When a South African (who knows wine ) recommended we go to this winery, we quickly bookmarked the…read morespot for later. It did not disappoint. For starters, the drive alone is worth the visit- stunning views all around on the old mission peninsula north of traverse city. Upon pulling up, we could see they were quite busy but we're able to take our two kiddos, purchase some glasses of wine and sit in the shade on the grassy patio overlooking the vineyards. They have a bar and snack area on the lawn along with cornhole. It was a perfect spot for us to leisurely pass the hour with the kids and enjoy a fabulous glass of gerwitzemeiner. I'm still thinking about the glass of wine paired with Parmesan crisps- heaven. We don't drink much for health reasons but this glass was definitely worth cashing in my "monthly drink chip". Highly recommend a visit here! PS: try their lovely lavender soap and lotions from the secret garden shop on site.

This was our first stop of the day and by the end of the day, after using it as the benchmark, I…read morerealized what a gem it was. The service was friendly, welcoming, and patient as we took our time deciding what to order for my wine flight. The wines were all pretty good. I am not usually a fan of Riesling, but theirs was so good I bought a bottle to take home. The view was both peaceful and relaxing. The cheese board was perfectly balanced and complimented the wines we selected. This vineyard is small but mighty. Don't forget to check out the secret garden while you are there - it's stunning!

Our group unfortunately arrived at 6:30, only a half hour until they closed so we weren't able to…read moredo a flight. However the very kind lady behind the counter let us try multiple wines so that we could find one we each loved to have a glass outside and enjoy the beautiful view. The customer service, along with their very excellent reds earn 5 stars with me. I can't speak of their food because we weren't able to order any but the ambience was fantastic and if I were local, I would definitely return!

Very nice touristy winery. Pleasant outdoor seating with views overlooking the vineyards and bay…read more An enjoyable venue for sipping wine. Pleasant service; but if sipping outside, you do need to step back in for any wine revisits. They make several fine wines; I particularly enjoyed the 2033 Merlot and 2022 Row 7. However, the 2024 Pinot Nero (Noir) was unremarkable (over-oaked?), as was the 2023 Cabernet Franc (which had pronounced notes of cherry juice on the palate). Sadly, there is little to no discussion of their wines during the tasting (this aspect makes this more of a wine bar than a winery). I was taken aback that there was no opportunity to compensate for the $24 tasting fee (2026) with bottle purchases. The multiple bottle discount is a nominal 5% on 3 bottles. They charge what the market will bear. :-) Pro tip: The nearby Lake District Wine shop sells Mari wines for notably less than the retail and even the wine club pricing at the winery (I did not purchase any wine at the winery).

Back in the day when I was a ameutur Oenologist (a sophisticated word for someone who knows and…read morelikes wine) I would take trips all over the world to taste every iteration of what wine could be. Those days are long gone but a glass of "Red" every now and then is fun. Being invited to our dear friend's wedding this weekend up in Traverse City, Michigan and having it take place at this absolutely beautiful vineyard brought back a flood of memories that were (still) very nice. Black Star Farms Old Mission is this huge Farm / Vineyard with tons of acreage set beautifully in the mountains of northwest Michigan. It was stunning! This vineyard could hold its own against Napa or Sonoma or Paso Robles or Santa Ynez; it's just that good. Every person working here were spot-on when it came to making sure all guests were taken very good care of. We were here for a wedding and the food presented to us was superb: The Hors d'oeuvres were scrumptious The salad was great My entree was excellent And our "Four" desserts were fantastic Such a lovely setting, with great food and an accommodating staff make our visit here truly wonderful.

Ugh..Still using beer flights for wine tasting. Noticed most of the wineries in both peninsulas…read moreare going back to stemmed glassware...much classier, besides my tastes don't get warmed by the board or my hand. Makes a difference in the taste. We opted to pass on the tasting and just purchased a couple of bottles from what we tried in the past.

I was blown away by the wines! If you love Merlot you need to experience theirs, best Merlot on…read moreeither peninsula. The Rose' was very good. You honestly cannot go wrong with any of the wines! The owners are so incredibly nice and I felt like I was visiting an old dear friend, instead of meeting for the first time. Just made my trip that much more special. Between my brother in law and myself we left with $600 worth of true treasures !! Including the wall art which is their bottle labels

This vineyard was AMAZING! Scott, the owner, had everything so beautifully set up for our birthday…read moregroup! Wine was outstanding, vibe was perfection. All the little details make all the big differences. Couldn't recommend this place more. Go check it out!

