Leelanau (and Leelanau.com) in the News

We’re going to try and feature some of the regional & national media coverage Leelanau is getting on this blog – if you have links, share them with us here or on the Leelanau.com Facebook!

The wine industry is definitely a hot topic! A few weeks ago, USA Today tapped Leelanau & Old Mission as one of their 10 great places for local wines. In Hour Detroit, Lorri Hathaway and Sharon Kegerreis urge you to escape to the Leelanau Peninsula for Wine & Holiday Shopping:

Find that warm, tingly sensation of good tidings early with an escape to Leelanau Peninsula for Toast the Season — a spectacular northern Michigan wine celebration that kicks off the holidays. Upon arrival at the first winery, you’ll feel the festive spirit when greeted with a gift bag and a special wine pour deliciously paired with gourmet fare. Then, enjoy a leisurely trek along the renowned M-22 lakeshore drive with stops at any of the 18 wineries for more handpicked wine and food pairings. (Be sure to use a designated driver – it’s surprising how quickly the wine tastes add up!)

In a shameless bit of self-promotion, here’s me (Andy McFarlane of Leelanau.com) on FOX-32 talking about the wonders of M-22 in part 1 of Alex Jocich’s feature “You Haven’t Traveled Across Northern Michigan Until…. I had fun being part of the feature, and I really do believe that M-22 is a road as mythic and cool in its own way as Route 66.

In case you missed it, Livability.com rated Traverse City as #1 on their list of surprising Foodie Cities this spring. They wrote:

Known as the Cherry Capital of the World, the Lake Michigan resort town of Traverse City does a pretty good job with other foods, too. With plenty of award-winning restaurants, wineries, farmers markets and dairies, Traverse City has been called “a new foodie haven” by The Huffington Post, and Midwest Living magazine recently named it second on its list of the region’s “best food towns.” At the heart of the accolades is an emphasis on the farm-to-table philosophy. At Trattoria Stella, where chef Myles Anton was nominated for a 2010 James Beard Foundation award, the menu of Italian fare takes care to note ingredients from local farms and dairies. For wine lovers, the city’s Leelanau Peninsula and Old Mission Peninsula wine regions lie along the 45th parallel— the same latitude that gives the Bordeaux region of France its famous reputation.

Two thoughts on that:

1. Not one but TWO Leelanau chefs were nominated as well: Randy Chamberlain at Blu in Glen Arbor and Guillaume Hazaël-Massieux of La Bécasse near Maple City!
2. While the national media often says “Traverse City,” the imagery and features they identify are 100% Leelanau.

Photo Credit: colour around the bend (1) by Pettman’s Photographic Memories

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