Gilchrist Farm Winery

Gilchrist Farm Winery brings an unusual two-part setup to the Leelanau Peninsula: an 85-acre farm and vineyard on South French Road, plus a tasting room and restaurant in downtown Suttons Bay. Marc and Elizabeth Huntoon bought the property in 2018 and planted a notably broad mix of grapes for northern Michigan, including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Albariño, Grüner Veltliner, Blaufränkisch, Lagrein, and Teroldego. The first estate wine arrives from the 2023 vintage, with fruit grown on a high, south-facing site overlooking Lake Leelanau and Lake Michigan.

What makes Gilchrist worth knowing about is that it leans as hard into farming as it does into wine. The vineyard is managed with regenerative practices on glacial sandy loam soils, and the kitchen pulls vegetables, herbs, and fruit from a three-quarter-acre market garden, supplemented by other northern Michigan farms. Concrete barrels, irrigation and fertigation, and even a laser bird-deterrent system show up here not as marketing garnish but as part of a very hands-on growing operation.

For visitors, this feels less like a quick swirl-and-spit stop and more like a place to settle in. Gilchrist pours estate wines by tasting, glass, and bottle, serves lunch and dinner Wednesday through Saturday, and keeps a patio open in the warmer months beside its remodeled 1899 space. Reservations are recommended but not essential, and the downtown Suttons Bay location makes it an easy add-on to a day of walking the village or driving the Leelanau Peninsula wine trail.