2-Day Traverse City Wine Tour: Old Mission & Leelanau Peninsulas

Eight wineries in two days, no bus full of strangers.

A 2-day wine tour of Traverse City's Old Mission and Leelanau Peninsulas with a local guide and luxury SUV, visiting four wineries each day. You taste wines at each stop (flights, glasses and bottles available for purchase), and see views of both arms of Grand Traverse Bay from the shoreline. The guide is a wine expert, not just a driver, and groups stay small enough that couples often get their own vehicle.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Old Mission Peninsula Wine Tour

• Pickup at 10:30 AM
• Visit Hawthorne Vineyards tasting room
• Enjoy wine flights and charcuterie board
• See views of East and West Grand Traverse Bays
• Visit Bowers Harbor Vineyards tasting room
• Sample Pinot Secco and other wines
• Visit Chateau Chantel winery
• Taste rare Ice Wine and Malbec
• Visit Brys Estates winery
• Try the Froze' frozen wine drink
• Visit Bonobo Winery
• Sample red wines and whiskey
• Tour ends around 3:30 PM

Day 2: Leelanau Peninsula Wine Tour

• Pickup at 10:30 AM
• Visit Shady Lane winery
• Sample Blaufränkisch and Muscat wines
• Visit Rove Winery at Gallagher Estate
• Taste Fiona Runda blend and Sauvignon Blanc
• Visit Blackstar Farms winery
• Visit additional wineries selected by guide
• Tour ends around 3:30 PM

The experience

The tour runs 10:30 AM to around 3:30 PM both days, which means you're tasting without the rush of a coach itinerary. Day one covers Old Mission Peninsula: Hawthorne Vineyards sits on a bluff with views of both East and West bays; Bowers Harbor, established in 1991, occupies a former horse stable and keeps dogs on the property; Château Chantel holds Ice Wine featured at a White House dinner and is the only stop where you can order a glass of brandy or Malbec; Brys Estates draws crowds for the Froze', a frozen wine drink, and the lawn bar opens in summer. Day two moves to Leelanau Peninsula with Shady Lane, a boutique operation making 7,000 cases yearly in vineyard and orchard country; Rove Winery perches at the highest point on the peninsula with views and a Gewürztraminer-Riesling-Pinot Gris-Pinot Blanc blend called Fiona Runda; Blackstar Farms and a fourth winery round out the lineup, though your guide may adjust stops based on availability and season.

Wine samples are included. Flights, glasses and bottles cost extra and you buy what you want at each stop. The vehicle is a GMC Yukon or Chevrolet Suburban: air-conditioned, no standing room, no shouting over an engine. Your guide is a Traverse City local, often a University of Michigan or state school graduate, and knows the wines and the region's microclimate: the bays stay warm in fall to extend the growing season and cool in spring to prevent frost damage. Groups of couples often get their own vehicle. Larger groups of six or seven may share. Every group receives a complimentary bottle of wine at the end.

The tour is built around the drive itself. You'll see the shoreline of Grand Traverse Bay (32 miles long, up to 10 miles wide) from the road between stops, and the Old Mission Peninsula divides the bay into East and West arms. This microclimate, created by the surrounding water, is what makes the region work for wine. The operator is former law enforcement and the business is law enforcement and military friendly.

What’s included

• Wine samples at eight wineries.
• luxury SUV transportation (GMC Yukon or Chevrolet Suburban).
• local guide who is also the driver.
• complimentary bottle of wine for the group.
• air-conditioned vehicle.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 11:00

Book up to2h before

AgesAdult (21 and older) · Under 21: can't be booked

GroupUp to 24

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.You can choose from 7 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearbyNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problems

Operated by Movie Stars Wine Tours

Is this one for you?The tour moves at a relaxed pace (10:30 AM to 3:30 PM each day), which suits travelers who want to taste without the rush of a coach schedule, and the small-group format in a luxury SUV works well for couples or friends who want to stay together and avoid the party-bus atmosphere.

Top questions

What's the difference between the Old Mission and Leelanau Peninsula wineries on this tour?

Old Mission Peninsula wineries like Château Chantel and Brys Estates sit on high bluffs with views of both Grand Traverse Bay arms and tend to draw larger crowds, especially in summer when lawn bars open. Leelanau Peninsula stops like Shady Lane are smaller, boutique operations set back in vineyard and orchard country with no road traffic nearby, and Rove Winery sits at the peninsula's highest point with its own estate-grown grapes and a different wine lineup.

Can I buy wine to take home, or is it just tasting?

Wine samples are included in the tour price, but flights, glasses and bottles are available for purchase at each winery. You can buy by the glass, the flight or the bottle, and join a winery's wine club if you want. Every group also receives a complimentary bottle of wine at the end of day two.

Will I be on a bus with a large group?

No, the tour uses a luxury SUV (GMC Yukon or Chevrolet Suburban) instead of a coach. Couples often get their own vehicle. Groups of six or seven may share one. Your guide drives and leads the tour, and is a wine expert, not just a driver.

What happens if I don't drink wine or prefer not to buy anything?

Wine samples are included, so you can taste at each stop without buying. Food, flights, glasses and bottles are all optional purchases. You're welcome to enjoy the views, the vineyard settings and the guide's knowledge of the region without spending extra.

How does the microclimate here affect the wines?

Grand Traverse Bay's East and West arms stay warmer in fall, which extends the growing season and lets grapes ripen longer. In spring, the bays stay cool and prevent frost damage that would kill young vines. This creates conditions for a wide range of reds and whites that wouldn't normally grow this far north.