Discover the Best of Left Foot Charley Wine and Cider
The Story of Left Foot Charley
Left Foot Charley was created in 2004 on a bit different of an idea than most of the wineries you have visited in Northern Michigan. Left Foot Charley works with numerous small vineyards throughout Northern Michigan that are owned and farmed by people who do not have wineries. Instead of having their grapes sent off to produce giant blends, Left Foot Charley teams up with them and turns their work into wonderful wine! They work with 18 local growers to produce various wines and produce it right in Traverse City! We love that they are located in the former Northern Michigan Asylum on the West side of town!
The question we always get is how Left Foot Charley got its unique name. We found out that “as a child, owner and winemaker, Bryan Ulbrich, was an impulsive kid with an inward leaning left foot. This combined with the unencumbered enthusiasm to run before thinking cause him to trip and eat a lot of earth in his day. The nickname grew out of family parties and to this day its true origin remains a bit of a mystery.”
The Wine At Left Foot Charley
When we did our tasting here this past week there were over 12 wines to try in the tasting room! They have a new Red Drive red blend that was their most popular this month and for good reason, we want to drink it all fall and winter! Other tour favorites are the 2016 OMP Riesling, 2017 Stumble and their 2016 Gewurztraminer. We love these as well, but our personal favorites last time tasting was their 2016 Cadia and 2016 Chardonnay.
One of our favorite things about the wine here is the labels on the back! Their winemaker Brian writes such beautiful, witty and fun descriptions of each wine. Definitely take the time to read them when you are here enjoying a tasting. One of my favorites is the story on the back of the Cadia wine bottle!
The Cider at Left Foot Charley
Not only do they make great wine, but Left Foot Charley also has seven ciders for sale in their tasting room. One (their Barrel Reserve Engle’s Ransom) is in a bottle but the other 6 are on tap for you to try! They have a wonderful list of different ciders to try from dry to sweet. They are famous for their Cinnamon Girl cider, people just go crazy for it! Our personal favorite right now is the Antrim Cider.
Events
Tasting Room Events
Happy Hour Monday-Thursday 3-6.
Open Mic Night Every Monday from 6-9.
Live Music Every Friday from 6-8.
On the warmer days live music is out on the patio!
You can enjoy small plates in their tasting room as well.
Left Foot Charley also offers tours of their production facility a few days out of the week. It includes a wine tasting and is $15 per person to book this go ahead give them a call. They all offer private tastings and tours of their barrel room, to learn more about them click HERE.
How Do I Get To Left Foot Charley?
Here is the best part! Don’t worry about driving to the tasting room of Left Foot Charley, call us! We will pick you up from your Traverse City area hotel or rental, 7 days a week. Then, we will drive you to their tasting room to try their wonderful wine and cider.
