Leland and Oryana in Traverse City (and probably elsewhere as well). Don't forget to check the local produce and products at your favorite store - the Merc, Anderson's in Glen Arbor, Cedar City Market, Hanson's in Suttons Bay and Oryana and Burritt's Market in Traverse City all feature a lot of great food that hasn't traveled too far. There's a indoor farmers market at the Grand Traverse Commons every Saturday from 10 AM - 2 PM. If last week is any guide, there will be PLENTY of potatoes, squash and also lots of greens! If anyone has other ideas to localize your table, post them in the comments!
Once you have your bird and some ingredients, you need to think about how you're going to put it all together. Elizabeth Edwards at MyNorth/Traverse Magazine put together a collection of some of their best Thanksgiving recipes. We asked Lee Lutes, winemaker at Black Star Farms to share some of his thoughts on wine pairings- enjoy!
Two tasty appetizers are a Wild Game Sausage on Apple Slices with Cranberry Butter, with which Lee recommends a lighter red like Pinot Noir or Gamay Noir, and with the Wedge of Raclette Served With Spiced Walnuts and Pear Chips, he calls for something delicate maybe a bubbly (may we recommend Black Star Farms' really excellent Bubbly Nouveau when it's bottled) or a Pinot Grigio or a Pinot Blanc. Two tasty side dishes that really in season are Honey Roasted Root Vegetables and Buttermilk Biscuits with Pumpkin Butter. You'll be in great shape with Pinot Gris, Riesling, Pinot Blanc or Auxerrois. For dessert, how about a Plum Almond Tart, with which Lee would pair any of their Sirius dessert wines and also Ice wines.
See more thoughts on how make it a Michigan Thanksgiving on Absolute Michigan.
photo credit: Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash by carianoff
After the leaves leave, Leelanau County works to build economy less dependent on tourism by Howard Lovy in Crains Detroit talks with J.T. "Chip" Hoagland of the Leelanau County Economic Development Corp and Matt McCauley of the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments about using agriculture, food processing and the growing interest in local foods to create a more robust economy on the Leelanau Peninsula.
According to a report produced by the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments "accommodation and food services" represented about one in six total jobs available in Leelanau County as of 2009. And, increasingly, these jobs are no longer seasonal only.
"It's really interesting how many restaurants are in the county and the fact that most of those stay open year round," said Matt McCauley, director of regional planning for the council of governments.
Like Hoagland, McCauley credits the local-food movement for a restaurant boom that is not so dependent on tourist season.
"Leelanau County is truly a leader in a resurgence around agriculture," McCauley said. "Because of the wineries, hops farms, all sorts of burgeoning agriculture and value-added activity, all sorts of people are choosing to locate here to be part of that."
By "value-added," he means businesses such as Cherry Republic in Glen Arbor, which not only uses local cherries but also turns them into chocolates, jam and other products that then are shipped around the world.
In addition, McCauley said, "The restaurants in the region — and we're getting more and more notoriety as a foodie destination — are choosing and actually seeking out local products for their menu items."
Click through to read the whole thing and share your thoughts about creating more of a year-round economy in Leelanau below!
Photo credit: Nic of 9 Bean Rows, Harvesting Greens by Ken Scott
Photo courtesy Sharon Kegerreis / deliciousmichigan.com
The Grand Traverse Insider has a cool feature on Bernie Rink of Boskydel Winery, who they rightly name Grandpère du Grape for Leelanau County and the northern Michigan wine industry. They look at Bernie's early years on a farm in Ohio and explain that:
Later in life, surrounded by books and with a tannic tinge in his blood, it seemed inevitable that wine would become a part of Rink’s life. The family was growing. There were now five sons and he found the book, “American Wines and Winemaking,” by Phil Wagner. It might be more accurate and prophetic to say that the book actually found him.
“I began testing wines for hardiness and disease resistance,” Rink said. “I tested 35 varieties, and settled on the six to eight we still have today. I began planting for commercial purposes in 1970.”
...With testing done, the Rink’s original, large scale planting in 1970 launched Leelanau into a new viticultural era. The workhorse was the de Chaunac grape, a French-American hybrid for red wines first developed by Adhemar de Chaunac in Ontario around 1860.
Extension reports describe the grape as having “good vigor and productivity along with disease resistance, producing a robust, colorful wine.”
Early success reinforced Bernard Rink’s evaluation of the land and decision to move forward.
“The plants thrived in this soil, a mixture of sand and gravel,” he said. “They like the glacial moraines. Grapes are actually pretty hard to kill. I saw the success that farmers were having with peaches, and that was a good indicator. Where peaches grow, grapes grow.”
This is a great feature on Rink, one of the driving forces behind the wine industry in not just Leelanau, but the entire state of Michigan. Go read it.
Our photo  is courtesy Sharon Kegerreis of Delicious Michigan. You should also check out the Michigan Uncorked column by Sharon and Lorri Hathaway at Absolute Michigan entitled Northern Michigan's wine pioneer keeps it simple.
