Local Guide
Traverse City Wine Country
Two peninsulas, both worth a day. Here are the loops we actually run when friends come into town.
Our Take
Forty-plus tasting rooms sit across the two peninsulas that run north out of Traverse City, and between the two of us we've done a lot of them. What we're giving you here isn't a ranking. It's the two loops we actually drive when people come in.
We pick these stops for more than the wine. The drive itself, the sitting spots, and the mood of each place all count. There are plenty of excellent wineries we don't mention below. These are just the ones that make the day feel right to us.
Leelanau Loop
Laid-back country feel with the fancy amenities you want.
Leelanau is our home peninsula, so we're biased. But the whole area has a calm, non-pretentious feel that you won't find at a lot of wine destinations. The wineries here care as much about atmosphere and story as they do about the wine itself, and the terrain helps: rolling hills, cherry and apple farms, Lake Michigan on the west side, Grand Traverse Bay on the east, and M-22 running through it, one of the most scenic highways in the country. Lake Leelanau splits the peninsula down the middle, its own up-north microcosm.
Michigan wine has shifted a lot over the past fifteen years. People still sometimes arrive expecting only sweet stuff and leave reconsidering. The soil and the rolling hillsides work well for grapes, the growing season is long enough, and the tasting rooms themselves stay relaxed. You don't get Napa polish here. You don't even get the more polished old-winery feel you find on Mission Peninsula.
How a day actually runs
Our pacing for a sit-and-stay loop, not a race. Times assume a 1 pm start and a Farm Club dinner.
- 1:00 pm Pull out of the Observatory
- 1:25 pm Shady Lane Cellars, back patio
- 2:45 pm Dunebird, espresso reset
- 3:45 pm Lunch in Fishtown, feet in the lake
- 5:15 pm Bel Lago, golden hour over Lake Leelanau
- 6:30 pm Farm Club for dinner
- ~8:10 pm Back to the Commons
Trim the back end and you're home by mid-afternoon. Add a beach detour and you'll roll in after dark. Either is the right answer.
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Shady Lane Cellars
Head up first and sit out on the back patio. They often have live music. The wines have become exceptional over the years, both reds and whites. Our order: Grüner Veltliner, plus their Cab Franc and Pinot Noir if you're sampling reds. Ask about the reserves. Get a cheese plate.
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Dunebird Winery
Not as much about the wine here, though the wine is fine. Dunebird is about the feel: a mid-century aesthetic that's not far from how The Observatory reads, a back hill that's a great sitting spot, and a coffee bar. Order the espresso-and-wine combo. We come here for the vibe more than the pour.
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Detour: Leland & Fishtown
Worth the stop even if you don't buy anything. The Cheese Shanty has a sandwich it's famous for, and a lunch break here breaks up the wine pacing. Van's Beach is nearby if you want to put your feet in Lake Michigan for a few minutes.
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Bel Lago
On the other side of Lake Leelanau, with a view over the water. Bel Lago grows Auxerrois, a white grape from France that almost nobody else in the U.S. plants. If you go in the afternoon, this is your golden-hour stop.
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Farm Club, on the way home
Farm-to-table dinner spot with ingredients coming straight from their own fields. Close the loop here before heading back to TC.
Host's take
The Leelanau loop is about the laid-back country feel. Free and open, rolling hills, vineyards, cherry fields, lakeshore. Old-time country with the fancy amenities you want.
Old Mission Loop
Narrower peninsula, straight north out of downtown, with a more polished tasting-room scene. Our Old Mission route is coming next. For now, Chateau Grand Traverse, 2 Lads, Brys Estate, and Bonobo are the usual anchors, and the drive ends at the Mission Point Lighthouse if you want to make a half day of it.
Planning a trip?
The Observatory is our loft in the Grand Traverse Commons, a restored 1885 building with restaurants, a winery, and trails on-site.
Check Availability →Without Leaving the Commons
Left Foot Charley pours inside Building 50 at the Grand Traverse Commons, the same building as The Observatory. Winemaker Bryan Ulbrich has been working here since 2007, sourcing from small family vineyards on both peninsulas. The tasting room is open most afternoons and evenings, so guests can do a proper tasting without driving anywhere. The ciders are especially good and tend to surprise people who come in expecting only wine. It's a good first stop when you arrive: taste the local style, then head out to the trails or into the loop the next day.
Practical Notes
Most tasting rooms take walk-ins and reservations aren't required for a regular tasting. If you want a group experience or a private tasting, call ahead. Tasting fees run about $10 to $20 per person in the area and are usually credited toward a bottle purchase.
On the driving side, one thing to know: Uber and Lyft are not reliable in Traverse City. Don't plan on rideshare as your safety net. Options are a designated driver, pacing your pours and spitting when you need to, or a guided wine tour that handles the driving for you. Plenty of local tour companies run Leelanau loops from TC.
Most rooms are open year-round, though mid-week hours shrink in the colder months. Summer weekends are the busiest. One of the quiet upsides of the Leelanau loop is that even in peak season, the stops we've listed tend not to be mobbed. You can sit out, take your time, and actually enjoy where you are.