- [Tom] On this awesome episode of "UTR", we head north to find some of Michigan's finest wines.

And guess what?

We're taking 50 of our new best friends with us.

We'll take a bus to Bonobo, try some Brys, and then bop down to Black Star Farms.

Heck, we'll even party at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa.

Get ready to explore the cool people, places, and cases that make Michigan wine country so cool.

- [Narrator 1] Pure is what you make of it.

It's taking it all in and never taken anything for granted.

The sun sets, the moon rises, and you realize the end of one perfect summer day is the beginning of another.

Pursue your pure in Pure Michigan.

- [Narrator 2] A visit to the Stahl's Auto Collection will take you back to a time when cars were more than just a way to get around.

A fantastic assortment of gas pumps, neon signs, and automated music machines dating back 150 years that must be seen and heard.

Info at stahlsauto.com.

(fast paced upbeat music) - I've been around the world, but there's one place I keep coming back to.

And the more I explore, the more I realize it's the place to be.

I'm Tom Dalton, and this is "Under the Radar: Michigan".

(fast paced upbeat music continues) You know, I've been a student of wine my entire adult life, and right now I'm studying to take the test to become a somma, a salami, some kind of a wine expert.

So I decided to get together a study group, head north and learn all I can about Michigan wine.

You guys ready for some yummy homework?

- [Group] Yeah!

- Woohoo!

- Bonus!

That's right!

We gave 50 of our wine loving fans the chance to join us for three days of peace, love, great food, UTR high jinks, and of course, marvelous Michigan wines.

The whole trip started off at a reception at the incredible Grand Traverse Resort and Spa in Traverse City.

It's here where I generously imparted some of my worldly wine wisdom to the group, as far as they knew.

They use for making wine.

And I'd like to take a little bit of time to talk about each one of them, and so we'll start with Cabernet, all right?

Now the Cabernet Sauvignon grape is a thick-skinned, small grape.

It likes sandy, airy soil, native to, and then the second most planted wine grape in the world is the Merlot.

It's a larger grape, thinner skin.

It's got a softer profile.

Boy did I impress the group with my extensive knowledge of fine wine.

Heck, they were so captivated by my countless statistics and stories, I could have gone on forever.

But we've got a big wine tasting day tomorrow, so we all needed to get a good night's sleep.

Hmm, looks like some folks got a head start.

(lullaby music) (cheerful music) Well, the very next day, our official UTR wine-a-pa-loosa study group boarded a luxury bus, boy this thing is nice, headed up the Old Mission Peninsula and deep into Michigan wine country for some ripe and ready research.

I know this is gonna seem complicated, but I need all the white wine drinkers on this side of the bus and all the.

No, I'm kidding, I'm kidding.

(people laughing) Why don't we start off with a song?

I'll sing it first and then you guys can follow in afterwards.

Okay, you ready?

♪ The wheels on the bus go round and round ♪ ♪ Round and round, round and round ♪ ♪ Tip your glass and the wine goes down ♪ ♪ Early in the morning Everybody!

♪ The wheels on the bus go round and round ♪ ♪ Round and round, round and round ♪ ♪ You tip your glass and the wine goes down ♪ ♪ Early in the morning - I think they're ready.

This is where I have to say that the drive up the Old Mission Peninsula is absolutely breathtaking.

You pass vineyard after vineyard with incredible panoramic hilltop views of both arms of Grand Traverse Bay.

This just might be the most beautiful wine country in the entire world.

Well, in no time at all me and my 50 wine quaffing co-conspirators reached our first stop.

But first, some last minute words of wisdom from our soon to be sommelier.

Just so you know, we take this seriously on "Under the Radar", we drink no wine before it's time.

So, hold on... it's time.

Let's go.

Let's go.

Woo, its time!

Bonobo Winery is a vineyard with a conscience, beautiful views, a creative crew, great food, and tons of tasty wine.

Not to mention the fact that it's owned by national TV star, Carter Oosterhouse, and his awesome brother Todd.

Celebrity bonus!

So while my stalwart and steadfast study group debussed and commenced a quaffing, I pulled up a glass with Carter and Todd.

Okay, Mr. Clooney, let me start with you.

- (laughs) Yes, all right.

- No I'm serious.

You look like George Clooney's stunt double.

- Wait, slow down.

This , his head just got like this big!

- Well and you're a legitimate TV star, how did you guys get bit by the wine bug?

- You know we're wine drinkers but we- - Ding ding ding ding ding ding.

- Yeah, right.

(laughs) That should be your first clue.

But we were farmers at a basis.

