Traverse City Wine Tours: The Complete Guide to Northern Michigan Wine Country (2026)
The drive itself through cherry orchards and vineyards is worth doing even if you don’t stop, with beautiful views of the bay around nearly every turn.
✦ Local Tip: Drive to the Old Mission Peninsula Lighthouse at the very tip of the peninsula. It sits exactly on the 45th parallel and has a small beach where you can watch the sunset with the bay on both sides of you. It's free, it's beautiful, and almost no tourists bother to go that far.
Leelanau Peninsula
Leelanau Peninsula is larger, more spread out, and in many ways more interesting for serious wine explorers. It curves northwest of Traverse City like a crooked finger reaching into Lake Michigan, and it contains over 25 wineries ranging from large, well-known operations to tiny boutique producers you'll only find by driving down unmarked gravel roads.
Leelanau's wine character is slightly different from Old Mission — the soils are more varied the microclimates more diverse, and the overall production style tends toward richer, more textured wines. Black Star Farms, Chateau Grand Traverse, and Shady Lane Cellars are among the best-known names, but the smaller operations Boathouse Vineyards, Bel Lago, Ciccone Vineyard offer the most interesting discoveries.
The town of Suttons Bay on the eastern shore is an excellent base for Leelanau exploration — a walkable village.
✦ Local Tip: Leelanau Peninsula takes a full day to cover properly. If you're doing both peninsulas, do Old Mission one day and Leelanau the next. Rushing either is a mistake.
Guided Wine Tours: Why They're Worth It
Here's the honest truth about self-guided wine tours: they sound like a great idea and then someone has to drive, and you end up seeing three wineries instead of six and the driver is resentful. Guided tours solve the only real problem with wine country — transportation while adding expert knowledge, pre-arranged reservations, and a pace that actually lets you enjoy the day.
Guided tours in Traverse City range from small-group van tours to private driver experiences. The best ones include reserved tastings at four to six wineries, knowledgeable guides who can explain what you're tasting and why, and enough flexibility to linger where you love and move on where you don't.
👉 The top-rated Old Mission Peninsula wine tour — book it here before it sells out →
This guided tour consistently receives some of the highest ratings of any experience in Traverse City. It covers the peninsula's best wineries with reserved tastings, handles all the driving, and typically runs three to four hours. It's the single best way to experience Old Mission if you're only there for a day.
✦ Local Tip: Book wine tours at least two weeks in advance for summer dates — June and July fill up fast.
👉 Browse all Traverse City wine and food experiences on Viator →
Best Wineries on Old Mission Peninsula
Chateau Chantal
Chateau Chantal sits on a bluff above the bay with some of the most dramatic views in Northern Michigan wine country. The main building looks like a French château and houses both the tasting room and a beautiful inn. Their Rieslings are exceptional, their sparkling wines are underrated, and the view from the tasting room terrace is the kind of thing you'll describe to people for years. They also offer a Bed & Breakfast experience that makes for an unforgettable wine country overnight.
Brys Estate
One of the younger but most respected operations on the peninsula, Brys Estate has a gorgeous modern tasting room, excellent Pinot Noir, and a beautiful patio that looks north toward the lighthouse. Their barrel tastings and food-and-wine pairing experiences are among the best structured options on Old Mission.
Black Star Farms (Old Mission Location)
Black Star Farms has two locations — one on Old Mission and one on Leelanau and both are excellent. The Old Mission location has a beautiful setting and excellent sparkling wine. If you're visiting both peninsulas, you can compare the same winery's wines across two different terroirs, which is a genuinely interesting exercise.
Peninsula Cellars
Housed in a converted 100-year-old schoolhouse, Peninsula Cellars is one of the most charming tasting room settings on the peninsula. Their wines are consistently well-made and fairly priced, and the informal, unpretentious atmosphere makes it a good contrast to some of the more formal operations.
✦ Local Tip: Many Old Mission wineries close or reduce hours on Mondays and Tuesdays. Check hours before you go, especially in shoulder season.
Best Wineries on Leelanau Peninsula
Shady Lane Cellars
A consistently excellent producer in a converted 19th-century fieldstone building that used to be a chicken coop (the tasting room is called 'the coop'). Their Pinot Grigio and sparkling wines are standouts, and the property surrounded by vineyards on a quiet back road has a quieter, more contemplative energy than some of the busier stops.
Black Star Farms (Leelanau Location)
The Leelanau flagship location is larger and more elaborate than the Old Mission one it includes an inn, a restaurant, an equestrian center, and a working farm alongside the winery. Their Arcturos Pinot Noir is one of the best Michigan Pinots, and the overall experience is sophisticated without being precious.
Bel Lago Vineyard
A smaller, family-owned operation that produces some of the most interesting wines on Leelanau. Their white wines — particularly the Pinot Grigio and Gewürztraminer — are outstanding and the intimate tasting room setting makes for a genuinely warm experience. This is the kind of place you tell friends about.
Chateau Grand Traverse
The original Grand Traverse wine pioneer established in 1974 by Ed O'Keefe, who was told Michigan couldn't grow wine grapes and proved everyone Farms (Old Mission Location)
Black Star Farms has two locations one on Old Mission and one on Leelanau and both are excellent. The Old Mission location has a beautiful setting and excellent sparkling wine. If you're visiting both peninsulas, you can compare the same winery's wines across two different terroirs, which is a genuinely interesting exercise.
What to Drink: Northern Michigan Wine Styles
Riesling — The Flagship
Michigan Riesling is genuinely world-class, and the dry-to-off-dry styles from Old Mission and Leelanau are as good as anything produced outside of Alsace or the Mosel. The high acidity and mineral character of Great Lakes Riesling makes it exceptional with food, particularly the cherry-forward and fish preparations you'll encounter throughout the region. Try it first at every stop.
