COVID KEEPERS

SILVER LININGS

Many Michigan wineries find success in COVID-era overhauls

by Cortney Casey

Blustone Vineyard

hen COVID struck in early 2020, wineries across the state found themselves forced to re-evaluate processes and procedures to W comply with public health restrictions. But now that those restrictions have been lifted, many businesses are realizing that at least some of the “pivots” made during the pandemic are worth retaining. One of the most substantial changes guests may notice is a marked shift from belly-up-to-the-bar tastings to seated tastings. Originally implemented to facilitate social distancing, the format found fans at many wineries. “Our guests love the changes, the winery is doing better financially, and our staff are benefiting from increased gratuity earnings,” says Patrick Brys, president/CEO of Brys Estate on Old Mission Peninsula. “Change can be hard, and the pandemic taught us that we need to be flexible. With flexibility and ingenuity we were able to change — and what has resulted has been positive for our guests, business and team.” Brys Estate’s tasting bar was physically not long enough to accommodate social distancing consistent with the winery’s guest traffic, so they began offering table service at appropriately spaced tables via “tasting towers” — black metal holders with five tasting glasses arranged vertically, says Brys. At Black Star Farms, which also shifted to table service, “when guests arrive, we greet them and take them to their seats — no more scrum at the bar trying to get a spot,” says Chris Lopez, Black Star’s retail sales manager.

Lorenzo Lizarralde, owner and winemaker at Chateau Aeronautique, relies on large-scale tribute band concerts at his Irish Hills locations to bring in crowds. Amid COVID restrictions, Lizarralde ceased walk-up bar service, a general cover charge and seating of unaffiliated groups at a single table, shifting to online paid table reservations and tableside service.

It’s worked so well that he plans to continue the format indefinitely.

“With table reservations made on Eventbrite — no collecting money at the door, bonus — everyone gets a seat, everyone sits with friends they know, and everyone is happy,” he says.

Blustone Vineyards Owner/General Manager Tom Knighton opted to give his Lake Leelanau tasting room a complete redesign — complete with new furniture and layout — to accommodate the shift from bar tastings to table service.

Citing the change’s popularity with guests and staff alike, Knighton says he plans to retain the system into the future.

“We had already been considering this after a benchmarking trip to other wineries in the country — the pandemic simply accelerated implementation,” explains Knighton. “We offer two, five-wine tasting flights. Each wine is served by our team one at a time. This gives our team an opportunity to really connect with our guests and provide in depth information about each wine. Our guests enjoy a more relaxing experience and during the pandemic it allowed us to space our tables to accommodate social distancing.”

Meridith Lauzon, operations manager for Left Foot Charley in Traverse City, says they’re “keeping almost everything” they implemented during COVID due to the success.

“We have added more tables, and found table service is a fantastic way for us to connect with our guests,” she says. “Offering flights has been a great way for people to relax and really try the wines, as well as have a conversation with their wine server.

“Previously, it was easy to feel rushed when visiting on a Saturday in September with a packed bar. Now people can stay and have a glass and get a more personalized experience.”

Flying Otter Winery in Adrian invested in a completely new POS system to accommodate tableside flights in lieu of bar tastings, says Owner Bob Utter: “Our customers seem to like it,” he says, “and it really helps eliminate congestion at the tasting bar.”

Laurentide

French Valley Vineyard, Lake Michigan Vintners and Lemon Creek also reported making a shift they now consider permanent from bar-side tastings to seated flights.

Reservations, too, are much more widespread than in the pre-COVID days.

Taylor Simpson, sales, marketing and distribution manager for Aurora Cellars, says they began using the popular reservation system Tock for paid tastings during COVID, and they’re not looking back.

Tracie Roush, co-founder of Petoskey Farms, says her winery also will continue COVID-era reservation and wait list apps for its wine club members so they can avoid waiting in line, and Utter says reservations at Flying Otter won’t be required, but will remain available.

Bonnie Hardin, sales and marketing coordinator for Mari Vineyards, says the Old Mission Peninsula winery made a marked shift from large-scale, single-day events that attracted huge crowds to a less frenzied pace, fueled by the implementation of reservations.

“As we've grown familiar with only serving smaller groups — 12 people or less — over the last two years, we've enjoyed the calmer, slower style,” she says. “Slowing down our service with reservations has led to more meaningful interactions with our guests, as they appreciate our tasting room without the crowds we've seen in previous years.”

