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Field
of
Dreams
in
Leelanau
County
By
Jim
Rink
I
first
realized
that
my
father
was
serious
about
growing
grapes
when
he
announced
his
intention
to
raze
our
modest,
but
popular
baseball
diamond
in
favor
of
a
nursery.
My
brothers
and
I
created
that
ball
park,
hacking
it
out
from
a
fallow
field
with
a
regular
push-type
lawnmower.
We
even
built
a
substantial
chicken-wire
backstop
to
halt
the
progress
of
an
errant
pitch.
In
a
rude
reversal
of
the
magical
"Field
of
Dreams"
scenario,
Bernie
Rink
told
us
the
diamond
would
have
to
go,
replaced
by
a
crop
that
no
one
in
those
parts
had
ever
heard
of-wine
grapes.
Little
did
we
know
at
the
time,
that
his
field
of
dreams
would
eventually
lead
to
the
establishment
of
the
commercial
wine
industry
in
northern
Michigan.
It
began
in
1965,
when
dad
got
a
hold
of
Phil
Wagner's
book,
"American
Wines
and
Winemaking"
(published
today
as
"Grapes
Into
Wine").
As
the
library
director
of
Northwestern
Michigan
College
in
Traverse
City,
he
had
access
to
a
lot
of
books.
He
also
had
access
to
land,
having
bought
16
rolling
acres
in
the
middle
of
Leelanau
County,
the
state's
"little
finger,"
jutting
out
into
northern
Lake
Michigan.
Sitting
on
the
45th
parallel,
the
peninsula
is
on
a
latitudinal
par
with
winegrowing
regions
in
southern
France
and
northern
Italy.
In
an
effort
to
turn
his
five
sons
into
economic
assets,
Bernie
decided
to
plant
a
one-acre
test
plot
of
several
French-American
hybrid
grape
varieties
and
a
few
of
the
less
hardy
vitis
vinifera-Chardonnay,
Johannisberg
Riesling
and
Gewurtztraminer.
Back
then,
the
hybrids
were
all
numbered-Seibel
5279
(Aurore),
Seibel
7053
(Chancellor),
Seibel
9549
(deChaunac),
Seibel
10878
(Chelois)
and
Seibel
13053
(Cascade).
Seibel,
needless
to
say,
had
a
lot
of
time
on
his
hands.
As
economic
assets,
we
were
expected
to
chop
weeds
in
the
sweltering
heat
of
mid-summer
and
pick
grapes
in
the
stinging
sleet
of
late
fall.
Not
to
mention
pruning
in
knee-deep
snow
in
the
winter
and
sorting
out
the
good
wood,
which
would
be
plunged
into
our
new-found
nursery
in
the
spring
to
repeat
the
endless,
monotonous
cycle.
But
it
was
fun.
We
used
to
make
up
lively
little
songs
about
the
vineyard
to
the
tune
of
"Tah,
Rah,
Rah,
Boom-de-ay":
We
work
at
Boskydel,
the
closest
thing
to
hell.
We're
never
treated
well,
at
slave
camp
Boskydel.
Working
closely
with
Bernie
in
the
early
days
was
retired
Michigan
State
University
chemistry
professor
Bob
Herbst,
who
established
an
experimental
vineyard
of
his
own
in
1971
on
the
cooler
east
shore
of
Lake
Michigan.
Due
to
the
difference
in
microclimate
between
the
two
sites,
Herbst's
hybrids
would
often
ripen
a
week
later.
In
the
ensuing
years,
Herbst
and
Rink
played
host
to
numerous
would-be
winemakers,
entrepreneurs,
members
of
the
media
and
the
just
plain
curious.
All
of
the
individuals
who
would
one
day
open
their
own
wineries
in
the
region
began
by
talking
to
these
two
trailblazers.
Both
men
began
their
avocations
strictly
in
the
amateur
sense.
But
then,
with
Rink,
something
went
horribly
wrong.
The
vision
of
five
sons-all
that
free
labor-proved
to
be
irresistible,
instilling
a
larger,
grander
desire.
In
1975,
construction
began
on
Boskydel
Vineyard,
the
first
bonded
winecellar
in
Leelanau
County.
Rink,
the
boss
of
Boskydel,
owned
56
acres
of
land,
25
acres
planted
in
grapes.