And said, hey, how do we get involved in the wine industry, of course, but let's, you know, it's the farming aspect that really I think got us excited about everything, and then the hospitality.

- [Carter] Right.

- [Todd] You know, it's wine, we love wine.

We're really involved in it now, of course, so many years later.

But it's really the hospitality we looked at and the farming industry.

- So if you break it down, you know, we knew we wanted to have some ag out here on Old Mission Peninsula because we grew up out here.

We worked in a lot of these farms when we were kids.

So it was like, what, you know, is it cherries or is it grapes?

And the idea was like, well, this vineyard is doing great.

This winery is doing fantastic.

Maybe this is what we should get into.

That was really my mission, his is more hospitality.

He loves chatting with people.

He can talk to people all day long.

That is his deal.

He loves doing that.

So it works out really well.

- I think because you're steeped in the area, you're steeped in the culture, I think that's why it just seemed natural for you guys.

- Yeah, definitely.

My first thought was like, why do people not on the West Coast know about wine in Michigan?

And of course, this happens all day long where I'm in LA and New York and I've talked to people about wine from Michigan, and the soms say the same thing every time.

They say, "Ah!

I can't believe I didn't know that there was wine in Michigan."

I can't believe nobody taught us about that.

- Michigan wine has come so far.

- So far!

- Thanks to guys like you.

- Well, it used to be all sweet wine or fruit wine.

- [Tom] Or hybrids, all hybrids.

- Yeah, and now people realize, and it's just education, what you can do with the land, what you can grow, and what you can turn that into.

It's just about people getting better at their craft and understanding what the climate, what the land is giving you, and be able to put that in a bottle.

- And that's never gonna go away, you know, because people are always gonna think, "Wine from Michigan?

Come on".

You know, I don't want to have that.

But when you have that process of the teaching moment, of the learning, of the knowledge of it, and you taste the wine, that's the best thing you can do as a wine owner is get somebody's tune to change in one sitting.

- Plus I've been to vineyards in France, in Italy, just the drive up here on the Old Mission Peninsula to come out to these wineries.

There's no more beautiful wine country in the world than right here.

- Wow!

Tom, I love that!

I love that.

- I'm being serious.

- [Todd] Well, no, you hear that quite a bit with the rolling hills and being able to see the landscape and everything.

- Well, another reason I gravitate towards this place, because well, you guys know, I've been here, this is like my fifth or sixth time here, is the philosophy of, just the mindset that you've created here.

I mean, explain why it's Bonobo, the name of the winery is Bonobo.

- You know, Bonobo came from, you know, the Bonobo, which is an ape, and it's the closest in DNA structure to human beings.

And I say we're similar to them in the sense that we would like to be like them because they don't fight for their territorial rights.

- [Both] Very social.

- And a lot of people don't know about 'em.

So people say Bonobo, it's kinda just a fun word to say, but at the same time it's something that we, you know, achieve to be like.

And you want to have in Bonobo, we have all these joint, but separate seating areas where you can go with your significant other, your family, your friends; or you can meet somebody and say, hey lets- - And have that conversation.

'cause that's why you're out doing something, right?

You want to have a conversation with someone you're with.

- Yeah, wine is life.

It attracts people.

It's a place where you can care, share, have a glass of wine, makes you feel all warm inside.

- Of course.

- That doesn't hurt.

And you guys even make champagne here.

- We do.

- The traditional way.

- Traditional way.

Yeah.

You know we let it, after it ferments, we'll let it ferment in the bottle for another year, year and a half at least.

Creating some great bubbles, some great texture.

- Yeah, I saw you got those big turning machines down there and stuff.

Yeah, that's amazing.

Well, we're fortunate to have you guys here.

You guys could have gone anywhere, you know, and you're all over the place.

Turn on my TV and oh there's Carter again.

- But the beauty of it is that I always say, look, Michigan, we have so many cool things.

Michigan always has, if you get me next to somebody on a plane, I will talk about Michigan and Traverse City and how awesome it is and how fun it is and people are like "Michigan?

What?"

And that's the best part about it because there are so many opportunities that we haven't even been close to hitting the ceiling of where we're going in Michigan, what the opportunities we have in front of us, and whether it's the ag, whether it's the urban city and development.

There's a lot of fun things and a lot of reason to be here.

- Well, it's just so eye opening.

You walk into it and people are like, "What?

This is Traverse City?

This is Michigan?

I can't believe it."

- And where else can you go, "Hey, have you ever been to Bonobo Winery?

It's right here."

- Makes it so easy.

(Tom laughs) - That's right.

- Yup, at Bonobo, we monkeyed around in more ways than one.

