Winning Wines

At the January San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, Traverse Wine Coast had some big wins, more than doubling awards from the previous year and nearly tripling the wineries that were recognized for their quality. Fourteen area wineries took away 82 awards at the competition, which is the largest wine competition in North America and this year judged more than 5,700 wines from over 1,100 wineries in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

More competitions are ahead; Fenton said the group wants to establish a strong presence, entering numerous bottles bearing gold foil Traverse Wine Coast stickers, accompanied by information on the region.

“That’s a way that we’ve decided that we would like more of the wine industry to take note…entering more of these competitions en masse, to gain a little more notoriety as a wine region,” she said.

But the group is also being strategic. It’s not just about entering competitions, “it’s picking the correct ones,‘’ said board member Kyle Brownley, director of marketing at Chateau Chantal on Old Mission Peninsula. He said Traverse Wine Coast a few years ago tapped sommeliers’ knowledge on what competitions nationally are held in high regard, and “they gave us a really good selection of the top three or four wine competitions nationally. One of those was the San Francisco wine competition…we made an effort to send more Traverse Wine Coast wineries to that competition.”

He said the group also tries to tailor its targets “to the competitions that our style of wines would be best in…try to do that mix of something that has that cachet, but something that we think we would also show well at.”

Wine & Tourism Converge

The group approach has also been taken with some media, like sending wines to Wine Enthusiast magazine. Food and beverage writers and sommeliers are among the audiences the group wants to reach and influence, as well as consumers.

“We really see this as a two-pronged approach. It has a lot to do with raising the region in the eyes of those wine professionals…and also the people who are the casual drinker or somebody who really wants to experience the region itself,” Brownley said.

McKenzie and Creighton Gallagher of Rove Estates Vineyards

He and others said even if an article doesn’t talk about all the wines submitted by Traverse Wine Coast, the region as a whole still benefits, elevating all wineries as potential stops for people to visit or to seek out their wines in a shop.

“There’s no doubt about it, all ships rise together,” said board member McKenzie Gallagher, who with her husband Creighton co-owns Rove Estate Vineyard and Winery. “I think that even if your wine isn’t featured or selected, it still gets people thinking about Traverse City, it still gets people thinking about Michigan, and then you have an opportunity to get them into your tasting room.”

And wine tourism ranks high in the region. Wineries are consistently cited in Traverse City Tourism surveys of visitor interests, and they’re a year-round draw, said Jennifer Case, chief marketing officer at TC Tourism. “It’s not a seasonal offering. So it’s a great thing to promote for us. People can enjoy it in the winter and get a totally different experience than in the spring, fall or summer,” she said.

It’s About the Lakes, the Soil, the Temperature

“The wine tasting experience is great for savoring the craft. It’s learning about the wine, the region, and why certain grapes are grown here. And a lot of our visitors are into the agricultural aspects,” Case said. That includes interest in sustainability and best practices, talking to a tasting room manager and learning “what goes into a bottle,” or to winemakers “passionate about their craft” and the grapes.

“I think it makes the whole experience very memorable for the visitor,” Case said.

A careful selection at Black Star Farms.

The connection between vine and glass springs from nature and the hard work and determination of those committed to every bottle.

In the Traverse area, the region’s climate, water, soil, farms and natural beauty form a unique backdrop. And, as Rove Estate’s Gallagher wrote in a blog last fall, every glass of wine has a story to tell.

“The year’s stormy weather, the type of grapes on the vine, the leathery hands of the worker that picked each one – these are the things that make up the story of every vintage,” Gallagher wrote. “Each week, month and season is a critical building block that ultimately determines the beautiful and alluring nuances making each vintage unique in its own right. A true time capsule, perfectly summing up the season – from the grit to the glory. From unexpected hail, to unseasonable heat, or an October snow storm thrown in for good measure. And literally everything in between.

“Those variables show through in our wines,” she wrote, adding that there is “much going on in the vineyard…from the deep roots and soil nutrition through canopy management to focusing on sugar production in the fruit zone.” Said Gallagher: “We are farmers first, and we know that good wine is made in the vineyard.”

Threads of Respect, Mutual Support and Friendships

Rove Estate, located on Leelanau Peninsula farmland that had been in the Gallagher family for more than 130 years, began from a 15-acre block of cherry trees that needed to be replaced. The new crop: grapes. The winery opened in 2016 and was “one of the newest kids on the block” when Traverse Wine Coast incorporated in 2017, Gallagher said.

Traverse Wine Coast brought together wineries on the Old Mission and Leelanau peninsulas – each housing separate wine trails – to create a new brand that would promote the region as a whole.

There are members small and large, some into distribution and others not, said Gallagher, the organization’s secretary. “We really have a pretty wide spectrum of business models, and the two different peninsulas, but there’s a very strong thread of respect for each other, and a big sense of pride for this region. We’re all coming from different perspectives, but there’s so much strength in that diversity.”

“It feels a lot bigger than just our individual wineries.”

