Northern Michigan wine shares the stage with some seriously drinkable Northern Michigan hard ciders. Check out four that sip very easy.
Black Star Farms: Hard Apple Cider
A sparkling cider made from eight Old Mission Peninsula–grown cider apples, great with mild cheeses or Thanksgiving dinner. Eric Felton of the Wall Street Journal declared it “far and away, the best cider out of more than a dozen I tried.” Winemaker (and cidermaker) Lee Lutes also makes a luscious Apple Cherry Hard Cider—but it’s already sold out for the season! blackstarfarms.com
Black Star Farms Suttons Bay 10844 E. Revold Road
Suttons Bay, MI 49682 231.944.1270
Black Star Farms Old Mission 360 McKinley Rd. East
Traverse City, MI 49686 231.944.1300
Tastes of Black Star Farms at The Mercato 800 Cottageview Dr. Suite 35
Traverse City, MI 49684 231.944.134
Forty-Five North Vineyard and Winery: Hard Cider
Gold medal winner at the 2009 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Made with organic antique apples, bubbly and crisp with an unabashedly pure apple flavor. Or switch up your glass and try the Pear Cider made simply from harvest ripe pears. fortyfivenorth.com
8580 E. Horn Rd. Lake Leelanau, MI 49653 231.271.1188
Left Foot Charley: Cinnamon Girl
Made from 6 varieties of apples, this fall favorite is aged with Korjinte and Vietnamese Cinnamon. Though still light and refreshing, it’s the closest you’ll get to pie in a glass. Check out Charley’s rotating cider tap all year long. Made in traditional small-sized batches, draught choices change frequently. (Thus, frequent visits are absolutely appropriate.) leftfootcharley.com
806 Red Drive Traverse City, MI 49684 231.995.0500
Tandem Ciders: Smackintosh
Imagine biting into a sweet, tart Northern Michigan apple—plus a special after-bonus buzz. Unfortunately, this one’s a late bloomer in the cider world and isn’t expected to be ready until mid-November. So worth the wait! tandemciders.com
2055 North Setterbo Road Suttons Bay, MI 49682 (231) 271-0050