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Pinestead Reef

Sugarcubesea

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What’s your favorite TC winery? It’s been a few years since we went on a TC wine tour, but we always loved Old Peninsula Cellars (the old school house) and Leelanau Cellars.

It's always been Black Star Farms in Suttons Bay (I have a club membership there) but my new favorite has now become Chateau Chantal. I feel like I'm in a different country when I'm at this winery, you take a very long winding road up to a ridge that houses the winery and I love that once you choose your flight you take it out side and sit overlooking the entire area because your so high up, you feel like your on a mountain. All 3 of the wines I had from this flight were amazing and I was so glad I took the advice of my neighbor at Pinestead Reef (who has the same week as us and is in the unit right next our ours) to visit this winery. We also went to Mari Vineyards, and really enjoyed our flight there as well, we got to keep the glass from our flight. The Row 7 was amazing.
 

Sugarcubesea

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Happy you are having good weather up there.

I've owned this Memorial Week for years and I have to say this year the weather was the best its ever been. It was so great to see all of the friends we have made at the reef that also own this same week all gather and just have a good time...Last night a bunch of us decided to grill out and just all sit in the patio area together and it was so wonderful.
 

Sugarcubesea

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We were there a few weeks ago using our flex time. The hallway enclosing is almost done. Road noise has been reduced tremendously and the new AC units in the east hallway are very quiet. I just wish the social activities would resume. It is long past due.

I might also add we picked up a week 37 fixed week which gives 33 RCI trade power. Unit 122 walk in from the parking lot.

@Kozman , I was really hoping the social activities would have resumed by this memorial week but Pinestead Reef s having the problem the rest of the country is having, they can not hire the needed staff they need. I talked to a few members of the staff that I have become friends with and they all said to me they could get jobs elsewhere in TC since there is now a bidding war for talent. They lost some of their housekeeping staff to a competitor that was offering a bonus upon completion of 90 days and a $2.00 and hour increase in pay... Ugh, it's so sad.
 

pierrepierre

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Palace Resorts
That is correct up north, everyone is hiring, with no workers! There are so many needy families out there, with many getting the unemployment who do not deserve it.....I wish they could give all that money to the people who really need and deserve it. This area is fabulous - but we will be slow to recover if they pay people to stay home, who could work.
 

dayooper

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HGVC: The Flamingo, The Boulevard
It's always been Black Star Farms in Suttons Bay (I have a club membership there) but my new favorite has now become Chateau Chantal. I feel like I'm in a different country when I'm at this winery, you take a very long winding road up to a ridge that houses the winery and I love that once you choose your flight you take it out side and sit overlooking the entire area because your so high up, you feel like your on a mountain. All 3 of the wines I had from this flight were amazing and I was so glad I took the advice of my neighbor at Pinestead Reef (who has the same week as us and is in the unit right next our ours) to visit this winery. We also went to Mari Vineyards, and really enjoyed our flight there as well, we got to keep the glass from our flight. The Row 7 was amazing.

Been to both of them. Chateau Chantal is a beautiful property. It’s been maybe 10 years since we have been there, but I remember the winery overlooking the area. I have not been to (or even heard of) Mari Vineyards. What’s their specialty?

Sutton’s Bay is where I used to take my classes on a field trip. They have a schooner called The Inland Seas and we would do water testing and navigation rotations. It’s long (too long) for a day field trip with middle schoolers so we stopped. I loved going out on the Bay studying the lake and gathering data about its health.
 

Sugarcubesea

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Been to both of them. Chateau Chantal is a beautiful property. It’s been maybe 10 years since we have been there, but I remember the winery overlooking the area. I have not been to (or even heard of) Mari Vineyards. What’s their specialty?

Sutton’s Bay is where I used to take my classes on a field trip. They have a schooner called The Inland Seas and we would do water testing and navigation rotations. It’s long (too long) for a day field trip with middle schoolers so we stopped. I loved going out on the Bay studying the lake and gathering data about its health.

I so agree with you @dayooper that Chateau Chantal is a beautiful property. Wow that is so cool that you used to take your classes to Suttons Bay.

We had never been to Mari Vineyards in all the years of being up here and once again it was our neighbors (at Pinestead Reef) daughter Anita who told us we needed to go to this winery as well. As we went on an afternoon that I left work early, there were not many folks at the winery and once we got our flight this really friendly gentleman started talking to my hubby and he introduced himself as Marty.

Come to find out when we got back to our condo and shared our bottle of wine with our neighbors and my hubby shares that he meet this nice man, named Marty our neighbors were all excited and said oh my gosh you guys meet the owner and his name is Marty Lagina and he's famous... I guess he is a reality television personality, and him and his brother starred in this show called "The Curse of Oak Island". I actually had to look it up because I had never heard of it. I put the link below. The speciality of this winery is to produce wines with Italian varieties vines mixed with the vines in northern Michigan.

So this trip, has been so absolutely wonderful and has been filled with many new places that we got to explore and visit. We just got back from our last dip in the pool and we head home in the morning. I just really love this place so much...

 

Sugarcubesea

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Checked in late yesterday for our week 33 at Pinestead Reef. Our unit has been nicely updated, all new carpeting, new kitchen set, and the construction is finally complete at the reef after 3 years. The place looks great. Off to the wineries and a fun day of hitting all our favorite spots.
 

Sugarcubesea

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Had a great day touring all of the wineries today....sleeping in tomorrow
 
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