Discover the Best of Laurentide Winery on Leelanau Peninsula

By Wine and Beer Tours on Sep 20, 2018

Blog, Transport, Wine

The Story of Laurentide Winery

Back in the early 2000s Bill and Susan Braymer decided to turn their winemaking hobby into a business together. They started looking for real estate in California to start their vineyard but couldn’t find the perfect property. They took a break from looking and vacationed in Northern Michigan and ended up wine tasting on the Leelanau Peninsula and as they put it best, “the rest is history.” They established Laurentide Vineyard in 2006 and opened the Laurentide Winery tasting room in Lake Leelanau, six years later.

We loved hearing the story of how the name “Laurentide” came about. It is such an interesting and wonderful story and has so much meaning behind everything they do here at Laurentide. In their own words, “Laurentide is the last great ice sheet that receded 10,000 years ago from the upper tier of the North American continent. With the completion of this great geologic event, the Great Lakes and surrounding lands assumed their present forms. The Leelanau peninsula was exposed and the rocks and fossils from a 350 million year old ancient sea floor started to formulate the soil that sustains our vines today contributing to the unique terroir of the region.”

Those rocks and fossils they are talking about?! Petoskey Stones. You can stare at these beauties and learn all about them while you taste some awesome wine! “Wine is History”, is the Laurentide Vineyard motto. While drinking a bottle of wine and reading the label or enjoying it in their tasting room- you will learn so much about the history of the area their grapes are grown and the wine you are drinking.

The Wine at Laurentide Winery

The mission at Laurentide is to grow the best grapes that can be expressed as the best wine. They created their logo  (which is a wine glass shaped vine filled with Petoskey stones) and put it on every bottle to show the relationship between the earth and what fills your glass.

When you visit, make sure to check one of the first 100% estate grown Sauvignon Blanc grown in Michigan! Our other personal favorites were Pinot Gris, Unoaked Chardonnay, Pinot Noir Rose and their Reserve Meritage.

The Tasting Room at Laurentide Winery

Located on French Road, just off of 204, you’ll find their tasting room. Laurentide creates a very enjoyable wine tasting experience. Here you will enjoy a cozy space, a friendly and knowledgeable staff, and great wine all while listening to some wonderful jazz.

There are 15 Laurentide Wines to choose from. (depending on their availability at that time). A wine tasting costs $5 for 5 samples and bottles range from $15-$30 dollars.

After your tasting, check out the maps of the Laurentide Ice Sheet and then head out to the patio with a glass or bottle of wine!

How Do I get to Laurentide Winery?

Here is the best part! Don’t worry about driving the 30 minutes up to the tasting room, call us! We will pick you up from your Traverse City area hotel or rental, 7 days a week. Then, we will drive you up to Laurentide Winery to enjoy their wonderful wine and tasting room.