Pinot Gris / Pinot Grigio
The cool climate produces Pinot Gris with more texture and complexity than most Italian Pinot Grigio. Look for versions with some richness and spice the best examples are full enough to pair with white fish and light meat dishes.
Pinot Noir
Michigan Pinot Noir has improved dramatically in the last decade, and the best examples from Old Mission and Leelanau are serious wines worth cellaring. They tend to be lighter in body and higher in acidity than California Pinot more Burgundian in style, which is appropriate given the latitude. The Black Star Farms Arcturos is the benchmark.
Sparkling Wine
Several producers make excellent sparkling wines using traditional Champagne methods Chateau Chantal and Black Star Farms are the leaders. Michigan sparkling at good producers is legitimately impressive and substantially more affordable than comparable Champagne. Buy a bottle for the drive home.
Where to Eat in Traverse City Wine Country
The food scene around Traverse City wine country has matured significantly, and several restaurants have built genuine relationships with the local farms and producers.
Trattoria Stella in downtown Traverse City is the best restaurant in Northern Michigan — full stop. Located improbably in a former psychiatric facility, it serves sophisticated Italian food built almost entirely around local ingredients. Reservations are essential and should be made weeks in advance for summer visits.
The Cooks' House is a tiny, intimate spot with a seasonal menu that changes based on what's available locally that day. No website, no social media, just an address and a phone number. It regularly appears on lists of the best restaurants in Michigan.
For a more casual option near the wineries, Cook's Kitchen in Old Mission is excellent for lunch, and several of the wineries themselves Brys Estate and Chateau Chantal particularly — serve good food on-site.
✦ Local Tip: Make dinner reservations before you leave home, not when you arrive. The best Traverse City restaurants in July are booked out days or weeks in advance.
When to Visit Traverse City Wine Country
Summer (June–August)
Peak season. All wineries are open, the weather is beautiful, and the bay views from the vineyards are at their most stunning. July is the busiest month the National Cherry Festival (first full week of July) brings massive crowds. June and August are nearly as beautiful with significantly fewer people.
Fall (September–October)
The best-kept secret in Northern Michigan wine tourism. Harvest season runs September through October, and visiting during harvest means you might catch crush at the wineries, the vines are at their most photogenic in fall color, and the entire peninsula slows to a beautiful, unhurried pace. Prices drop, crowds thin, and the experience deepens.
✦ Local Tip: Several wineries host harvest events and dinners in September and October. Check individual winery websites for fall events — they often sell out but are worth the effort to attend.
Winter (November–April)
Many wineries close or reduce hours significantly in winter. Old Mission Peninsula in particular is quiet. This is the season for serious wine buyers who want to spend unhurried time with the winemakers if that's you, call ahead and ask about winter visits. Some producers love the off-season appointments.
Practical Planning Tips
Getting Around
A car is essential for Leelanau Peninsula the wineries are spread across many miles. Old Mission is more compact and easier to cover if you're doing a self-guided tour. For either peninsula, the most sensible approach is to book a guided tour and not think about logistics at all.
👉 The top-rated Traverse City wine tour — book your spot here →
What to Budget
Most tasting rooms charge $10-20 per person for a standard tasting of four to six wines. Some premium experiences run higher. A full day of self-guided wine touring for two including gas, tastings, and lunch typically runs $100-200 before purchases. Guided tours run $75-150 per person and are worth every dollar for groups who want a stress-free day.
Shipping Wine Home
Michigan wineries can ship to most states, and most offer shipping services in the tasting room. If you fall in love with a specific bottle, ask about buying a case — most wineries offer case discounts of 15-20%, and shipping a case is often more cost-effective than carrying bottles on a plane.
Frequently Asked Questions About Traverse City Wine Tours
Is Traverse City wine country worth visiting?
Absolutely. The combination of world-class Riesling, beautiful peninsula landscapes, and genuinely warm hospitality makes Traverse City wine country one of the best underrated wine destinations in the country. People come expecting to be politely impressed and leave genuinely converted.
How long does a wine tour take?
A half-day self-guided tour covers three to four wineries comfortably. A full day covers five to seven. Guided tours typically run three to four hours and cover four to six wineries with reserved tastings.
Do I need to make reservations at wineries?
For major wineries in summer, reservations are strongly recommended, especially on weekends. Walk-ins are usually accommodated on weekdays, but reservations guarantee your spot and often result in better service. Guided tours handle all reservations for you.
What is the best winery in Traverse City?
The 'best' depends on what you're looking for, but Chateau Grand Traverse (historical significance and benchmark Riesling), Chateau Chantal (views and sparkling wine), and Black Star Farms (overall quality and experience) are the most consistent across all metrics. For boutique discovery, Bel Lago and Shady Lane Cellars are the insider picks.
Can you do Traverse City wine tours without a car?
Self-guided tours require a car the peninsula wineries are spread too far apart for any other transportation. For car-free wine touring, book a guided tour, which handles all transportation. This is also the safest and most enjoyable approach regardless of whether you have a car.
👉 Browse guided Traverse City wine tours on Viator →
Plan Your Traverse City Wine Country Visit
The Michigan wine country story is still being written — and right now, in 2026, it's at an exciting chapter. The wines are better than they've ever been, the chefs have caught up to the winemakers, and the visitors who discover it early will be the ones telling everyone else about it in five years.
Book your guided wine tour through Viator and spend the day doing what you actually came for.
Michigan wine will surprise you. It always does.
Written by Lisa Knox · Northern Michigan Travel Guide ·northernmichigantravelguide.tips· Updated 2026
