You stand in a small pen scratching the chin of a friendly goat while the head of a second goat bumps you for attention. You could be forgiven for thinking you’ve been transported to the life of a village goatherd. As it is, the glass of sparkling Riesling in your hand, not petting the goat, belies the fantasy that you’re on a mountain doing your best Heidi impression. You are, in fact, standing on the elegant front yard of Black Star Farms winery in Suttons Bay, Michigan.
Black Star Farms isn’t the only winery in this charming part of the state. Far from it. Part of the Leelanau Peninsula AVA (American Viticultural Area), vineyards and wineries stretch in nearly every direction. Spoiled for choice, it’s difficult to narrow down where you’ll spend limited time in the area. Just follow along my itinerary for 48 great hours a wine lover can spend in Suttons Bay.
Suttons Bay
Suttons Bay sits nestled between Lake Leelanau and Grand Traverse Bay. Not only does all that water make for some beautiful scenery, but the lake effect also helps lower the threat of spring frosts that might destroy early-ripening grapes. It also extends the growing season, allowing grapes to ripen slowly and maintain their acidity.
Why do we care about acidity here? Because sparkling wine needs grapes with high acidity, and Suttons Bay is a sparkling wine lover’s paradise.
Beyond the wine, Suttons Bay itself is adorable. Walk down the main street, and you get that combination of vacation-town polish with boutiques, galleries, and cozy B&Bs, and small-town familiarity with a one-screen movie theater and families enjoying ice cream. Staying here is like making a movie set of 1950s America the launchpad for your winery explorations.
Day One: Lakeshore Vines and Village Streets
Bel Lago
Make Bel Lago on the shore of Lake Leelanau your first stop. Not only will friendly staff here guide you through the winery’s extensive selection of wine and cider, but you’ll also get your first glimpse at one of the things that makes northern Michigan a stand-out wine region: weird grapes. Grab your glasses and head outside to one of the umbrella-covered tables on Bel Lago’s patio. It’s the perfect place to watch the sun sparkle off Lake Leelanau and wonder how grapes like Alsace’s Auxerrois and Trentino-Alto Adige’s Teroldego—both relatively rare in North America—made it to Michigan.
Standout wines at Bel Lago: Auxerrois Moreno, Auxerrois Sparkling, Teroldego
Black Star Farms
Next, head over to Black Star Farms. If you’re there Thursday through Sunday, you can book a goat yoga session before diving into their wines. Tuesdays and Wednesdays give you the opportunity for a less vigorous interaction with the goats—goat happy hour. You can admire the goats from afar or climb into the little pen, where they’re free to wander over and investigate anyone who looks interesting.
©Andrea Lemieux
Standout wines at Black Star Farms: Sparkling Dry Riesling (a tasting room exclusive), Reserve Cabernet Franc, Sirius Raspberry Dessert Wine
Wander Suttons Bay
Take a break in the afternoon and wander through the shops along Suttons Bay’s charming main street. Don’t get there too late, though. It may be adorable and touristy, but this is still the Midwest, where shops close by 6 pm. The town offers a cozy bookstore, clothing and jewelry stores, art galleries, a fudge shop (this is northern Michigan after all), and specialty groceries.
You can even catch a film at The Bay Community Theatre, which, while it looks like somewhere your grandparents may have frequented in their youth, is a fully modern movie theater playing everything from first-run movies to independent and foreign films.
Gilchrist Farm Winery
As you’re already “downtown,” you’re not too far from your final winery and dinner stop, Gilchrist Farm Winery. Order the Bison Burger paired with a glass of Four Daughters. The plummy, dark-fruit flavors in the wine bring out the sweetness in the burger’s fig-black-garlic spread. Not only is the food here delicious, but they take the guesswork out of wine pairing with suggested matches for each dish.
Standout wines at Gilchrist: Albariño, Grüner Veltliner, Four Daughters
Dalzell Dairy
The day isn’t complete without dessert. Head a few doors down from Gilchrist to the Dalzell Dairy. Stroll up and order from the window. You can either grab one of the picnic tables out front or wander the block to the water to enjoy the sunset with your ice cream.
A Suttons Bay institution, Dalzell Dairy has served frozen treats for 75 years and has one flavor on the list that is so unmistakably Midwestern it speaks with its own accent: Puppy Chow ice cream. You can even take it to the next level by ordering it as a Muddie Buddie sundae.