If it's not too much reading, Bernie's son Jim has a wonderful recollection entitled Field of Dreams in Leelanau County about the establishment of Boskeydel's first vineyard ... and the loss of a ball field. Also get photos and updates from their Facebook.
The annual Toast the Season Wine Tour returns to the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail for two weekends - November 5 & 6 or November 12 & 13. The self-guided tour features a special wine & food pairing (yum) at each of the 19 Leelanau Peninsula member wineries.
At your starting winery you will be given a commemorative glass, an LPVA holiday ornament, a souvenir wine key and a holiday gift bag featuring local food including fair trade coffee from Higher Grounds Trading Company of Traverse City, cocoa-coated chocolate covered almonds from Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate in Empire, and (of course) Michigan cherries from Cherry Republic in Glen Arbor!
Tickets are available online along with Toast the Season packages from a number of local lodging partners.
See the comments for color updates, add your own and also get the latest color on the Leelanau Almanac.
Fall color season is a great time to visit the Leelanau Peninsula. Our roadsides are lined with maple and oak and while the hillsides catch fire in late September of every year, the pace slows down and gives visitors a little more elbow room to slow down and enjoy it all. Here's a few of our favorite fall features and websites...
- Leelanau Webcams There's a few webcams that can give you a live look at the state of fall color in the region. If you turn the Cove Cam in Leland to the right, you can see some of the color on Lake Street in Leland. Inland Seas has a webcam on Suttons Bay. You can also check in on downtown Traverse City.
- Fall Events There are all kinds of great events to enjoy in Autumn - click that link to see some of them through the Leelanau Calendar.
- Fall Color Photos You can get some great fall color photos from the Leelanau.com photo group and also through the Leelanau blog's Fall archive. There's some nice fall backgrounds as well!
- Antique Apples at Kilcherman's Farm offers a unique tasting experience over 100 apples!
- Wine Touring The Leelanau peninsula is home to over 20 wineries, many of them off-the-beaten-path. Visit tiny tasting rooms like Chateau Fontaine in Lake Leelanau, or explore the impressive Black Star Farms in Suttons Bay. Each as diverse and interesting as the award-winning wines they produce.
- Fall Surfing! You might not be aware that Leelanau boasts some excellent surfing in the Fall. Click that link to check out Northern Michigan Surfing on Facebook!
- The M-22 Color Tour explores 116 miles of scenic highway winding through the countryside of Benzie, Manistee, and Leelanau Counties.
Over at Michigan.org their fall color tour for Leelanau/Traverse City/Benzie features Leelanau:
"Land of Delight" is the English translation of the Indian wood "leelanau," and it's easy to understand the reason for so naming the Leelanau Peninsula, especially in fall. Circling the perimeter of the place many call Michigan's "little finger" is a color tour that has been popular for decades. An easy and interesting route, M-22 takes you along the shoreline through the quaint villages of Suttons Bay, Peshasbestown, Omena and Northport, with water views almost the entire way. North of Suttons Bay the sign reads: Northport 12 miles. Northport, situated near the tip of Leelanau Peninsula, overlooking Grand Traverse Bay, is a picture-perfect town, with a marina, waterfront, unique shops, galleries and restaurants.
Each port town has its own unique charm, and each is a perfect place for shopping, dining, trying your luck at the casino or just breathing the crisp fall air. Tour the Grand Traverse Lighthouse, a living museum. Along the western coast, Leland and Glen Arbor offer still more options, and spectacular autumn color can be expected in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, a 71,000-acre national park that includes 35 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline. Go barefoot "one last time" when you encounter the massive sand dunes and stunning sunset beaches.
According to the National Park Service, many of the best spots for viewing fall colors at Sleeping Bear are easily reached by car or by a brief hike. The park's popular Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, for instance, gives motorists a bird's-eye view of areas like Alligator Hill, where brilliant fall foliage is set off by Glen Lake's tropical shades of turquoise, jade and cobalt blue.
Get more at puremichigan.org and add your own color touring tips below!
Photo credits: Scenic drive Sleeping Bear Dunes by creed_400 and glen lake colours 2 by Pettman's Photographic Memories
The Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association's annual Harvest Stompede Vineyard Run & Walk and Wine Tour takes place Saturday September 10 & Sunday September 11. It's considered one of the most scenic running & wine touring events in the Midwest and is returning to the Leelanau Peninsula for the tenth year.
The race itself happens Saturday morning at 9 AM at Ciccone Vineyard. Race registration is is down to less than 100 slots, but it's a great event for spectators as well with a ONE OF A KIND course that winds through vineyard rows.
The Harvest Stompede Wine Tour follows the race and offers a special pour and food pairing featuring local food at each of the 18 Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association member wineries. Recognizing that nothing goes better with local wine than local food, the 18 wineries of the Leelanau Wine Trail will each be featuring local items in their food pairings!
Win some tickets!
On Absolute Michigan there's a chance to win 2 pairs of tickets - click through for the details!
Photo: Sprint to the Finish by lpwines. View the 2007 Gallery and the 2008 Gallery for a taste of how cool this event is!
Wreck of the Jennie and Annie washes up on Sleeping Bear Point
