Wineries in Traverse City

It’s been quite the weekend!

For those of you who might have missed my last post, Scott and I spent the weekend up north with my dad and my grandma at her cottage in the little town of Lovells, Michigan.

I shared few sneak peek photos of what her place is like, and have more to show you, but first I wanted to cover our day trip to Traverse City.

Oh, and in case spacing is a bit off… bear with me. This post is coming to you from our car ride home, straight from my iPhone!

Traverse City Wineries

We arrived at downtown Traverse City a little over an hour of being in the car. It seemed crowded, and we found out there was a film festival going on. Later on in the day we saw a huge screen set up for a movie outside in front of the beach. It looked like so much fun! Next year, Scott and I want to plan our trip up to coordinate with it!

Before we even got up north, my dad brought up the idea of visiting a few wineries in the city, since there are over fifteen of them.

A few miles past downtown, we made it to our first stop at Chateau Grand Traverse.

Whenever people ask if I am a wine person, I always respond with the same response of “I’m a Stahl. Of course!” (For those of you who don’t know, that is my maiden name.) Starting with my grandma, my dad, my sister, and I have always enjoyed our wine. Last year, my sister and her husband even went on the same winery trip!

If you have never been to a winery before, each one allows you to sample up to five or six different types of wine for a small fee, or sometimes for free. This one was complimentary!

Each of us went through the list and circled which ones we wanted to try. More times than not, the person giving the samples will suggest ones for you, depending on what kind of wine you normally like.

At the end, we all picked out our favorite and Scott and I bought a few bottles to bring home with us.

Off to winery #2: Brys Estate Vinyard & Winery.

This one was one of the fanciest I have been to and even had an outside restaurant on the patio.

This was also the one I got carded at. As a girl in her late twenties, I never mind when that happens. 😉

I mentioned this weekend that we were spending time with my family and would be celebrating birthdays. My dad’s was Friday, and my grandmother’s is today!

As soon as we shared this would be my grandmother’s 96th birthday to our wine sampler, Erick (who was awesome), he comped both of their $5 tasting fees and gave her something special to celebrate.

A free sample of ice wine, and a slice of cheesecake to go with it. If you have never sampled ice wine, I highly suggest you do so at least once. It is known as a sugary dessert wine, but each winery makes them differently. This one kept the sugar down and turned up the alcoholic content, awarding them gold medals and a “Best in Class” title this year.

She loved it and had an absolute blast!

Our third and final winery we visited was Bowers Harbor Vineyard.

This one was more casual, but also had an outside patio sitting area with live music!

When I started looking over their wine list, I got excited to see it included seasonal cider flavors. I love ciders!

My favorite was a cranberry apple cider, but it wasn’t for sale at the time. A close second was the ice cider, which clearly I needed to have available at home.

By the end of our third tasting, we were all getting hungry and were on a mission to find a place to eat. While heading back to downtown, we couldn’t help but to admire the views.

I wish we had more time to explore the city and visit the water!

Since the weather was cooler (in the 60s), we ended up taking Roadie with us for the day. We made sure to crack the windows and supply him with lots of water and love along the way.

By this point in the day, however, I think he realized why we usually leave him at home instead. He was tired and ready for bed already!

We arrived back at Front Street right at peak dinner time, which dwindled our options for dinner. At the end of the strip, we found North Peak Brewing Company which turned out delicious.

In usual fashion, Scott and I split dinner to try more.

Everything was great, and we even had a little extra steak to take home in a “doggie bag” for somebody.

When we got back in the car, the steak was gone in about two seconds, and we were all ready to get home.

As we passed by a local’s farmer’s market, we turned around to pick up a variety of fresh fruit to enjoy for the rest of our trip. Check out the different types of plums!

Perfect for the sweet fruit cravings I have been having lately.

The post is coming to a close just at the right time. Scott and I are about to pull into our neighborhood and spend the rest of our night catching up from being gone. One more set of stories from up north are coming to you tomorrow!

Have a great rest of your Monday!