While the individual wineries gain strength marketing together, there’s also potential to share resources, best practices and knowledge. Discussions have included workshops, training and other member opportunities, Gallagher said. “We want to add a real value that helps and supports the spectrum of businesses that are members.”

Brownley said it’s an industry where “everybody knows everybody else.” There are new wineries as well as those that go back decades, and at Chateau Chantal, as at several long-standing businesses, there’s a legacy. Founders Robert and Nadine Begin in December 1983 formed Begin Orchards, purchasing 60 acres of cherry orchards. Over several years, they cleared much of the land, planting grape varieties and purchasing additional land. Robert, Nadine and daughter Marie-Chantal – who is now president and CEO -- opened Chateau Chantal in 1993 with the completion of a then- three-room, French-style bed and breakfast, winery and vineyard estates.

“I think nationally we are viewed as an up-and-coming wine region, but you can still trace it back to the 70s. We do have that history here,” Brownley said.

At Black Star Farms, Kerm and Sallie Campbell came to northern Michigan after raising a family in western Europe in the 1970s, where they developed a taste for fine wine. Kerm began planting vineyards in the early 1990s and there are now farming operations on both Leelanau and Old Mission peninsulas. Black Star Farm’s Suttons Bay property opened in 1998 as a winery and luxury inn, followed in 2007 by a second winery and tasting room on Old Mission Peninsula. Fenton joined the family business in 2016 to handle communications and public affairs and in 2019 assumed the role of overseeing operations.

In a region that saw its first winery open in 1975, the industry has grown with “a lot of guts, funds and determination,” Fenton said. “This crop, being vines, can take up to five years to produce, from when you begin to prep the soil to harvest. Financial staying power is necessary.

“Then there is year-round vine care to maintain the vines properly. Then, during the season there is constant monitoring when volatile changes in climate occur, like prolonged rains, frost, etcetera, to watch the grapes and protect the crop. Passion is also a fundamental component. To continue this exhausting work, you’ve got to thrive on it.”

Fenton said new vineyards continue to be planted in the region and wineries are growing, with several looking to expand their offerings into weddings or business and non-profit events – boosting employment and visitor traffic.

The region’s wineries are a significant economic force, supporting some 925 jobs between the 41 businesses on the two peninsulas, according to Traverse Wine Coast. In 2017, a study done for the then-Michigan Grape & Wine Industry Council found wineries predominantly – but also cideries – in Leelanau and Grand Traverse counties had a combined economic impact of more than $113.6 million. Tourism impact – reflecting winery visitors’ spending at restaurants, hotels, shops and other area establishments – was more than $45.6 million.

Deliciously Unifying Messages

Traverse City Tourism was involved early-on with Traverse Wine Coast; it had already been promoting the wine trails and wineries in general and was brought in as the collaboration moved forward. “We thought very favorably of the idea, because to a visitor, they don’t care what peninsulas the wineries are on, they want the full experience up here,” Case said. “It felt like a unified message would resonate with visitors.”

Traverse Wine Coast created a logo and by 2019 pursued and was awarded a $75,000 marketing grant from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD). COVID-19 and other issues threw delays into marketing efforts but the organization regrouped in late 2020 and in early 2021 re-launched and signed an agreement with TC Tourism to have it serve as a marketing arm.

TC Tourism handles digital ad buys, social media and newsletters to consumers and Traverse Wine Coast members, as well as public relations and press releases to general media, travel and wine-specific publications. TC Tourism hosts the Traverse Wine Coast website on its own website, and Case is on the group’s board.

Never a bad view at Chateau Chantal on Old Mission Penninsula

Venture North Funding & Development has also aided Traverse Wine Coast efforts. Last year, it supplied a $30,000 short-term loan that enabled the organization to pay TC Tourism for marketing services, clearing the way for reimbursement through the MDARD grant. Venture North also facilitated development of the initial strategic plan and is working to help Traverse Wine Coast secure grants to move a brand marketing strategy forward.

The strategic plan, currently being finalized, includes: Obtaining funding to hire a branding consultant and hiring a coordinator for a variety of duties, including assisting the board with strategic plan progress and brand strategy, and handling communications and public relations.

Fenton said there’s excitement about solidifying strategy and goals. “We need a clear path on how to have a stronger voice, to reach more people. It can be done, it’s just going to take a little time,” she said.

The Traverse Wine Coast board – which includes winery owners/winemakers, second-generation family members taking over the businesses, and marketing specialists -- meets monthly and talks about “how we can further…these goals that we have,” Fenton said.

“We all are passionate about seeing this region recognized for the quality and diversity of wines that are being produced here. United, our goal is to be heard on a broader stage. “We are like the little kid in the back room, saying: Listen to me, listen to me.”

Amy Lane is a veteran Michigan business reporter whose background includes work with Crain Communications Inc., Crain’s Detroit Business and serving as Capitol correspondent for nearly 25 years. Now a freelance reporter and journalist, Lane’s work has appeared in many publications including Traverse City Business News.