Good is in the details! A family’s passion for quality infuses Suttons Bay’s new farm-to-table tasting room Gilchrist Farm Winery.
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She first saw the dish in a dream. Before the details could fade, chef Deanna Mikalauskas, bleary-eyed and still in bed, texted them to her colleague chef Christian Stawiarski: satchels of hand-made pasta stuffed with pinot-infused pears, all bathed in an Italian-gorgonzola sauce. Her spin on sacchettini—using fruit from her employer’s orchard—quickly became a menu standout at Suttons Bay’s newest establishment, Gilchrist Farm Winery. Perched downtown “in the blue house next to Martha’s Table,” as locals say, this wine tasting room, coffee shop and dining spot is cozy, upscale and the perfect showcase for the bounty grown at namesake Gilchrist Farm.
Photo by Dave Weidner
Photo by Dave Weidner
Photo by Dave Weidner
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On 85 acres of sun-kissed heaven above Lake Leelanau, owner Marc Huntoon nurtures 22 acres of grapes. Meanwhile, a one-acre “market garden” is tended by Marc’s wife, Elizabeth, and their daughter Laurel, a passionate soil scientist who uses regenerative agriculture practices to reap flavorful produce delivered daily to the Suttons Bay tasting room. There, chefs transform it into plates such as Sardinian gnocchi in tomato sauce (from the farm’s organic heirloom tomatoes) and the pear filling of Deanna’s delectable sacchettini.
For now, the wine list features vintages primarily made from grapes sourced locally. (We recommend Four Daughters, a red blend that’s a nod to Marc’s kids.) Gilchrist Farm’s first estate wines are expected this spring. The maturing vines include the usual chard-pinot-merlot suspects, but Marc—who works in tandem with wine manager Drew Perry—also planted rarer, cold-hardy varietals such as Teroldego and Lagrein, which are native red-wine grapes hailing from Italy’s Dolomites region.
Photo by Dave Weidner
Photo by Dave Weidner
Photo by Dave Weidner
Locals will be giddy to learn this winter-loving family is determined not to reduce the tasting room’s hours through the offseason. Look for hot mulled wine and small-plate items created with produce raised inside the farm’s 100-foot-long hoop house. Adds Business Manager George Brittain (who’s married to Marc’s daughter Alyssa): “We’re also going to plan some not-so-serious events—like a tiki party in the dead of winter—because there’s a fun side of wine that needs to be celebrated more. Plus, we’re working too hard to be that serious about stuff.”
Photo by Dave Weidner
Photo by Dave Weidner
Lucinda Hahn is a freelance writer living in Suttons Bay. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Magazine, Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated and more.
Dave Weidner is an editorial photographer and videographer based in Northern Michigan. Follow him on Facebook and Instagram @dzwphoto.
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