Wineries of Black Star Farms
Michigan’s First and Only Winery Awarded ‘Best in Show’ at
the Canberra International Riesling Competition
The Winery at Black Star Farms, LLC invites you to embrace the enticing aromas and flavors of our hand-crafted wines and spirits, showcasing our region’s unique lake-effect climate and agricultural bounty.
Since 1998, we have been producing wines from local vineyards on the Leelanau and Old Mission peninsulas, providing you with a product we consciously craft from vine to bottle. Because of our commitment to preservation, many of our vineyards are protected from development and can only be used for agricultural purposes. In addition, on our Suttons Bay farm, all cropping, livestock, and forestry standards meet or exceed the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) set forth by our agricultural governing bodies.
At Black Star Farms Suttons Bay, we invite you to explore our 160-acre winery estate, including our spacious tasting room, outdoor terrace, distinctive Inn, onsite bistro, equestrian facility, and recreational trails.
Just minutes from downtown Traverse City, the Black Star Farms Old Mission team awaits your visit to their round wine-barrel bar as you begin your scenic adventure up the peninsula.
With over 50 wines and European-style brandies, we have something to please every palate. So join us on your next visit to the Traverse Wine Coast!
OUR WINES
In our 20th year, we were honored to receive the most prestigious award at the 19th Annual Canberra International Riesling Challenge – Best Wine of the Challenge! This award was given to our 2017 Arcturos Dry Riesling and was only the second time in CIRC’s history that an American wine came out on top.
A record number of Rieslings (567) from six countries known for fantastic Riesling – Australia, New Zealand, USA, Germany, France, and the Czech Republic were judged at the challenge.
Our 2017 Arcturos Dry Riesling scored 98 points and was awarded “Best in Show,” in addition to taking home Best Dry Riesling and Best American Riesling. All six Rieslings we submitted received medals, showing a consistent quality across our vintages and styles.
Recently Patrick Comiskey from Wine & Spirits magazine praised the overall quality of the wines of the Leelanau Peninsula. “As its vinifera-winegrowing heritage enters its second generation, we found a region making impressive strides in quality, worldliness, and energy, a provincial locus with global aspirations, freshly interpreting the wine world’s latest innovations and trends.” – January 2023
We invite you to taste and purchase our wines at our two Traverse City area tasting rooms, online, or retail stores near you.
OUR VINEYARDS
Our region is fast becoming recognized for the tremendous opportunities for growing grapes. The lake-effect climate enables the growth of classic vinifera grape varieties, including Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, and more.
Our fruit is sourced from our proprietor’s vineyards and local grower partners on the Old Mission and Leelanau Peninsulas. This diversity allows us to obtain consistent quality across vintages. Our wines reflect this quality, from our premium Arcturos label to our sparkling, fruit, and house wines, and represent the best efforts of our skilled wine making teams.
