Hawthorne
Week 6 - February 5-11, 2023
Hawthorne Vineyards: 1000 Camino Maria, Traverse City
AVA: Old Mission Peninsula
Location note: Hawthorne is accessible from both Peninsula Drive to the east, and M-37 to the west. About a third of the way up the Peninsula, it's accessible from town; only two OMP wineries are closer to town (Mari Vineyards and Black Star Farms).
Hawthorne is the most underrated winery on Old Mission Peninsula, and maybe in the whole region.
Summary
An upbeat crowd seemed to enjoy the live acoustic musician playing covers. I asked if it was normally this busy in February, and learned that this was the first live music of the season and the attributed draw for the busy crowd. The massive windows and inviting boomer-chic vibe give views in every direction around the centralized seating. Lots of merch with wine puns - that's not my thing, but I appreciate that they include a V-neck T-shirt option.
Two Wines
2019 Barrel Reserve Chardonnay 🍇🍇
2019 Lemberger (I am told this is the same as Blaufranckish) 🍇🍇
TCWY Wine Ratings:
🍇🍇🍇Best of the region (top 10%)
🍇🍇As good as the rest of the region
🍇Not as good as the rest of the region
Learn more about the TCWY Rating System here.
Something to Love
Popcorn flights! Not a meal replacement, but still a creative way to serve tasting room snacks. Guests choose from three types flavors, individually or as a popcorn flight of all three, or a popcorn flight paired with a wine flight. I noticed when I arrived that pretty much everyone was eating popcorn.
Stone chimney and wood stove on the patio (photo from my March 4 visit).
West Bay
Something to Do
Most (all?) wineries in the region offer stunning views of the water, vines, forests, orchards, and elevation changes, but Hawthorne's views are among the most exceptional. The 360º of grammable views include clear sightlines to both East and West Bay, the only tasting room (AFAIK) with this feature (I stand corrected, Edit April 2023: Chateau Chantal also has views of both bays and Power Island). Winter is the perfect time to bundle up and take a glass out to the patio, around the outdoor wood stove and stone chimney for a few minutes of crackling, warming, and redolent moments. Located between protected lands both east and west, Hawthorne makes the claim of being the "most secluded" tasting room; this is most obvious from the patio in all seasons.
East Bay
Something to Hope For
I really enjoyed the all-ages crowd here. I hope that more tasting rooms will break the unofficial taboo against kid-friendly tasting rooms. Hawthorne proves it’s possible to be a place where parents or grandparents can enjoy a tasting room experience with kids by their side. In addition to groups of (appeared to be) grandparents with small children, there were groups of friends, couples, and solo travelers enjoying music and popcorn. Perhaps it’s no coincidence Hawthorne was “good busy” in February?
