Old Mission Peninsula Wine Tour: Luxury SUV No Buses
Taste at four stops without the party-bus crowd
A wine and distillery tasting tour on Old Mission Peninsula near Traverse City, where you ride in a luxury SUV instead of a charter bus and sample wines at three to four wineries plus an optional distillery stop. The guide is a local wine expert who adjusts the route based on what you want to taste, and a complimentary bottle comes home with you. Tastings are included; food, wine flights and bottles for purchase are extra.
4h–5h
Step-by-step itinerary
Old Mission Peninsula wine and distillery tour
- Pickup from downtown Traverse City
- Visit Peninsula Cellars - the Old School House
- Visit Chateau Grand Traverse winery
- Visit Mari Vineyards and hear Oak Island story
- Visit Hawthorne Vineyards with bay views
- Visit Bry's Estates winery
- Visit Chateau Chantal overlooking both bays
- Visit Bowers Harbor Vineyards
- Visit Bonobo Winery with Hollywood feel
- Visit Old Mission Distilling for drinks and tastings
- Return to downtown Traverse City
The Experience
The tour leaves from downtown Traverse City in a climate-controlled Chevrolet Suburban or GMC Yukon—not a party bus—with groups kept small enough that you're either alone or paired with one other couple. A local guide, trained in wine and the peninsula's vineyard history, drives you to three or four stops across Old Mission Peninsula. Public tours visit three wineries; private and group tours can add a fourth location. You tell the guide which wineries interest you, or they'll recommend based on what you like to drink. The whole experience runs four to five hours, with the pace set by how long you want to linger at each tasting room.
Each stop is a working winery or distillery where you sample wines poured by staff at the bar—Peninsula Cellars in the old schoolhouse, Chateau Grand Traverse (the vineyard that started Traverse City's wine region), Mari Vineyards, Hawthorne with its dual-bay views, Bry's Estates, Chateau Chantal, Bowers Harbor, Bonobo, or Old Mission Distillers, known for locally sourced spirits and mixed drinks. You're not on a tasting-room tour; you're a guest ordering at the counter, and the guide stays with you to talk through the wines and answer questions. Wine flights, glasses, bottles and food are available to buy at each stop—nothing is forced, and many people just sample what's poured.
The complimentary bottle of wine is yours to take home. Sunset tours run to three wineries and the distillery; afternoon tours are flexible on which four locations you visit. Pickup and drop-off happen in downtown Traverse City, and the owner and some guides are University of Michigan and Michigan State graduates who've spent nine years learning the peninsula's wineries and the people who run them.
What’s included
- Luxury SUV transportation with air conditioning.
- wine tastings at three to four Old Mission Peninsula wineries and distillery.
- complimentary bottle of wine.
- local guide with wine expertise.
- pickup and drop-off in downtown Traverse City.
Operated by Movie Stars Wine Tours
Is this one for you?Choose the public tour if you're comfortable meeting other wine drinkers and want a set route; pick the private or group option if you'd rather control which wineries you visit or prefer a smaller group. The SUV format and flexible stops are what set this apart from the larger tour buses that run the same peninsula.
Traveler reviews
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Top questions
What's the difference between the public tour and the private SUV option?
The public tour visits three wineries and runs with other guests in a shared vehicle; private and group tours can add a fourth stop and have more control over which wineries you visit. Both ride in a luxury SUV, not a bus.
Do I have to buy wine or food at each stop?
No. Wine samples are poured at each tasting room as part of the tour, but wine flights, bottles, glasses and food are all optional purchases you make at the counter if you want them.
What happens at Old Mission Distillers?
Old Mission Distillers is a spirits producer on the peninsula where you can sample their locally sourced whiskeys, vodkas and other spirits, plus mixed drinks and wine. The crew sources ingredients from peninsula farms and orchards, and you can buy mixed-drink flights, individual drinks or bottles if you choose.
Can I choose which wineries I visit?
On private and group tours, yes—tell your guide which wineries interest you, and they'll build the route around your preferences. On public tours, the guide selects three wineries; on sunset tours, three wineries plus the distillery.
What's included in the tour price?
The tour includes the luxury SUV ride, wine tastings at each stop, a local guide, and a complimentary bottle of wine to take home. Food, wine flights, bottles and glasses for purchase are extra.
How long does the tour take?
The tour runs four to five hours from pickup in downtown Traverse City to drop-off, depending on how long you spend at each winery and which stops you choose.
Old Mission Peninsula Wine Tour: Luxury SUV No Buses
4h–5h · EN · at your hotel
from US$ 69 per person
★★★★★★★★★★4.98126 reviews
