Wine touring in Leelanau

By Andy McFarlane
Sun contributor
Vineyards-KatieGorcya.jpgWelcome to one of the nation’s premier wine touring regions.
That may sound like a wild claim, but our wines from our 15 wineries have consistently garnered greater and greater recognition over the last several years on the state, national and international stage. In just the last month alone wines from the Leelanau Peninsula have received gold medal recognition at two major wine competitions: the International Eastern Wine Competition and the Pacific Rim Wine Competition. Medal-winning wines included Auxerrois, Riesling, Rose, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and even the “Best White Wine” at the Pacific Rim competition — a major accolade!
Photo by Katie Gorcya


Add to the exceptional qualities of our white, red, fruit and sparkling wines the unmatched beauty of Leelanau County’s countryside and the character of the tasting rooms on the Leelanau Wine Trail and you’ve got a wine touring experience that can go toe-to-toe with Napa or any other region. Plus you can run down the Dunes into Lake Michigan at the end of the day.
You can pick up the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association brochure at wineries and locations all around the region or download it at: www.lpwines.com/winemap.
Leland Wine & Food Festival: Saturday, June 14
The Leland Wine & Food Festival is a northern Michigan tradition held every year on the second Saturday in June from noon until 6 p.m., rain or shine. The festival is in its twenty-third year under the big tent in the Leland Harbor on Lake Michigan (next to Fishtown). The day features tastings of some of the region’s finest wines and delicacies from local restaurants and food vendors. The Fabulous Horndogs will also play live music in the park all day as you enjoy the beautiful views of Lake Michigan and the Manitou Islands.
Admission is $10 and includes an etched wine glass and two tickets for wine tasting. Additional wine tasting tickets are available. Food vendors accept cash only.
Upcoming Wine-related Events in the Area
Below is a list of upcoming events that feature the wines of the Leelanau Peninsula
Jun 14: Leland Wine & Food Festival
Jun 20: Suttons Bay Summer Solstice Art Walk
Jul 6: Cherries d’ Vine (Traverse City Cherry Festival)
Jul 16: Green Cuisine 2008 (Honor)
Jul 26: Suttons Bay Jazzfest
Jul 29-Aug 3: Traverse City Film Festival receptions
Aug 9: Leelanau Wine & Food Festival (Northport)
Sep 11-13: Traverse Epicurean Classic
Sep 20-21: Leelanau Peninsula Harvest Stompede
Share your photos!
If you’ve snapped photos of the wineries and vineyards of the Leelanau Peninsula or while attending one of our Wine Trail Events, we’d love it if you’d share with us through our Leelanau Wine Group on the photo-sharing site Flickr.
Get all the details at: www.flickr.com/groups/leelanauwine
Andy McFarlane is the spokesman for Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association and owner of Leelanau.com.

/by