We tasted some amazing fermented grape juice, learned tons about the region, and had more fun than a barrel of, well, wine.

Have you ever seen a more beautiful view than they have here at Bonobo?

- No.

- No.

- Really.

- And the wine makes it better?

- A lot better.

- You guys are Italian, Italians know wine.

I love Italian wines too.

What do you think of Michigan Wines?

- Pretty good.

- Good, good.

- What do you think of Bonobo wines?

- Bonobo?

- That's where we are.

- Yeah okay, this is good I wish I could get a little more.

- You want some more?

He is Italian, he wants more wine already.

Is that your first glass, second glass or third class?

Second glass?

- Second glass.

- I can do two.

- Can you do three?

- I'm going to try.

- Look at that.

Try and do that.

- I can do three.

- Okay, yeah, he's, you're on your third glass and I can tell, I can tell.

If you're looking to experience what the French call terroir, google it, and then treat your taste buds by spending some time at Bonobo.

These guys and this little guy will thank you for it.

Well, with a good time and a couple of bottles of Bonobo under our belts, we rebussed, got back on the road and headed to yet another wonderful Michigan Winery.

And in mere moments there it was.

Brys Estate Vineyard and Winery.

This supremely pleasant place is a must stop if you love great wine, sweet and savory snacks and vibrant vistas.

It just might be the complete Old Mission Peninsula wine experience.

So with my fellow pupils pouring more of Michigan's finest fermentables, I got together with Patrick Brys to find out more about his award-winning wines.

So how did Brys become Brys.

When you were a little kid, did you lay in bed at night dreaming of someday owning a winery?

- You know, the story of Brys Estate, actually, started in 1968 on a blind date in Detroit.

- [Tom] With your folks?

- [Patrick] And that was the year my parents met.

- [Tom] So from what I've heard, long story short, they start the winery, they get it going and they decide, "We're gonna retire.

Hello Patrick, are you doing anything?"

- It started, as I said, as a retirement project for them, quote unquote, they thought they'd open this small little tasting room and then pour wine for a couple people every day.

And it was sort of gonna be, you know, just something fun for them to do as they got into their older years.

And it soon turned out that people really liked the wine that was being made.

And so one day I got a call and they're like, "You've got to get up here and help us.

This is beyond what we ever signed up."

- Oh, you're grounded little mister, you get up here right now.

- So, came up here in the summer of 2009 and never looked back.

- The grounds here are amazing.

The tasting room, amazing.

The deck, the view is absolutely spectacular.

- The deck was created because, when I first started actually at the winery, we had no outside service, and what we realized very soon after starting was that people are coming here for wine, but they're also coming here for an experience.

They wanna be in the vineyards, they wanna experience the beauty of agriculture.

And so I said, let's open a patio off of our tasting room.

So we opened up a little brick patio, had about five tables.

Well, as soon as the vines grew up, we found that everyone was standing on top of their tables with their cameras going like this.

And so we said, what are they doing?

We got a ladder out one day and I stood up on the ladder and this is what I saw.

And so we started with that section of the deck and built it six feet up so everyone had this beautiful view of the vineyards and obviously the East Grand Traverse Bay in the distance, and it became so popular.

Then we added another section and now hopefully we'll get to have a third section in the next few years.

- That's what I love about wine as a hobby, it's geology, geography, it's history.

Makes you happy.

- And you know, Michigan wines are unique.

They're different, they're grown in cooler climate, they're grown in glacial soils that have a lot of sand.

And so there's a terroir here they call it, which is, you know, that's wine- - [Tom] And there's not an English word to really translate.

- It's kind of like what all comes together to create that glass that you're having, and so Michigan's gonna have its own unique stamp on the wine industry.

California obviously does a great job, you know, France and Italy and all that do great jobs, but no matter where, that's, I think, one of the beauty, the most beautiful things about wine is that no matter where you have it, from no matter where it is in the world, you're experiencing a taste of that place, that year.

- [Tom] You're tasting the soil, the weather.

- That growing season, everything.

And even the philosophy of the winery, of the winemaker.

And so it's truly one of the most unique beverages known to man.

- You don't think maybe I could help make some of your wine?

- You like Pinot Noir?

Don't you?

- [Tom] Love Pinot Noir.

- Okay, well I think we could use a little hand with something in the back, if you don't mind.

- I'm your guy.

Let's do it.

- Okay.

- So Patrick, this is a big vat of Pinot Noir grapes and they're sitting on the juice?

- Yeah.

So this Pinot Noir was just harvested.

And it's going through the fermentation process right now.

So why do we do this with red grapes?

Well, if you crush a red grape, the juice is gonna be clear.

