Shady Lane Cellars

Just go there and try everything. I brought home a bottle of the Coop De Blanc, 2013. After spending an entire weekend browsing wineries and tasting so many varieties, this place really stuck out to me. The staff was friendly and the atmosphere was really cute and cozy. This would make a beautiful place to stop in the summer to have a drink on their patio and just soak up the fresh air and sun.

I’ve had a house in Leelanau county for just over 3 years and am not sure how I missed hearing about this winery until a friend came up and we ventured out to do some wine tasting one day. (She knew about it)
Shady Lane was such a wonderful discovery, this will be on my permanent list of go-​to places to take visitors all summer. The outdoor tasting area is simply perfection! There’s a wine tasting bar, an outdoor fireplace with seating, picnic tables and seating a plenty around the outdoor area. I was told you can actually bring your own food and buy a bottle or a glass and go sit somewhere other than the bar to enjoy the scenery. We tried the cheese plate with fig jam, crackers and salami and it was delicious — I took a jar of the fig jam home because it was so delicious and would have purchased the soft, Italian cheese had they sold it.
Regarding the wines: the first tasting was complimentary and then it was $ 5 for 5 tastings. I am not very sophisticated when it comes to wine and will admit that right now. I like dry, red wines, period. SO, I really only liked the Coop du Rouge but I’m certain the rest are quite good as my friend took 3 or 4 bottles home with her from Shady Lane.
We visited in mid/​late September so it wasn’t crowded. I’ve heard they have music on the weekends in summer — I can imagine it would be a great venue and will watch for what’s planned there next summer. Thank you Shady Lane Cellars for creating a wonderfully peaceful place to enjoy a glass of vino, nosh and relax in beautiful Leelanau county!

One of our favorite Leelanau wineries. Excellent reds. Nice dry whites. Franc and Franc, Blue Franc are faves. Outside patio area is spectacular! One free taste. Then 5 for $ 5. You can enjoy a glass or bottle on the patio. Bottles are $ 15-​$ 32. Gorgeous stone buildings. A must visit for us each time we are in the area.

Best selling point — the lovely outdoor patio area! There is a new beautiful tasting with a nearby fireplace and plenty of seating. Nice selection of wines — in quantity, quality and variety. $ 5 tasting for 5 wines plus one complimentary one (6 total). Cute indoor gift shop and moderately priced bottles. We also tried a cheese plate which hit the spot! Only thing missing was a friendly server who didn’t elaborate on the wines she was pouring — always love the story behind what is in the bottle and missed that on our recent visit.

I love this place. The people who run the tasting room are always friendly. They’ve recently re-​done the back area to have an outdoor tasting area. It wasn’t open the day that we went, but I image that it would be really nice to give it a shot.
None of their wines really stand out as being a «must try,» but I think that they’re all good. It’s definitely worth stopping by to check out the atmosphere at the very least. I appreciate the fact that they’re friendly to everyone in here, whether you’re a novice or an expert.

WOW WOW WOW!!!
I can see why this place got excellent reviews.
My husband and I were staying in Traverse City and wanted to visit a couple of wineries near the area. I don’t remember seeing this in visitors book, but noticed a sign as we were driving. They are located on the Leelanau Peninsula of Michigan.
So glad we went here. The landscape is absolutely beautiful. Stoned buildings and a view of the vineyards with a gorgeous patio where you can relax and enjoy a glass of wine.
We entered and the woman was extra friendly! I felt very welcomed. Her personality was very bubbly and approachable. We were told that their tasting room is a century old fieldstone chicken coop which they renovated. How cool is that?!
You get one complimentary tasting and if I remember correct it was $ 6.00 or $ 7.00 for 5 tastings. Of course I had to do the reds.
What I tried:
–2010 Coop de Rouge
–2011 Pinot Noir
–2011 Blue Franc
–2011 Franc ‘n’ Franc
–2012 Merlot
–2012 Cabernet Franc
My favorites were the Coop de Rouge, Franc n Franc, and the Cabernet Franc. Very smooth, light bodied, and not very acidic.
I ended up purchasing a bottle the 2010 Coop De Rouge for $ 11.95.
What an awesome place! If you are doing the wine trail in the Traverse City area, please visit this winery! The employees are very friendly and knowledgeable.

The first stop of the day on my Michigan winery tour and what a place to start! The property is beautiful and the wines are even better. We did the standard tasting and the staff easily accommodated the 11 people with us that wanted to taste. The wines were very good and I was happy to see a bottle of Rose’ for sale for $ 8 and took a bottle home as a souvenir. A definite must do on any Leelanau Peninsula wine tour!