According to Owner Susan Braymer, Laurentide Winery will be retaining reservations for indoor tasting experiences for the foreseeable future, and won’t be returning to 100 percent capacity any time soon.

The winery also offers “widely spaced outdoor patio and picnic areas for quiet, bucolic, stress free tasting experiences in the middle of the Leelanau Peninsula,” she says.

Outdoors indeed became a popular place for tasters over the course of the pandemic, and many new spaces that sprung up to accommodate demand are here to stay.

“Our customers discovered our outdoor capabilities and love it,” says Deb Burgdorf, owner/winemaker at Burgdorf’s Winery in Haslett, where new umbrella-shaded outdoor seats have become the most coveted spots onsite.

During the pandemic, Brys Estate established its a “Lawn Bar,” a grassy expanse alongside the vineyard for overflow and larger groups. Black Star Farms “greatly expanded” their outdoor areas, with plans to add two rentable wine pavilions at the Suttons Bay locations, says Lopez.

Petoskey Farms “expanded and enhanced” their outdoor seating, reports Roush, enlarging their covered outdoor options and supplying electric patio heaters.

Fenn Valley in Fennville “dramatically expanded (their) outdoor service footprint” and also instituted “vineyard picnic” options, “which are private locations nestled throughout the vineyards, with acres of social distancing,” says Vice President Brian Lesperance. Both are here to stay.

Besides offering flight packages on trays, Yooper Winery in Menominee created a new outdoor seating space in response to the pandemic — a pair of changes they’ll be keeping long-term.

“Customers enjoy using the outdoor area, where they can sit and take their time to sample and have plenty of personal space,” says Vintner John Lucas. “The new menu with flight options allows us to serve many more customers much more quickly, so customers have less wait time and we do not need as big of a staff in the tasting room.”

In Wyncroft’s case, they already had the outdoor space — it was just a matter of refocusing on it. Owners James G. Lester’s and Daun Page’s 93-acre gated estate in southwest Michigan allowed them to move their tours and tastings from the tight winery facilities to the great outdoors.

“We purchased a couple of pagoda tents without sides to provide shade and positioned them on the lawn just outside our garage winery,” explains Lester, who is also the winemaker and grape grower. “Next, we rented a tuxedo trailer toilet, his and hers, with air conditioning, running water, flush toilets and stereo, and parked it next to the tents. This made us COVID-compliant, and we were inundated with guests who were anxious to get out of town and be outdoors safely. Everyone loved it. So we have decided to make that our regular format.”

During COVID, Uncle John’s Cider Mill in St. Johns, a multi-faceted farm that includes hard cider production, constructed their “Cider Yard,” an outdoor event space featuring seating, water and electricity for food trucks, a stage fashioned from an old wagon and a bar created from a repurposed garden shed. They also eschewed free tastings for paid flights and ceased “carnival-type” activities, says co-owner Dede Beck. And now? “Honestly, aside from taking down a lot of signs and plexiglass, most of our changes are here to stay,” she says.

Since COVID restrictions eased, Beck says the team has “focus(ed) on the things that built our farm.”

“It’s about families and friends spending time together,” she says. “Although our farm gets very crowded, we felt a sense of calm. The urgency was not there like in the past. We learned so many things we had never thought about until it was removed. I feel like we are a better business now.”

Some wineries also benefitted from changes made by their communities to assist small businesses — changes that appear they will outlive the pandemic.

Dave Miller, owner/winemaker for White Pine Winery in St. Joseph, says the city implemented a social district requested by downtown businesses, which allows strolling visitors to consume alcohol outdoors within a designated area. The social district currently is in place through December 2023.

“It allowed us to sell wine by the glass to go, so we didn't tie up limited indoor occupancy capacity with folks enjoying a glass of wine,” says Miller. “The idea has been popular with guests, and they enjoy being able to enjoy a glass of wine as they walk around town and check out all that St. Joe has to offer.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cortney Casey is a certified sommelier and co-founder of Michigan By The Bottle, an online community promoting the entire Michigan wine industry. She’s also co-owner of Michigan By The Bottle Tasting Room, tasting rooms operated in partnership with multiple Michigan wineries, located in Shelby Township, Royal Oak and Auburn Hills. Contact her at cort@michiganbythebottle.com.