Traverse City Fall Wine Tours
How to Plan Your Fall Wine Tour
Fall. It’s known locally as “our f-word.” To utter this four-letter word before Labor Day can result in receiving death glances from locals. If one is to use it at all before the first week of September, it’s wise to whisper the word in hushed tones. But if you’re planning a fall wine tasting tour in Traverse City start planning! Now is the perfect time to start putting together your plan!
Pick Your Timing Wisely
Many visitors try to plan their fall wine tour with peak color season. As anyone from Northern Michigan will tell you, timing your trip to hit peak color can be quite challenging. Traverse City is usually blessed with a very mild September. Indeed, some years, our temperatures in September can be almost as high during the day as in August. But, it’s Northern Michigan. It snows in September, too. This year, Lake Michigan and the Bays have been unseasonably warm. Keep this in mind, it should ensure Traverse City stays a bit warmer than usual later into the season. Our peak fall color usually runs from late September to mid-October. But, I’d wager the season pushes closer to the end of October than most years due to the warm water temps. Of course, you should follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to see pictures over the next month so you gauge the changing of the leaves so you can plan your trip accordingly.
Choose Your Fall Color Tour Route
This is where it gets complicated. Where do you go for your wine tour in the fall? Fortunately for you, there’s really no poor decision to make! The Leelanau Peninsula is stunning any time of the year, but it really comes alive in the fall. With its elevation variations, you’re always able to see sweeping vistas of forest, orchards, and vineyards throughout the entire tour. Tasting rooms at Black Star Farms, Chateau de Leelanau, and Chateau Fontaine are always decorated to the nines in autumn themes, making a fall wine tour distinctly unique from any other time in the year.
On the other hand, Old Mission Peninsula’s vineyards and hardwoods are tough to miss out on in the fall. The views of the bays on either side of the Peninsula are breathtaking. Also, the stunning oranges and reds on the banks of the bays in the distance are positively sensational. The wineries really get into the season on Old Mission, with Peninsula Cellars, Bowers Harbor Vineyards, and Bonobo Winery being the stops who have made extra efforts to provide a unique fall experience in recent history.
If you need any help figuring out where to stay, check out our blog post on recommendations for a host of different lodging options. Of course, you are more than welcome to email or call speak with Tim or Jody, who will bend over backward to make sure you have the best possible fall wine tasting experience!
To learn about more Traverse City wineries, breweries, distilleries and events in Northern Michigan, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Believe it or not, we’re on Google+ too!