Waterfire is a very nice and small winery along the west side of Torch Lake. Super friendly people…read more Known for their white wines, but they did have one red available. I'm not a big white wine drinker, but I thought they were excellent. I had a flight consisting of 3 whites and the Cab Franc. Very delicious. Great snacks too! The outdoor space is very nice especially when the weather is perfect like it was the day we were here. Really loved it here.

Wow!! We hosted my daughter's wedding here and everything was perfect! The Event coordination was…read moresuperior and the location breathtaking. We received many compliments from our guests! The wine is always a win! Thank you WaterFire for helping to make this day memorable!

We had a wonderful experience at Chateau Chantal. It helped that we made an appointment since it…read morewas Labor Day weekend. Despite absolutely huge crowds coming in, owner Marie, spent over an hour with us as industry bloggers sharing the history, production and products. This property is absolutely incredibly situated to have views of both sides of Mission Bay, and it's incredibly gorgeous. The investment in the property is immense with the incredible clean lines of rolling Hill vineyards, a massive world-class tasting facility, production room with lots of space, and retail products display space. Seating is all over, from the back rolling Hill patios, two front balcony terraces. They are well-staffed to handle large groups and give everyone great smiling friendly service. My glog has all the wine details, and we had 'finds'. Unique were the distillery items too. See wine-sage review for wine details. Overall the experience was reminiscint of the best we've seen in expensive California, with better views! Thanks Marie for the memorable experience. Definitely go. Best property we saw on Mission and Leelanau in Michigan

Beautiful start to our wine tour. This is a great spot for pictures! Maybe a little touristy but…read morethe view are worth it if the lake. And there is a great selection of wines. And a nice spot to chill and relax

Sarah was the best. Understanding one's palette is difficult, but she nailed it. We had a blast…read moreeven buying some of the cider! Highly suggest the lemon. Crisp and just as delicious as a lemon bar. The ambiance is a typical wine tasting room. I would be wise about the time you go cause it fills up fast.

I want to start out by saying that the woman who led our tasting, Sara, is fantastic! She was…read morebubbly and friendly and fun to talk to. We walked in after having grabbed some sandwiches to-go from a spot up the street that doesn't have a dining area. Generally, places that don't offer food and wineries are welcoming of bringing in food with you. But I usually like to check ahead of time, just in case it is one of those few that doesn't allow it. I walked up to an open spot at the tasting bar and asked if it was alright for us to bring our food in, and it was not a problem at all. There are many MANY wineries from which to choose in the area. Verterra won out for us for two reasons: 1 - proximity to our hotel and 2 - proximity to food options. I was not disappointed with our experience, especially since it was made out of convenience. Since I was visiting with my family, including my mother, I don't know how much anything cost. My mom took care of the check for us...our tasting, our glasses, and the couple bottles we left with. But I honestly don't think it was terribly expensive, and a cursory glance at other reviews have me thinking it is $5 for five tastings. That is certainly fair for what I have seen across the midwest and beyond in the US. They have a great variety of wines to choose from, as well. I opted to begin with some drier wines, before making my way to my wheelhouse...my sweet spot, you might say....the sweet wines. My sister and I tasted different wines so we could maximize our sampling and share. The wines were all delightful. I am always a sucker for an ice wine and they have the cutest little tasting glasses for the ice wines. But I think I recall really liking the riesling and vignoles. I got a glass of the riesling to go with my lunch and a bottle of the vignoles to bring home with me. They also have a selection of their cider. You can even mix and match your own four-pack (so I got one of each to bring back home with me). I have tried them all now and as a cider-lover I gotta say...stick to the wine. But if you are NOT a wine drinker, it is nice to have a couple other options here. The glass I got went well with my sandwich, and we enjoyed sitting for a spell and eating and drinking at one of the small tables set back a bit from the tasting bar. The music playing was also pretty great. Like I said, there are a LOT of wineries in the area to choose from (more than 25 between Leland and Traverse City along one road!) You could absolutely do worse than Venterra. My visit just inspired a desire to visit MORE wineries in the area to get that good stuff! I enjoyed my visit here, and I think you will too!

This was our first stop of our girl's wine weekend. "Buck" (as we called him...we didn't get his…read morename, but he was in all camo ready to go hunting!) was very knowledgeable, we liked the mulled wine, the setting was...ok. It felt more like a bar than anything else.

Cute little winery near Torch Lake. We stopped through for a tasting flight on a Saturday afternoon…read morein June. It was pretty quiet (early season in Northern MI) for a Saturday, and we enjoyed the peace of their patio area. The charcuterie board complemented the wines and it was nice to have a little something to snack on before moving on to the next spot.