Northern Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula is emerging as a leading winegrowing region—and the Harvest Stompede routes a 10K through one of its vineyards.
Northern Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula is emerging as a leading winegrowing region—and the Harvest Stompede routes a 10K through one of its vineyards.
Traverse City sits at the mouth of Grand Traverse Bay, an inlet of Lake Michigan located toward the top of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. The deep woods and many lakes of the surrounding north country region have made Traverse City a four-season resort, popular with golfers, boaters, bicyclists, cross-country skiers, anglers, and those happy just to sit on the many white-sand beaches . . . at least in the summertime. Traverse City has long been known as America’s cherry capital, producing more than 70 percent of the tart cherries grown in the United States. The region—particularly the Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsulas that jut out from Traverse City into Grand Traverse Bay—has emerged in the last few decades as a significant wine-producing region, creating Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and Gewürztraminer as well as ice wines.
What better to promote a burgeoning wine region than a great race?
“One day in the late nineties, I was approached by the folks at Black Star Farms—one of the more established wineries on the Leelanau Peninsula—because they wanted to establish a wine trail to help market their product,” Rick Coates recalled. “The owner of Black Star had been to the Finger Lakes region and wanted to replicate what they had. I went to a meeting, and before I knew it, I was running the program. I tried to assemble events along the trail based loosely on what had been done in New York, with our own northern Michigan spin. Tony Ciccone, who owns Ciccone Vineyard and Winery (and happens to be the father of an artist who goes by the name of Madonna), told me that one of his former employees was a runner, and thought it would be great to have a run through the vineyard. I looked into it, and he was right—there was potential for a really cool trail run. The first Harvest Stompede was held in 2001 and was a seven-mile run. It came off very well. There were a lot of people participating in the wine trail part of the event who weren’t competitive runners but wanted to participate, even if it meant walking. So we ended up adding a 5K run and a 5K walk. For a time, the 5K was called the Stinger. There was a mud wasp nest along the trail, and someone ran over it. More than fifty people got stung—we put a bee on the race T-shirt.”
Given the extreme cold that visits northern Michigan in the wintertime, the Leelanau Peninsula’s increasing popularity as a wine-making region may come as a surprise to many. Yet the lake effect—from Lake Michigan to the west and Grand Traverse Bay to the east—has a moderating effect on temperatures. The downdraft that’s created also helps, delaying early blossoms and early frosts, and delivering ample snow to protect the vines from extreme cold snaps. In the early 1980s, there were only four wineries in the region—Boskydel Vineyard, Leelanau Wine Cellars, Good Harbor Vineyards, and L. Mawby Vineyards. Today, there are twenty-five wineries on the peninsula, and the Stompede is one of the year’s biggest tasting events—a self-guided tour where visitors can enjoy a wine and food pairing at their choice of twenty-three participating vineyards. “When our wines first became noticed, there were lots of comparisons to California wines,” Rick continued. “People would say, ‘These aren’t California reds.’ No, they’re Michigan reds. But when California began producing wines, people were comparing them to French wines. It’s natural to make such comparisons. When the race started to bring in people from out of state, runners who hadn’t come primarily for the wine were tasting and saying that some of our varietals were every bit as good as some coming from Europe, Australia, and even California. That was an exciting and gratifying time to be here.”
The race kicks off at a leisurely nine A.M. at the Ciccone Vineyard and follows trails through Ciccone and adjoining land before returning to Ciccone for the conclusion. “The trails run right through the grapes, which are very ripe, as it’s harvest time,” Rick added. “You navigate some hills along the way, and there are some great views of Grand Traverse Bay and the peninsula beyond. To me, the Stompede combines elements of a serious race and a fun run. Some trail runners come here and take it very seriously, but for others, this may be one of their few runs of the year.” The stomping area after the finish line certainly is a nod to the fun side of things. “Nate Rousse [race director] and Tony Ciccone thought we should have something at the end that people could jump into to celebrate the harvest—a vat full of grapes that people could stomp on. I said, ‘Let’s do it.’ Finishers have the option of doing some stomping, but you don’t have to . . . though onlookers are certainly cheering you on to get your feet wet.”
Once the running is done, it’s time for the tasting to begin. “There’s something for everyone on the Leelanau,” Rick opined. “There’s the ‘wow’ factor of great views, elegant tasting rooms, and intimate tastings with winery owners. Chateau Fontaine, which is on the other side of the peninsula, brings all the elements together—exceptional wines and a wonderful tasting room with very engaging owners. L. Mawby is the sparkling wine guru of the Midwest. Black Star Farms has a fine restaurant on-site and offers some of the most creative pairings.”
If you’re more a fan of the hops than the grapes, take heart: Traverse City has more than a dozen craft breweries.
RICK COATES is a writer whose work has appeared in more than three hundred publications, along with a few books over the past thirty-eight years. His writing focuses on food and drink, culture, leisure, and celebrities. Rick lives in Traverse City, Michigan, with his wife and two children. When not writing he is often dining, drinking, golfing, and fly-fishing with rock stars and celebrity chefs.
If You Go
Getting There: Traverse City is served by several carriers, including American Eagle (800-433-7300; aa.com) and Delta (800-221-1212; delta.com).
Best Time to Visit: The Harvest Stompede is held the second weekend in September, a lovely time to visit northern Michigan.
Race Information: Details about the Harvest Stompede, including registration information, are provided by the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail (231-642-5550; lpwines.com).
Accommodations: Several wineries offer packages for the Stompede weekend, including Black Star Farms (231-944-1251; blackstarfarms.com) and Fairfield Inn and Suites, Traverse City (231-922-7900). Traverse City Tourism (800-872-8377; traversecity.com) lists other options.