Experience Italy Vibes At This Scenic Michigan Lake City With An Underappreciated Wine Scene

While Northern Michigan may not come to mind as an alternative to the hype of Napa, that's changing. In the countryside around Traverse City, a beach-lover's paradise on Lake Michigan, dozens of cherry orchards have transformed into vineyards growing cool-climate grapes. The region, which includes the Leelanau and Old Mission AVAs (American Viticultural Area), has been producing wines since the 1980s. Both AVAs sit on peninsulas that stretch out into Lake Michigan, with Traverse City sitting on the shore of the bay between them.

Much like Italy, which has destinations for wine lovers across different climates, the United States is discovering places where varied soils and temperatures can create very different and pleasant wines. Piedmont, northwest Italy's wine region between the foot of the Alps and the Mediterranean, is comparable to Traverse City in many ways: both are located at the 45th parallel and rely on a climate-moderating body of water to maintain their excellent growing soil. Marie-Chantal Dalese, president and CEO of Chateau Chantal on the Old Mission Peninsula, told Wine Enthusiast, "The distinct microclimate, with a long growing season, glacially formed soils with rock deposits, pockets of clay, and well-draining sandy loam, means we can make long-aging wines with complexity." Read on to explore the flavors of the region as well as the wines.

A gem of the Piedmont region, Nebbiolo, can be compared in some ways to a Burgundy or Pinot Noir. You can find the exotic Italian varietal on the Old Mission Peninsula Wine Trail in a blended wine, Drollery Rosso, at Mari Vineyards, one of the 2024 Travelers' Choice award-winners from Tripadvisor. Visit 8175 Center Road, on the Old Mission Peninsula in Traverse City. During its most pleasant season, May – October, it's open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., closing at 5 p.m. on Sunday. You can take a drop-in tour during this season at 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., with an additional 4:30 p.m. tour Monday through Saturday.

The region has more than soil-specific red blends, though. Like Italy's best underrated sparkling wine region, Franciacorta, sparkling and white wines shine on the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail, where you can get champagne-style Blanc de Blanc and the Canberra international Riesling Challenge-winning 2017 Arcturos Dry Riesling at Black Star Farms, one of the largest wineries of the area. Black Star has a Leelanau-area tasting room 13 miles from Traverse City on 10844 E. Revoid Road, Suttons bay. It's open from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday through Thursday. On Friday and Saturday, the tasting room remains open until 8 p.m., with wines served by the glass from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. A second tasting room, on the Old Mission Peninsula in Traverse City, also opens daily from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m., and an additional hour on Fridays and Saturdays. You'll find it at 360 McKinley Road East.

You can visit seven wineries on a $79 per-person self-guided bicycle trip along a curated route with Grand Traverse Bike Tours from April until November. The tour, which starts at 10:30 a.m. and includes lunch and van support to pick up any purchased wine, departs from 318 N. Saint Joseph St. in Suttons Bay, just 17 miles from Traverse City. The Old Mission Peninsula Wine Trail, which features 10 wineries on the 19-mile-long peninsula, is only 4 miles from Traverse City and easily accessible by shuttle bus. Book a private tour with Wonderland Tours, open daily from 9:30 a.m. until 11 p.m. For a four-hour bus rental and tour, you'll pay $399 and leave your worries behind and you discover the best that the peninsula has to offer.

While summer may provide the best weather for swimming in Lake Michigan, the fall foliage provides a perfect backdrop for winery visits, and often allows you to taste newly-available vintages from previous seasons. If it's warm enough, go for a dip in the beaches of Sleeping Bear Dunes, but if temperatures take a precipitous autumn drop-off, you can simply enjoy views over Lake Michigan's blue waters from the cozy vantage point of a tasting room on the bay. Although reservations are not required, it's best to call ahead if you've got a large group or are particularly uncomfortable about waiting around in a beautiful location.