out at left foot charley and mawby

There have been a lot of vacations and winery visits in my life this summer. I’ve also been experiencing and sustaining a higher level of joy. Variables, meet correlation.

In Michigan, there are breweries and wineries a plenty, so we took an afternoon to check some out. Our initial plan had us hitting five, but we only ended up checking out two, due to a whole host of reasons, but the two we did pop into were impressive in their own rights.

First stop, Left Foot Charley.

Left Foot Charley boasts itself as an urban winery, and that is perfectly apropos as it is located in downtown Traverse City. The tasting room is very cool, with a wall of windows, high ceilings, and growing greenery everywhere. We ordered at the bar and then took up residence outside on the patio. There was a small sandbox with toys in the middle of the spread, which was especially awesome since Harry was with us. With that, we were able to kick back, enjoy a cocktail, all while Harry played and explored.

My soon-to-be-sister-in-law and I each ordered a wine cocktail of sorts. I can’t remember what it was called, nor can I find a menu anywhere online, but I’m pretty sure it was white wine, a little champs, some kind of citrus, with a red wine floater on top. It was interesting and good, but Kenny and I ultimately traded with each other. He finished that one and I finished his order, which again, is a nameless cocktail that I am unable to specifically detail. I do remember it being something white wine and lemony, and I definitely liked it. Top-notch blog reporting right there, folks.

After Left Foot Charley, we headed back towards Leland in order to specifically seek out Mawby.

Mawby is a sparkling-only winery with patio views of the vineyard grounds. I definitely liked this one because it felt like a real winery, being there in the thick of it all. I’m also a huge fan of bubbles, so I was one happy camper.

Throughout the garage/porch/patio-feeling space were a number of tasting tables, where two tastings were complimentary. We all started with a sampling of the Sandpiper, which was a middle of the road kind – not too sweet, not too dry. I followed that with some hearty sippings of the Bright, which was a sparkling cider and delicious – I’d describe it as bright and crisp for sure.

My ultimate glass of choice was the Grace, a brut rosé sparkling. I, like the rest of Instagram, am on a serious rosé kick and have no problem rolling on that bandwagon.

After we all had our orders, we found a big round table in the back and parked it. Some played euchre, some took naps in a stroller, and some strolled the grounds. We stayed until they closed (which was only 6pm) and a few of us grabbed a couple bottles to take lakeside that evening.

With that, our self-guided winery tour ended. There were many more to see, which only means next time we have a lot to look forward to.