'Taste the Passion' with the Wineries of Leelanau Peninsula

Share the love of Leelanau (and Leelanau wine) at the "Taste the Passion" wine tour, held Feb. 4 & 5. This special weekend celebrates wine, chocolate and love at the wineries of the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail in Northern Michigan.

Your ticket allows you to chart your own course, enjoying food and wine pairings at 17 wineries along with a optional winter and Valentine-themed activities at many of the wineries.

"Taste the Passion is definitely our most intimate event," says winemaker Larry Mawby. "Our tasting rooms are cozy places in wintertime, and with less people on the trail, it's a great opportunity to talk directly with winemakers and vineyard owners. To top it all off, Leelanau County is a winter paradise, offering everything from cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, to enjoying great meals at our restaurants, and evenings by the fireplace. This is a perfect chance to score a Valentine's Day touchdown!"

Tickets are just $30, and quantities are limited. Secure yours as soon as possible, as most of our trail events do sell out. There are also lodging packages that include tickets!

Taste the Passion Food Pairings & Special Activities
Bel Lago will serve a Decadent Dark Chocolate Brownie topped with a Rich Balaton Cherry sauce and will be pairing it with their new release 2010 bottling of Bel Lago Red Wine, a barrel aged cabernet franc and merlot blend. Their cellar is filled to the rafters (almost) with barrels, so no basketball in the barrel room this year. But they will have all the makings for you to create you own Valentines!

Black Star Farms presents a molten chocolate cake with vanilla bean infused crème anglaise and pistachio cranberry white chocolate bark paired with their Sirius Cherry dessert wine. If someone has a marriage license, Black Star Tasting Room manager Chris Lopez will marry you!

Brengman Brothers will pair Runaway Hen Syrah and a bittersweet chocolate truffle with Parmesan cheese, coarse sea salt, and bacon. Weather permitting, Brengman Brothers will offer cross-country ski trails in their vineyard!

Chateau de Leelanau is serving up Cherry Chipotle Mole Chicken Wings paired with their Riesling Harvest Select.

Chateau Fontaine offers Greek-inspired Chocolate Chili Dogs, topped with Cheddar Cheese and optional onions paired with their Big Paw Red.

Cherry Republic will be serving a chocolate coffee cake truffle with their Shook Dessert Wine. All you “swish and spitters” can have a go at their cherry pit spitting contest with a chocolate gift basket for the winner!

Ciccone Winery features Italian Bruschetta – a slice of grilled Italian bread, rubbed with garlic, sprinkled with salt and pepper, drizzled with olive oil and topped with fresh diced tomatoes paired bringing out the flavor from their 2009 Cabernet Franc. For added fun, they will also feature cork fishing & a wine bottle ring toss!

Forty-Five North will have red wine marinated figs wrapped in bacon with mascarpone cheese and drizzled with a red wine chocolate sauce paired with 45 Red, a blend of Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, & Merlot. They will also have their 1-3 mile groomed trail loops open for skiing.

Gills Pier will be serving Double Fudge Delight Cupcakes and Frosting with Toasted Coconut Sprinkles, paired with their Whitewater, a semi-sweet white wine made with Vignole grapes. They will also give away a VIP Tasting for 8 people – register to win on Saturday or Sunday – a $200 value!

Good Harbor offers Chicken Jalapeno Soup paired with their Pinot Grigio.

L. Mawby will give you one piece each of chocolate/bacon and maple/bacon fudge from 45 Parallel Candy World along with their sparkling JADORE.

Leelanau Cellars will serve a Chocolate Fondue with angel food cake and fresh fruit to dip, paired with our Vintage Port.

Silver Leaf entices you with chocolate almond & cherry clusters, paired with two-time gold medal awarded, “Chafia Cherry” wine featuring their new label. They will be offering cross country skiing or snow shoeing on their 2-mile trail during Taste the Passion weekend.The trail starts in the vineyard, winds through the woods & cherry orchard and crosses Tyler Creek. The trail is marked with red ribbons and maps are available. (No equipment provided)

Tandem is serving crepes with chocolate cream cheese filling topped with a Bardenhagen Farms strawberry sauce and paired with cider, of course!

Verterra is serving Vol au Vent Baked French Brie with Verterra Jam (preserves made from wine grapes) and Granny Smith matchstick apples paired with their award-winning Pinot Gris.

The LPVA was formed in 2000 with a goal to help spread the word about all the wonderful things the Leelanau Peninsula has to offer including a growing number of award-winning wineries, excellent restaurants and a rich agricultural history. Today, it is the largest and strongest of the four organized wine trails in Michigan which promote the state's nearly $790 million grape/wine industry.

For more information, contact the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association at http://lpwines.com/ or call 231-421-1172.