This place is quiet, straightforward and has really solid wines. As far as I’m concerned, the wines are actually the best out of any we tasted (on a VERY brief wine tour up in Leelanau — three wineries, so I’m no expert). The tastes were bold but classic, and the folks working the wine bar were awesome — very chatty, but not in a phony way. A very genuine experience on some lovely grounds.

This is a very low key, low pressure vineyard. It’s very non pretentious, and their Reds are quite good. Their Cab Franc is quite nice, and more accessible than 2Lads.
Their Blue Franc is awesome, and worth trying. Prices are quite reasonable for the quality.

My husband and I along with another couple go up to Traverse every year for a wine tasting weekend, and this was our fifth year and fifth trip to Shady Lane.
Our tasting this year was super lame. In fact, to quote myself upon leaving the tasting, «on a scale of 1 to 10, I give that tasting 10 lames.» The tasting area is small inside, and there’s another small area outside, but neither of them are well-​staffed enough and the staff is generally not friendly enough. Last year when we arrived to the tasting room we stood behind a huge group of bachelorettes for about 10 minutes without any greeting, and we left. The same thing happened this year except we (being wino’s) were desperate for a tasting so we waited. The servers just aren’t that nice and I find not getting a greeting at all to be totally unacceptable.
I refrain from giving them one star, but we’re crossing this winery off our list in the future.

Shady Lane Cellars is a pretty, cozy little place nestled amongst a farm. It really is a restored chicken coop, although you’d never know it unless you’re very familiar with chicken coops or someone has told you. My boyfriend actually commented on the interior of the tasting room and said that all the woodwork looked very clean and smooth. The building itself he thought was «awesome.»
The wines, in my opinion, are some of the best in the area. I spent this past trip to TC visiting 15 different wineries, some in Leelanau and some on Old Mission Peninsula. A few of the more popular winery destinations were disappointing, but it may be they just weren’t my copa di vino.
My favorite wine from them is probably the Dry Riesling, which is one of the wines my parents first bought from them years ago. It was unique to my parents at the time and their wine request when they heard I would be taking a trip up to TC.
Notes on the tasting, they no longer seem to offer food with the tasting, although I do remember them offering my mother chocolate to have with her wine when my parents visited years ago. However, that no longer seems to be the case, but perhaps it’s something they only do once a week or so to keep costs down. You could always call and ask.
And I definitely agree that you should try to get there early in the day. It’s one of the southernmost wineries in Leelanau County, so that makes it an easy first stop, especially if you’re coming from TC. The tasting bar is a bit small and I can see it getting easily overwhelmed. Especially if the place gets a large amount of people.
To sum up: don’t miss this winery. It’s truly a wonderful relaxing place with some great wines.

Shady Lane reminds me of someone’s beautiful vacation home in the woods – it’s like a modernized log cabin with tasting in the loft area. There’s also a large veranda for additional tasting which they kindly equip with heat lamps in the colder months. Like at most wineries, the people pouring the tastes are knowledgeable about the wines, although I find that here you have to ask for explanations or they will just pour and leave you to drink in peace.
The times I’ve visited Shady Lane, I’ve found the wines to be mediocre. We try to buy at least one bottle at each winery; for me it can be a struggle to choose at Shady Lane because none of them really grab me. Fortunately my husband enjoys the Coop de Blanc, so we usually pick that.
Shady Lane can also get very crowded at times. I’ve had a much better experience when they’ve been less busy, and would recommend making this an early stop in your day to avoid the crowds.
Several of the other reviews mention food with the tastings, but I have visited Shady Lane three times and never seen food for offer. I usually visit in the off-​season so maybe that’s why. I did snag a recipe card for «the best roast chicken» from here, and actually made it – pretty tasty, and paired well with that bottle of Coop de Blanc.

Recently spent a few days in Traverse City touring the local wineries, and I was definitely the most disappointed by Shady Lane.
This is a small winery compared to the others, and they only offer a few wines. I did like the Coop de Rose, and ended up buying a few bottles, Most of the other wines were too expensive.
My main annoyance with this place was the lackluster customer service. My boyfriend and I both paid for tastings, but we were treated somewhat rudely by our attending staff person. When we listed some of the wines we’d like to taste, she stared at us blankly and then said, «Um, I can almost remember some of those» instead of just asking us to slow down. Throughout our tastings, she was distracted and distant, and always seemed annoyed. At one point, she actually started up a conversation with another customer (actually shouting at someone who was on the opposite side of the tasting table) in the middle of pouring me a glass of wine! I mean, I don’t expect her to talk only to me while I’m trying wine, but can’t I get your attention while you’re pouring me wine that I paid for?
Overall, I think you can just find many better wineries while you’re in the Leelanau area. I visited many wineries that were larger, better-​priced, in more beautiful settings and with MUCH better customer service. Why bother with this place?