- Oh so its gotta sit on.

- If you allow it to sit with the skin, and to do the fermentation with the skin, all that color, the tannin, will come out of the skin and go into the juice.

I think that you should give it a go.

- I'll try it.

- [Patrick] And basically you're just gonna take that out and push it down as.

- [Tom] Oh yeah.

Oh wow.

- [Patrick] And then eventually it will, you'll burst through down into the juice.

You'll get past that top layer of grape skins.

- Yeah it's bubbly.

You hear the bubbling?

- Yeah.

- That's the carbon.

- Actually you're kind of a natural at this.

I think you're doing a great job.

- You think so?

- Yeah.

In fact, I mean, why don't you just continue and I'm just gonna check on something, but.

- You sure?

- Just go ahead and carry on.

- Okay.

If you're sure Patrick.

I mean, gosh, he's so trusting.

Oh God, this is hard work.

But I'm sure it will be rewarding in the end.

My little Pinot Noir grapes.

(Tom grunting) (Tom chuckling) Patrick's been gone a while.

He must have had something important to do.

(cheerful music) Patrick?

Mr. Brys?

Boy, he must be an important guy.

Well, with my shift in the fermentation room finally over, I made my way back out to the tasting room to check in with my glass-mates.

So I noticed your drink matches your hair.

How did you pull that off?

- A lot of planning.

- Yeah.

Where did you get the, is that champagne?

- It is.

- Oh, you're so high fashion.

You're wearing a scarf.

It looks like she just got off the boat from Paris.

- I'm just dressing the occasion of the weather.

- If you answer this question right you get a bonus drink.

This is the Riesling, okay?

What is your favorite four letter word?

- Wine.

- She got it right.

That's one there you go.

Bonus drink, bonus!

(laughs) Patrick's pure passion for wine is manifested all around you when you're at Brys.

And after a generous tasting, in you as well.

So if you're looking for a romantic wine filled rendezvous, Brys Estate is a vineyard you need to visit.

Heck, everybody here sure looks content to me.

Well it was time to get both us and our bottles of Brys back on the bus and this time we headed back down onto the mainland and up M-22 onto the Leelanau Peninsula for our final, and possibly most opulent, wine-filled forage.

That's right.

This is Black Star Farms in Suttons Bay.

It's an absolutely beautiful award-winning winery and inn where you can even get married.

It's a definite destination for anyone looking for fine wine and elegant surroundings.

So once again, as my fellow students went on a tour and to wet their wine worn whistles, I literally went underground with winemaker extraordinaire, Lee Lutes.

Lee, I'll be honest, I feel like a kid who's at Disneyland for his very first time.

I've always wanted to go into a wine cave.

This is so amazing being in here, and you're a real wine maker, which means that's your X-Men power and you're my hero, but how long have you been a winemaker?

- Well, I've been a winemaker in northern Michigan for just about 30 years.

- Wow.

- Next year it'll be 30 years.

We'll be celebrating 25 years here at Black Star Farms next year, so it's gonna be a big year for me personally, but for us as well.

And you know, it's always a big year for the region.

- And you guys actually grow all your own grapes on the Peninsula, correct?

On both Peninsulas.

- On both Peninsulas, yep.

Between Old Mission and Leelanau, we grow 95% of what we use.

We do buy some from other local growers, but we're really proud of the fact that we make our wines from all local fruit.

- [Tom] It's hyper local.

- Hyper local.

You know, in an industry like this, you really want to try and put forth the flavors of that region, of this region.

And so in order to do that, you've gotta be working with the local fruit.

And these wines are distinctive, you know, from wines throughout the world.

And it's because of that.

- You guys do major events here.

You do weddings here, you've got a cafe here, you've got a wine club here.

You can actually stay here.

It's an inn, correct?

- Absolutely.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

One of the big things we really wanted to make sure people appreciated early on is that they could stay on a working farm.

- Yeah.

- I mean this doesn't look like a typical working farm, but every day there's something going on here with agriculture and that doesn't happen enough for people.

- [Tom] It's agrotourism.

- It's agrotourism.

Absolutely.

And agrotourism is what is going to save farming in a lot of these smaller agricultural regions.

- Well I've been to vineyards in France, I've been to vineyards in Italy.

I've been to vineyards in Spain.

I've been to Napa Valley and still coming here, this is some of the most beautiful wine country and some of the most beautiful wineries and vineyards on the planet.

So people who haven't gotten up here yet, they don't know what they're missing, 'cause it's right here.

- It's right here.

Well we often say to people, you know, you've got wine country, if you're in Detroit, you've got wine country four hours north.

