Jessica Youngblood is busy pruning vines on her 46-acre farm in Ray during a phone interview with Michigan Wine Country magazine. January in the Mitten is no match for this seasoned viticulturist, who is tending to Petite Pearl vines used for a red wine and a rosé at the winery.
“It’s nice weather,” Youngblood says. “It’s not snowing or raining or super windy, so as long as you’re moving …”
With her electric shears buzzing in the background, Youngblood explains that she enjoys sharing the realities of farm life, which is why she and her husband, David, offer various tastings, animal experiences, and events to the public. Each December, they host classes where attendees weave grapevines into holiday wreaths. In the spring, guests return for goat yoga followed by a glass of wine (estate-grown Marquette is a favorite). All year round, visitors can interact with the farm’s Nigerian dwarf goats; Kunekune pigs; Buff Orpington chickens; Flemish giant rabbits; and four fluffy, friendly Great Pyrenees working dogs. Guests can learn about the farm’s 11 beehives, tended in partnership with Bees in the D, or hike the property, where six varieties of grapes are grown.
Getting to Youngblood Vineyard is an easy jaunt for metro Detroiters looking to escape the city or suburbia and head to greener pastures, and a new 16,000-square-foot facility for tasting, events, and production expands the owners’ hosting capabilities.
“We want people to come and see the vineyard and have that personal connection to where their wines come from,” Youngblood says. “They can look at the glass of wine in their hand as they’re walking the trails and think, ‘My wine came from this vine.’ It’s a cool experience.”
Wine Tourism
Wine is an agricultural product by definition, and vineyards are technically farms. Many Michigan viticulturists grow other crops in addition to grapes, and some raise livestock as well.
When these farmers open their properties to visitors, they blend “agritourism” and “oenotourism” to offer immersive, hands-on experiences that are worth the trip. The financial opportunity is certainly there: According to WineAmerica’s 2022 National Economic Impact Study of the Wine Industry by John Dunham & Associates, Michigan’s wine country attracts more than 180,000 tourists across 600,000-plus visits and generates almost $209 million a year.
There’s more to opening a farm to the public than profit, of course. At Green Bird Cellars, co-owner Tim Hearin’s focus is on helping oenophiles appreciate where their wine comes from.
“We’re not trying to be a palatial tasting room that is separate from the winemaking and grape-growing process,” Hearin explains. “Everyone who’s tasting our wine can be in the fields with us. That’s integral to what’s in our bottle.”
Dirt to Glass
Green Bird Cellars in Leelanau County, high up on the Leelanau Peninsula, is nestled in a valley. Visitors turn off M-22 onto a country road and drive past planted vines to reach the 15-acre old-world farm and its brightly colored buildings that pay tribute to Hearin’s native New Orleans. At Green Bird, Hearin and his wife, Betsy Sedlar, grow organic grapes and apples to make wine and cider.
“We consider ourselves to be farmers first,” Hearin says. “We try to spend as little time in the wine cellar making wine and as much time in the field tending each vine as possible.”
From June through October, Hearin hosts weekly farm tours, during which he walks visitors through the grounds and describes Green Bird’s regenerative agricultural practices.
“I might ask them to do a little farming,” Hearin says. “Because we’re organic and don’t use pesticides, they might have to crush a bug or two, pull a weed for us, or catch a chicken that’s escaped their pasture.”
At the end of the tour, guests have the option to add a winemaker-guided tasting.
For an extended stay, guests can book Green Bird’s cozy Airbnb by the vines.
“I think as the public becomes more interested in the integration of farming and food, and farming and drink, places like Green Bird will only grow,” Hearin says.
Farm to Table
Farther south off M-22, in Suttons Bay, Black Star Farms’ flagship location offers guests an “agri-estate” experience against the backdrop of manicured vineyards and bright red barns. Visitors enter the gates and pass a terraced vineyard before coming upon the stately equestrian facility full of horses — including a pony and a “mini” — and a feed station, where they can grab some grain for the goats.
“They are a delight to our guests,” says managing owner Sherri Campbell Fenton.
Like some other Michigan vineyards, Black Star grows produce, and a big focus is helping tourists experience the farm through food. The garden generates a bounty of heirloom tomatoes, beans, peppers, squashes, and herbs, which are used in complimentary breakfasts for guests at the inn, lunches and dinners at Bistro Polaris, and catered functions in the Pegasus Barn.
Guests can take cooking classes followed by dinner with chef John Korycki, or join progressive wine and food tastings with a farm-to-table focus.
“Chef is very particular about sourcing everything as fresh and local as can be,” Campbell Fenton says.
Visitors can also take part in seasonal horse-drawn sleigh rides and hayrides as well as hike and bike the extensive trail system. In the winter, guests love to rent snowshoes and explore the grounds before warming up with hot mulled wine on the heated Terrace Patio.
“We like to get people out in our pastures and have an experience that, if you live in a city, is more difficult to find,” Campbell Fenton says.
Farm Finder
Here’s a look at some Michigan vineyards that welcome visitors to the farm*
Black Star Farms | Suttons Bay
A 160-acre winery estate with an equestrian facility, hiking and biking trails, snowshoe rentals, animal experiences, and farm-to-table dining with award-winning wine pairings.
Green Bird Cellars | Northport
A 15-acre organic, regenerative farm with tours, tastings, animals, and an Airbnb. Cider, wine, and eggs available.
Pond Hill Farm | Harbor Springs
On-farm vibe with a trout pond, livestock and a mobile chicken wagon, 5 acres of vineyards, and 20 acres of vegetables. Trails, live entertainment, and café dining. Pet- and family-friendly, with a gnome house hunt where kids can search for clues to a prize.
Robinette’s Apple Haus & Winery | Grand Rapids
A 125-acre farm with a cider haus and winery, gift barn, and bakery with fresh doughnuts all year round. Activities include a seasonal petting zoo, a corn maze, hayrides, and a jumping pillow. Peaches, nectarines, and U-pick apples and cherries.
Virtue Cider | Fennville
A 48-acre farm experience with a farmhouse, a farm truck, a flower and herb garden, and three heated greenhouses available for rent to enjoy hand-pressed hard ciders and seasonal meals. The farm raises Gloucestershire old spot pigs, heritage breed chickens, and bees.
Youngblood Vineyard | Ray
An estate winery on 46 acres (25 of which are for grapevines) with goat yoga, plenty of animals, classes, and space for tasting and events.
*Check for hours and seasonality.
This article originally appeared in the 2024 Michigan Wine Country magazine.
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