Michigan's Vibrant Vineyard Vacations

We were recently featured in the Autumn Issue of Michigan Home and Lifestyle Magazine as part of their "Michigan's Vibrant Vineyard Vacations" segment.

Check out the article on their website or pick up the Autumn Issue at your local bookstore. 

Michigan Home and Lifestyle writes,

Silver Leaf Vineyard

Along grapevines and nearby cherry trees, a rustic, log-hewn cabin resides on the grounds of Silver Leaf Winery in Suttons Bay. The cozy cabin is ideal for whiling an afternoon away, reading a good book and sipping wine on beautiful Leelanau Peninsula. In the tasting room, vinters Mark and Patti Carlson pour tastes of their wines, handcrafted from their 22-acre vineyard. Revel in the brightly displayed artwork by local artists that graces the walls and is available for purchase. Or, linger on the spacious deck accessible through French doors. The treetop and vineyard views just may inspire you to trek along a two-mile trail through the estate, guided by a handy map. Be sure to pack a lunch, as the serene setting offers several picnic spots.

Grape-to-Wine Conversion Chart

Ever wonder how many grapes it takes to make a bottle of Silver Leaf wine? How many grapes are in a glass? How much wine does one vine yield? We've answered these burning questions and more in this handy-dandy conversion chart.

Grape-to-Wine Conversion Chart:Grapes waiting to be harvested in our vineyard

1 grape cluster = 1 glass
75 grapes = 1 cluster
4 clusters = 1 bottle
40 clusters = 1 vine
1200 clusters = 1 barrel
1 barrel = 60 gallons
60 gallons = 25 cases
1 vine = 10 bottles
1.2 vines = 1 case
30 vines = 1 barrel
400 vines = 1 acre
1 acre = 5 tons
5 tons = 332 cases
76.5 vines = 1 ton
1 ton = 126 cases

That's a whole lot of grapes! 

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from Silver Leaf Vineyard & Winery!

Happy Halloween from Marti, Mark and Patti

Toast the Season Wine Tour

It's almost time to once again Toast the Season! This year's Toast the Season Wine Tour takes place over two November weekends, the weekends of the 5th and 6th and the 12th and 13th. 

The tour is self-guided and you may visit 8 of the 18 member LPVA wineries each day in whatever order you desire between the hours of 11am to 5pm Saturday and noon to 5pm Sunday.

The tour features a special wine pour accompanied by holiday themed gourmet food at each of the 18 Leelanau Peninsula member wineries. At your starting winery you will be given a commemorative glass, an LPVA holiday ornament and a holiday gift bag featuring local, fair trade and organic food and more!

For tickets or more information, visit www.lpwines.com.

Recycled Wine Bottle Lamps

Here at Silver Leaf, we love being eco-friendly. Not only are we the official drop-off location for Cork ReHarvest natural cork recycling in Leelanau County, but we also love to recycle our own wine bottles. We've turned our empty wine bottles into vases for flowers and hanging decorations.

We love this idea of turning your favorite wine bottles into a fun and unique festive lamp. We've listed the easy directions below:

1. Thoroughly clean used wine bottles.
2. Drill a small hole on the backside of the wine bottle close to the bottom for the cord.
3. Feel free to decorate the outside or leave the bottle as it is.
4. Wrap a short strand of Christmas lights inside the wine bottle. The messier the better!
5. Cap it off with the original cork.
6. Plug it in and you have a fun, beautiful and festive table center piece.

Have you made your own recycled wine bottle lamp? Share your creative photo with us on our Facebook Page!

New Wine Releases: '10 Pinot Noir and Purple Foot

We have just released our new 2010 Pinot Noir and new Purple Foot!

Already an award-winning wine, our Pinot Noir has taken home two silver medals and one bronze before it was even released. Our Pinot Noir is a medium bodied, dry, red wine that has been aged in French oak for twelve months. It is perfect on its own or when served with pasta, grilled meat, salmon or poultry. Best of all, it's just $17.95 per bottle. 

Our new Purple Foot is our red table wine, a delicious blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and a touch of Lemberger. This is a dry, full-bodied red wine with deep rich flavors aged in a combination of American and French oak. We suggest serving Purple Foot at room temperature and try pairing it with grilled meats such as steak, lamb or roast beef or perhaps even a grilled portabella.  At $16.95 per bottle, it is sure to please!

If you haven't yet tried our wines, we use an artisan's approach to winemaking. We use taste and instinct, not formula, to build our wines. All of our wines are hand-crafted, small batch fermented, oak mellowed, hand bottled, hand corked and hand labeled. Every part that goes into the winemaking process is done by hand with a great attention to detail.

Take a visit to our tasting room and sample our newest wines! 

Leelanau Peninsula Wine, Food & Music Festival

We had an excellent time at the Leelanau Peninsula Wine, Food & Music Festival this year! Thank you to all who stopped by and sampled our wines. 

Special thanks to our volunteers, Katie and Elizabeth! They were really great and made the day so much fun.Our sampling of wines for the day!

The Silver Leaf Wine Dogs at the Beach

It has been a busy summer in our tasting room and Enzo and Abby decided to take a Sunday off to enjoy northern Michigan. They sure know how to relax!

 Enzo relaxing after a swim

Abby taking a day off, lounging on the pier