©Andrea Lemieux
Day Two: Bubbles and the Bay
The Unsalted Mitten
Start the morning at the Unsalted Mitten for caffeine and carbs. The heady combination of freshly roasted coffee and yeasty sugar that greets you upon entering is almost enough on its own. But don’t miss out on actually sinking your teeth into one of their pecan rolls or Mitten Medley bars. It’s absolutely worth it to battle any morning rush to get your favorites before they run out…or close. The Unsalted Mitten closes at 3 pm so don’t plan on it being a pre-dinner snack.
Mawby
Once fortified, drive the short distance to Michigan’s premier house of bubbles, Mawby. Whether you like your bubbles white or pink, dry or sweet, aged or young, Mawby has it. You can choose a tasting from their pre-set flights or select your own.
©Andrea Lemieux
©Andrea Lemieux
For wine geeks, try to drop in midweek for Winemaker Wednesdays when one of Mawby’s winemakers floats around the tasting floor, stopping at tables to pour wine and talk through what’s in the glass. Have questions about residual sugar levels? How long a wine spent on the lees? What’s the difference between traditional method and a pét-nat? This is your chance to hear it from the people who made it.
Standout wines at Mawby: Mille 2019, Talismon, Eff Nat
Sail the Bay
It would be such a shame to be right at the water and not take advantage of it while you’re in Suttons Bay. Spend the afternoon on a sailing adventure with the Inland Seas Education Association. Once out on Suttons Bay, you can watch the shoreline unfold from the deck of a schooner, with the sails snapping overhead in the breeze and the water stretching out around you.
For those who never developed sea legs but still want to enjoy the outdoors, you can spend the afternoon biking around Suttons Bay with Ride Leelanau. The company offers traditional bikes and e-bikes, which you can rent to follow your own path, or you can book a tour (including some wineries).
Soul Squeeze Cellars
Wind up your day with a tasting and dinner at Soul Squeeze Cellars. Part of the pleasure of exploring wine country is discovering places like this. As their wines aren’t widely distributed, they’re less well-known than many other Leelanau wineries, making this your chance to try and fall in love with them. You’ll find an array of bubbles, white, rosé, and red wines, plus cider options. Soul Squeeze Cellars also keeps back vintages, meaning you can do a vertical tasting of, for example, four Riesling vintages.
Kick back with your selections in one of the bright turquoise or lime green chairs scattered about the winery’s back lawn, order in dinner from Locals Lake Leelanau across the street, and enjoy the live music.
Standout wines at Soul Squeeze Cellars: Rapt Riesling 2017, The Gruve sparkling Grüner Veltliner, The Good Friend Pinot Meunier
If You Go
Sitting, as it does, towards the top of the right pinkie finger (using the classic Michigan hand metaphor), Suttons Bay isn’t exactly close to the state’s major cities. If you’re coming from the west side of the state, a long, tightly scheduled day trip is doable, but even from the Grand Rapids area, you’re looking at about three hours each way. That’s one of the many things that makes an overnight trip so attractive.
Speaking of driving, you have plenty of transportation options in the Leelanau area. It doesn’t matter if you’re on your own or part of a large group wanting to enjoy the Suttons Bay area wineries to the fullest. Companies in Leelanau offer everything from sedans to large buses and will arrange pickup at your hotel so you don’t have to worry about driving.
To experience Suttons Bay at its best, visit between May and October. Most wineries are open year-round, but many outdoor activities are seasonal. And while a few of the wineries, like Bel Lago, Black Star Farms, and Mawby, are large and have a lot of seating, it’s always a good idea to make a reservation, especially if you want to take advantage of some of the winery’s limited-space activities.
For the rest of your trip, the Suttons Bay Chamber of Commerce website has plenty of great information about the area, including recommendations for places to stay, restaurants, and other things to do. The various winery websites, along with Michigan Wine Country and Leelanau Peninsula Wines, round things out with planning tips, news, and event calendars.
You May Also Enjoy Reading
- Exploring Traverse City: Michigan’s Culinary Coastline Revealed
- Traverse City, Michigan’s Award-Winning Wineries
- How to Spend a Day in Michigan’s Smallest AVA
Read more from Andrea on her blog: The Quirky Cork
