01 / Michigan
Two peninsulas, five AVAs, real wine.
02 / Plan your visit
What you need to know first.
Best season
Late Aug – Oct
Harvest in early September; fall color through October.
Wineries
145+
Densest along Old Mission and Leelanau peninsulas, north of Traverse City.
AVAs
5
Old Mission, Leelanau, Lake Michigan Shore, Fennville, Tip of the Mitt.
Drive from Detroit
4 hrs to Traverse City
Most wineries cluster within 30 min of TVC airport.
03 / Start here
Two guides to read first.
Northern Michigan is where most travelers will spend their time. These two guides cover the city base and the peninsula loop — in that order.
Traverse City wine country: your complete guide
Use Traverse City as your base. Where to stay, the best wineries within 30 minutes, and how the two peninsulas differ in style.
Read guide →
Leelanau Peninsula wine road trip: the perfect long weekend
A two-to-three-day loop with named wineries, lunch stops, and overnight options. Routes, timing, and what to order at each stop.
Read guide →04 / Choose your route
What kind of Michigan trip is this?
I have one day and want a city base.
Stay in Traverse City. The Old Mission Peninsula loop fits in an afternoon and the wineries are tight enough that you can taste at four or five.
Traverse City guideI have a long weekend.
Run the Leelanau Peninsula loop. Two or three days with overnight stops in Suttons Bay and Glen Arbor lets you actually visit the producers worth visiting.
Leelanau road tripI want the wider Michigan picture.
Lake Michigan Shore and Fennville (the southwest AVAs) are different stylistically — warmer climate, broader varietal mix. Worth knowing about even if you start up north.
All Michigan AVAs05 / Library
All Michigan wine guides.
Traverse City & the peninsulas
The two-peninsula corridor north of Traverse City — where most Michigan wine reputation is made.
06 / Other states
Where the wine is also actually good.
Minnesota
Marquette, La Crescent, Frontenac
Wisconsin
Door County, Wollersheim, Driftless Area
Missouri
Norton, Hermann, Augusta AVA
New York
Finger Lakes, Hudson Valley, Long Island
Virginia
Monticello, Blue Ridge, Hunt Country
Texas
Hill Country, Wine Road 290
Colorado
Grand Valley, Palisade, West Elks AVA
Oregon
Willamette Valley pinot — and beyond
Washington
Columbia Valley, Walla Walla, Yakima
07 / Next stop
Pick the peninsula that fits the trip.
Old Mission is the quick loop; Leelanau is the long weekend. Either way, Riesling and cool-climate reds are what to order — and the named producers are what justify the drive.
Browse Northern Michigan guides