I grew up on Shady Lane with a pup named Champ, far before there was Shady Lane Cellars, or any wineries in Leelanau County. So, this one is a wee bit special, methinks.
(pssst, this makes my «stage» name Champ Shady). I’ll drink to that!
Shady Lane Cellars is a quaint family-​run winery. The tasting room is a restored and renovated chicken coop, and is small but bustling. They also have an outdoor tasting area which is tented, with tables and chairs to sit and sip amongst the farm fields and vineyards.
Definitely one of the lower key stops. If they do events (I assume they might) this would be a beautiful setup for an outdoor wedding, celebration, etc.
Highlight: Chardonnay.
Tasting situation:
1 complimentary taste… then $ 5 for a wine glass and 5 more! Includes a very decadent dark chocolate and some nibblers to clear your palate, wino. Don’t forget to take your glass, they’ll typically send you off with a fresh one, wrapped up!

If you only visit 1 Michigan winery, this should be the one, the location as other reviewers have stated is not that easy to find some of the maps seem to be wrong. That said once found this is a delightful place to visit. I felt during the tasting experience that i was at party with friends & how cool is that, that they can duplicate that type of experience. The staff is knowledgeable & the wines very good, along with Peninsula cellars on the old mission peninsula i feel they are the best. We purchased (i always buy, no will power at all when i visit wineries) but in this case well deserved. 2006 Late harvest Vignoles, great with Cheesecake,
2006 Cabernet Franc,
2007 Dry Riesling (Excellent amongst the best i have tried)
2007 sparkling Riesling which we drank last week with a spicy sichuan hotpot. Great combination
Most wines are available for below $ 20.
Well worth a trip

Shady Lanes was the first stop on a lazy day of wine tasting in the Traverse City area. Due to the inclement weather (seriously, how much is it going to rain this year), we didn’t get much of a look around before we hustled inside to get our tastings.
$ 5 will get you five pours of your choosing and your souvenier glass. The pourer serving us was very sweet, had plenty of suggestions, and even sneaked us an extra pour or two. Oh, and don’t forget the chocolate she gave us made from pinot noir. Wine and chocolate in one simple bite? It’s a gal’s dream come true! Well, THIS gal’s dream, anyway.
In addition to the pouring bar, they had a little porch area temporarily enclosed with heaters so you could take your tastings and do a little socializing. We headed back there for our photo shoot of course, returning the favor to our new-​found wine-​tasting friends.
The wines were tasty, the spirit was lively, Shady Lane Cellars is a great place to stop on your wine tour.

Great place, great selection of wines, great people. We snuck in here about five minutes before they closed. The guys who were working here were so nice, we sat around for at least a half hour after they were closed. They didn’t rush at all. It was one of the most enjoyable wine tastings we went to all day.

the best atmospheres to taste wine in TC.
order your 3 wines and either cheese/​veggie/​fish spread and take a seat outdoors in the field. this would be an awesome spot for a party or wedding. totally relaxing — you could stay out there for hours. the wine is very good as well, one of my top pics in the TC area. but the 5 stars are mainly for the serene northern michigan atmosphere… trust me, it’s worth the visit.

Note, the map showing up for this place is COMPLETELY WRONG. Relook it up on google maps and it should show that it is on Shady Lane just south of the Ciccone vineyards.
That place was a treat! We explored L. Mawby, Ciccone, Willow and Château de Leelanau before coming here, and minus the Château, the former three were a total disappointment.
The welcome committee comes and greets you at the door (two adorable well behaved not scary dogs) and you are welcomed in with open arms into the tasting areas.
For $ 5 you get 1 complimentary tasting, 4 tastings of your choice, with your choice of spread and crackers. They will then bring it out to you while you chill at a nice shaded table. Gorgeous, low key, wonderfully relaxing area.
The sparking reisling was interesting, but it wasn’t an immediate must have purchase. The reisling and gewurztraminer were on the dry side and were not well rounded wines. The vignoles dessert was for the win, we all agreed that we loved that one the best with some nice peachy notes.
Cute place, and a must stop on the Leelanau wine trail! So so enjoyable, a great way to end our wine trail trip on this side of the bay.
Note: I am not a wine snob, I believe what you like is what you like. I am much more of a beer person, and I normally like my wines on the dryer side… but this is Michigan, so we stuck with the sweeter wines.