Drink It In
Experience Southwest Michigan Wineries Through Fruitful Vine Tours
Writer / Julie Yates
Photography Provided
From spring to fall, Southwest Michigan is a popular destination for those who enjoy beautiful beach sunsets, niche shopping, craft art and unique restaurants. Visitors to the New Buffalo and St. Joseph area have the wonderful option of visiting a cluster of wineries. Fruitful Vine Tours offers an exceptionally fun and stress-free way to experience an afternoon of wine tasting.
Two types of tours are available, plus private booking. The Wine-O-Wagon with its cushioned seats and overhead cover is perfect for those who enjoy being out in the fresh air. The Vino Coach is an enclosed luxury vehicle. Both have several pickup locations at hotels and other sites in New Buffalo, St. Joseph and Stevensville. Fourteen people can be accommodated on each all-inclusive tour, which includes all tasting fees for three wineries plus lunch.
One thing I wish I had known earlier in my life is that Southwest Michigan is just about two hours and 15 minutes from northern Hamilton County, says Owner Dan Madden. You just get on U.S. 31, have a great drive, exit and hang your feet in Lake Michigan.
All tours must be booked in advance through the companys website. Customers specify a preferred vehicle and Fruitful Vine Tours does the rest of the work. Reservations are made for lunch at local restaurants, and wineries are chosen depending on ability to accommodate the group on the chosen day. All 14 seats can be booked by one party, but its not uncommon for three or four groups to share the wagon or the coach.
By the first stop, all the people are best buddies, Madden says. One of the greatest tours we ever had was half nurses and half teachers. Its a great activity for mothers and daughters, couples, and to celebrate special occasions such as birthdays. We take care of our passengers by carrying and watching over any boxes of wine they buy.
Tours begin in late morning. Wine-O-Wagon passengers are picked up by one of the coaches and transported to their first winery, where their wagon meets them. Wagon riders then visit wineries on back roads and among fields. The coach tours are able to travel a larger circumference. Sites for a given day may include 12 Corners Vineyards, Baroda Founders Wine Cellar, Gravity Vineyards and Winery, Hickory Creek Winery, Lemon Creek Winery, Local Pour, Shamrock Station Brewery & Winery, Vineyard 2121, and Lake Michigan Colleges Welch Center for Wine and Viticulture. Lunch options include Baroda Tap and Grille, The Local, and The Strand.
The object is to have fun, feel safe and have a good time, Madden says. Its a memory maker.
For more information and to make reservations, visit fruitfulvinetours.com. For questions, call 269-978-8777 or email info@fruitfulvinetours.com.
