Wine fests every month

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The acoustic blues duo Hipps-N-Ricco plays at Saturday's Leelanau Peninsula Wine, Food & Music Festival. Special to the Record-Eagle
Chateau de Leelanau introduces its new Schaub Farm White at the wine, food and music festival.

July 20, 2012

Wine fests every month

New weekend, new village for Saturday event

By MARTA HEPLER DRAHOS mdrahos@record-eagle.com The Record Eagle Mon Jul 30, 2012, 12:19 PM EDT

TRAVERSE CITY — The Leelanau Peninsula Wine, Food & Music Festival has a new weekend, a new location and a new look this year.

The annual wine festival celebrating the peninsula wineries and local foods is moving south to Suttons Bay's Marina Park in July, a break from its traditional month and site in August at Northport's Haserot Park.

The changes were made to gain more exposure for the festival, which this year will feature 17 wineries, a brewery, and seven eateries, said Leelanau Peninsula Chamber of Commerce Board Member Matt Gregory.

"Northport is an absolutely great town and we love having the festival there, but we really felt like a venue change was going to benefit Suttons Bay, the Leelanau Peninsula Chamber and the Leelanau wineries because Suttons Bay has a little more infrastructure," Gregory said. "There's a few more restaurants, a few more places to stay."

The festival will run from 1-7 p.m. Saturday, July 21, under a tent at the park, just north of the Suttons Bay Marina. It will be held in conjunction with the Inland Seas Education Association's Classic Boat Show from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at the coal docks in Suttons Bay.

The event will bring the somewhat hidden Corky's Bistro at The Vineyard Inn to a wider audience, said owner Pam Leonard. The M-22 eatery is about two miles north of the village, with only a small sign to mark it.

"We're right in Suttons Bay, we're the only eatery on the water, but we're off the beaten path a little," said Leonard, whose festival fare will include the bistro's signature "low and slow" barbecue pulled pork and Texas-style beef brisket sandwiches. "So it's a good way to get more people to us. We're kind of a well-kept secret."

Leonard said the festival also will mark the launch of her business partner's new French Valley Vineyards, whose award-winning Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and semi-dry Riesling will be among dozens of Leelanau Peninsula wines available for tasting.

Chateau de Leelanau will use the festival to introduce its new Schaub Farm White, a blend of Riesling, Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay, said Gregory, an ownership partner in the winery, one of the oldest in northern Michigan. The "sweet trilogy" was named after a historical farm family in Leelanau County.

The winery also plans to bring its flagship Bianca, made from a Hungarian grape wine, with notes of pear, grapefruit and apricot.

"Because of the hot weather we've been experiencing, I plan on focusing on the light white wines," Gregory said.

Besides Corky's Bistro, food vendors include Double Eagle Restaurant, Hearth & Vine, Pleva's Meats, Stone House Bread, TLC Tomatoes and VI Grill.

This year's entertainment showcases the Charlevoix-Boyne City area acoustic blues duo Hipps-N-Ricco and Charlie Witthoeft.

Northport will continue to have a wine festival in August on the same day as its traditional Northport Dog Parade, said Tony Lentych, general manager of Leelanau Cellars. The new Northport Wine Festival, Aug. 11 this year, will be organized by the Northport-Omena Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the wineries of the "north wine loop." That includes Leelanau Peninsula wineries north of M-204, he said.

"Now the peninsula has wine festivals in June in Leland, in July in Suttons Bay and in August in Northport," Lentych said. "The fact that we're last doesn't bother us at all. We're not competing with anyone, so it's going to be a little more low-key: a few restaurants partnering with wineries. It was nice working with the Leelanau Chamber, but with them switching months, the opportunity to do this presented itself."

Admission to the Leelanau Peninsula Wine, Food & Music Festival is $15 and includes a wine glass and two tasting tickets. Additional tasting tickets are $2.

For more information, visit www.leelanauchamber.com or call 271-9895.