If you're in Grand Rapids, we're two and a half hours north.

I mean, wine country, literal wine country, is right in their backyard.

And so many people just don't think of northwest Michigan as a wine producing region, even though we've been doing it for close to 50 years up here.

- Yeah.

- It's just that most of what is grown, made in this region is consumed here, by the tourism public and by the locals.

- Well thanks for letting me come into your wine cave.

You ever catch Batman in here sneaking wine out of one of these barrels?

- Not Batman, but every now and then somebody's down here.

- Yeah.

- Yep, with a thief.

- And I think I know who it is.

Well, much to my surprise, after our comprehensive conversation, Lee actually offered me the chance to burp open a barrel and try a little wine before it's time.

Yeah.

This is so cool.

You see guys in wine shows and other shows do this and I've always wanted to do this.

Now, that's called a thief?

- This is a thief.

- But you bought it.

- So this is, we bought this.

This is a tool that allows you to actually get into the barrel, get somewhat deep into the middle of the barrel.

So you're not just tasting the wine that's close to the wood surface.

- Now what kind of wine and how long has it been in the barrel?

- Well this is one of the hybrid varieties that's being grown more and more up here.

The grape variety itself is known as Marquette.

- Marquette?

- Which is coincidental to northern Michigan because it was actually bred in Minnesota.

- Oh, okay.

- But as you'll see, the interesting thing about Marquette is it is extremely dark.

- Oh my gosh, it's like.

Yeah, it's like grape juice.

How long has it been in the barrel?

- So this has been in the barrel for about two weeks.

- I smell licorice.

Right away, I smell licorice.

Like berries and like toasted plums.

- Yeah.

Dark fruit, soft of tannin.

- Really soft tannin.

- Yeah, really soft tannin.

- Very dry.

- Absolutely.

- Very dry.

- Absolutely.

- This would be great with pizza.

Wanna order a pizza?

Oh my.

This is wonderful.

And the smell is changing as I aerate, it's changing just in the couple of minutes I've had in the glass.

- Well, and it's part of the beauty of tasting these wines when they're really young is that they're starved for oxygen right now.

And so once you get them out and get them in a glass and let them open up a little bit, swirl.

- Oh thank you, thank you, thank you.

- They do tend to open up rather quickly.

- Hear breathing.

Cheers.

- Yeah.

Cheers.

(glasses clink) - I've always wanted do that.

I'll be honest, I had been waiting to visit Black Star Farms for a long time, so I'm glad it's finally off my bucket of wine list.

It really is a beautiful reflection of the amazing wine culture we have here in Michigan.

And a great place to wind up our wine adventure.

Okay.

Obviously you guys love Black Star Farms.

You got wine and you got munchies and you guys are happy.

- Little bit of everything.

- And you guys are moving out to the Peninsula?

- Yes.

- We are.

- That's amazing.

When I come to dinner, should I bring a bottle of wine?

- Yes, please.

- What, what are you, you have a shopping cart?

- Well, if you had a bigger shopping cart, I might fill that up too.

We love the Late Harvest Riesling.

We love the Pinot Gri.

We come here probably twice a year.

- [Tom] Oh you've been here before?

- Oh Black Star, we love Black Star.

- What are you doing on our bus?

- Because I knew you were coming here.

(laughs) Come on.

- I like this guy.

- Yeah, shoot.

Absolutely.

- Thank you.

Thank you.

- Yeah, sure.

- Hey!

- So what do you think of Black Star Farms?

- Favorite winery of the trip.

- [Tom] Really?

You think so?

- Lee.

I'm kind of in love with Lee.

I'm not gonna lie to you.

- So for a final time, we boarded the bus with our bottles of Black Star, for one last rousing ride back to Grand Traverse Resort and Spa.

Oh.

Better keep my voice down.

I don't wanna wake 'em.

They're completely worn out from all that studying, so to speak.

And remember, if you're looking to expand your culinary consciousness, Michigan Wine Country in Traverse City is a place where you can quell your curiosity and quaff in comfort.

Now if you'll excuse me, I got more studying to do.

Bonus.

Mmm.

- [Narrator] Pure is what you make of it.

It's taking it all in and never taken anything for granted.

The sun sets, the moon rises, and you realize the end of one perfect summer day is the beginning of another.

Pursue your pure in Pure Michigan.

- [Narrator 2] A visit to the Stahls Auto collection will take you back to a time when cars were more than just a way to get around.

A fantastic assortment of gas pumps, neon signs, and automated music machines dating back 150 years, that must be seen and heard.

Info at stahlsauto.com.

(upbeat music)