Only
Chateau
Grand
Traverse,
on
nearby
Old
Mission
Peninsula,
was
founded
earlier
than
Boskydel;
but
it
was
anti-climactic,
as
the
winery
opened
with
no
commercial
crush
of
its
own,
importing
all
of
the
first
few
vintages,
strictly
vinifera,
from
California
and
other
locations.
Boskydel's
varietals-Aurore,
Vignoles,
Soleil
Blanc,
Seyval
Blanc,
deChaunac
and
Rose
de
Chaunac-are
decidedly
French
in
character.
They
are
crisp,
clear
wines
with
a
touch
of
oak
and
plenty
of
time
in
the
bottle.
The
winery
bottles
approximately
6,500
gallons
per
year.
Emphasis
is
placed
on
intensive
viticulture.
"If
you
grow
good
grapes,
the
wine
will
make
itself,"
Rink
says.
Early
experiments
at
Boskydel
Vineyard
with
Riesling
and
Chardonnay
ended
in,
well,
indifference.
Although
the
vines
did
grow
and
a
fairly
good
wine
could
be
produced,
it
was
felt
that
the
results
were
not
consistent
enough
to
merit
the
additional
time
and
expense
of
maintaining
larger
tracts.
Unfortunately,
too
much
has
been
made
of
the
alleged
rift
between
the
hybrid
growers
and
the
vinifera
growers
of
the
region,
such
as
Ed
O'Keefe
of
Chateau
Grand
Traverse.
In
point
of
fact,
none
of
the
wineries
disputed
the
fact
that
vinifera
could
be
grown,
and
all
of
them
currently
offer
one
or
more
vinifera
varietals
for
sale
(Boskydel
will
unveil
a
Pinot
Noir
in
the
near
future).
The
difference
is,
the
Leelanau
Peninsula
wineries
waited
until
their
hybrid
vineyards
were
established
before
pursuing
the
more
tender
vinifera,
which
requires
greater
care
and
treatment.
The
hybrids
served
as
the
"work
horses"
of
these
wineries,
which
needed
a
consistent
crop
of
dependable
wine
grapes
to
become
established.
By
contrast,
Chateau's
first
major
commercial
harvest
did
not
take
place
until
1983,
and
the
winery-the
largest
in
the
area
at
50,000
gallons-continues
to
buy
up
to
half
of
its
grapes
from
other
winegrowing
regions.
In
1977,
Leelanau
Wine
Cellars,
Ltd.
debuted.
Begun
by
local
cherry
grower
Chuck
Kalchik
and
his
partner,
attorney
Mike
Jacobson,
the
winery
is
the
largest
on
the
Leelanau
Peninsula.
Nate
Stackhouse,
their
first
winemaker,
was
a
congenial,
outgoing
individual.
He
and
my
father
shared
many
an
afternoon
comparing
notes
and
vintages.
Nate
once
helped
us
out
with
a
mysterious
pectin
haze
which
developed
in
one
of
our
reds.
Leelanau
is
probably
most
famous
for
its
cherry
wine,
a
mainstay
that
will
always
be
popular
with
the
tourists
who
visit
Traverse
City-the
"Cherry
Capital
of
the
World."
The
winery
currently
has
35
acres
of
grapes
and
20
acres
of
plantable
land,
which
they
intend
to
convert
to
Chardonnay
and
Pinot
Noir.
They
produce
wines
from
Aurore,
Vignoles,
Baco
Noir,
Riesling,
Chardonnay
and
Pinot
Noir.
Proprietary
labels
include
Renaisannce,
Spring
Splendor,
Summer
Sunset,
Autumn
Harvest
and
Winter
White.
In
1978,
Larry
Mawby
unveiled
the
third
Leelanau
Peninsula
winery:
L.
Mawby
Vineyards.
Called
"the
best
of
a
new
breed
of
Michigan
winemakers"
by
Detroit
Free
Press
writer
James
Ricci,
Mawby
lives
up
to
his
reputation
by
producing
traditional,
French-style
table
wines
of
the
highest
quality.
L.
Mawby's
annual
production
of
2,400
cases
is
small,
on
purpose.
Crucial
to
the
Mawby
method
are
imported
French
oak
barrels
and
a
high-powered
air
rifle
to
"scare"
the
birds
away
in
the
fall.
Both
Mawby
and
Rink
subscribe
to
the
French
"dying
vine
theory"
which
broadly
states:
the
harder
a
vine
has
to
struggle
to
survive,
the
better
the
wine.
