The Vineyard

We first planted grapes on our family farm over twenty years ago (1987), establishing a variety testing vineyard of about one acre. We have subsequently expanded our winegrape vineyards to over 30 acres. Bel Lago wines are made from grapes grown in our family owned vineyards overlooking Lake Leelanau and Lake Michigan. The Bel Lago winery sits on a beautiful site overlooking Lake Leelanau. The tasting room opened in 1999.

Leelanau Appellation

Leelanau County is a wonderful place to grow winegrapes. The climate and soils favor cool climate classics like Pinot grigio, Riesling, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Pinot noir and other select varieties. The region is also excellent for fine sparkling wines.

Winegrape Varieties

We have selected varieties carefully, to match the climate and soils to produce the finest wines possible.
White winegrape varieties: Pinot grigio, Chardonnay, Auxerrois, Cayuga white, Riesling, Pinot blanc, Gewurztraminer, Vignoles, Seyval Blanc, several Muscats, and selected others.
Red winegrape varieties: Pinot noir, Pinot meunier, Cabernet franc, Merlot, Regent, and others.

We have selected varieties carefully, to match the climate and soils to produce the finest wines possible. Winemakers world-wide recognize the importance of selecting the proper clonal mix of each variety. We, too, have planted many different clones of Pinot noir (~ 30), Pinot grigio (~5), Chardonnay (~10), Auxerrois (~3), Pinot blanc (~3), and Riesling (~5) to blend into our estate wines. The clones include 'elite' selections such as the Dijon clones of Pinot noir and Chardonnay from the Burgundy region in France, select German Riesling clones, and specially selected clones from the Champagne region in France.