This
does
not
mean
they
go
to
great
lengths
to
harm
the
vine;
they
just
don't
go
out
of
their
way
to
help
it.
Larry
was
one
of
our
best
customers
at
the
baseball
field,
uh,
I
mean,
grape
nursery.
His
first
vineyard
was
planted
in
the
spring
of
1973
and
now
totals
10
acres.
His
mainstay
varietals
are
Vignoles,
Seyval
Blanc,
Marechal
Foch,
Pinot
Noir,
Pinot
Gris
and
Chardonnay.
In
addition
to
his
popular
proprietary
labels,
Sandpiper,
Turkey
Red
and
P.G.W.
Pun,
Mawby
makes
a
methode
champenoise
Brut
sparkling
wine
from
his
estate
vineyards.
To
the
uninitiated,
Mawby's
winery
is
difficult
to
locate.
Visits
by
groups
numbering
more
than
20
persons
are
frequently
discouraged.
Boskydel
is
not
so
easy
to
find
either.
The
proprietor
often
asks
customers
if
they
are
lost.
This
adds
to
the
mystery
and
allure
of
shopping
for
wine
in
Leelanau
County.
Last,
but
not
least
in
the
current
crop
of
Leelanau
Peninsula
wineries
is
Good
Harbor
Vineyards,
owned
by
Bruce
Simpson.
Opened
in
1980,
the
winery
is
equipped
with
30,000
gallongs
of
stainless
steel
cooperage
and
2,500
French
oak
barrels.
The
Simpson
family
has
been
in
the
fruit
business
on
the
Leelanau
Peninsula
since
the
mid-1950s.
Bruce
studied
enology
at
the
University
of
California-Davis
until
1978,
when
he
began
planting
wine
grapes,
courtesy
of
our
baseball
field,
uh,
I
mean,
grape
nursery.
Good
Harbor
is
most
famous
for
its
delightful
blend,
Trillium.
The
label
was
a
marketing
masterpiece,
based
on
a
popular
Michigan
wildflower,
which
resulted
in
wide
acclaim
and
increased
sales.
Other
Good
Harbor
varieties
include
Vignoles,
Seyval
Blanc,
Marechal
Foch,
Riesling,
Chardonnay,
Carmine,
Lemberger
and
Pinot
Gris.
Simpson,
Mawby
and
Rink
are
responsible
for
promoting
Leelanau
Peninsula
wines
and
putting
them-and
the
industry-in
the
limelight.
There
are
now
two
wine
festivals
each
summer
which
draw
large
crowds,
and
the
wineries
are
constantly
filled
with
loyal
customers
who
spread
the
word
on
the
newest
local
vintages.
In
1985,
in
recognition
of
the
growing
importance
of
winegrowing
to
the
state,
Gov.
James
Blanchard
formed
the
Michigan
Grape
and
Wine
Industry
Council,
of
which
Rink
was
a
founding
member.
In
this
same
enterprising
spirit,
Simpson
and
Mawby
have
formed
a
vineyard
management
company
to
encourage
other
growers
in
the
area
to
plant
wine
grapes.
In
1990,
20
acres
of
Chardonnay,
Vignoles
and
Pinot
Noir
were
planted
by
new
growers.
Meanwhile,
on
Old
Mission
Peninsula,
former
priest
Bob
Begin
is
in
full
swing
with
his
combination
winery,
vineyard
and
bed
and
breakfast,
Chateau
Chantal.
And
Bowers
Harbor
Vineyard
and
Winery
is
the
latest
newcomer
to
the
growing
field.
It's
hard
to
imagine
that,
from
a
former
baseball
field,
seven
wineries
and
scores
of
vineyards
have
sprung
into
existence.
Will
Michigan's
"little
finger"
become
the
Napa
Valley
of
the
North?
What
happens
if
more
than
20
people
visit
L.
Mawby
Vineyards?
Will
people
ever
get
tired
of
the
name
"Trillium?"
The
questions
raised
by
these
and
other
pressing
problems
remain
to
be
answered.
Personally,
I'm
more
worried
about
the
fate
of
Boskydel's
nursery.
Several
years
ago,
my
father
razed
it
to
plant
Chinese
chestnuts,
which
he
likes
to
roast
on
top
of
a
wood-burning
stove
for
customers.
Who
knows?
Maybe
someday
it
will
be
a
baseball
field
again.
Well,
a
guy
can
dream,
can't
he?
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