The "granddaddy" of wine festivals in Michigan will put the spotlight on Leland Saturday afternoon for the 23rd consecutive year.

"What our aim is, and has been since day one, is to give people an experience and opportunity to taste Michigan wines," said Cris Telgard, co-chariman of the Leland Wine & Food Festival.

For the third straight year, all wine showcased at the festival will come from the Leelanau and Old Mission peninsulas. Food from county eateries and live music will also be featured at what some consider the state’s largest wine festival.

“My guess would be it is the largest single-day attended (wine) festival in the state, but I really don’t have any data to back that up,” said Linda Jones, executive director of Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council. She credited Leland with starting the first all-Michigan wine festival in the mid-1980s.

“We originally started out with all the wines from the state of Michigan. That was 23 years ago,” Telgard said. “Now we don’t even have enough room for all the northern Michigan wines.”

Jones and Telgard said the festival offers a good way to highlight Michigan’s wine industry, which has been experiencing a growth rate of 15 percent annually.

“I think this is a really exciting time because the wine industry we see now we were once just dreaming about,” Telgard said. “Twenty years ago we thought, ‘oh gosh, this could be a big thing,’ and we’re seeing that now.”

Participating wineries at the festival include Good Harbor Vineyards, Chateau Fontaine, 45 North, Gill’s Pier Vineyard & Winery, Willow Vineyard, Bowers Harbor, Black Star Farms, 2 Lads Winery, Brys Estate Vineyard and Winery, Bel Lago Vineyard & Winery, Cherry Republic Winery, Ciccone Vineyard & Winery, Shady Lane Cellars, Chateau Chantal and Peninsula Cellars.

Bruce Simpson, owner of Good Harbor Vineyards, started the wine festival 23 years ago with help from the Bluebird Restaurant and the Leland Lodge. Although it has doubled in size since then, Simpson said it’s still the same festival.

“Most wineries just bring their most popular pours and restaurants bring some really nice food items and there’s generally very pleasant music and you just pray for a nice day in the Leland harbor,” he said.
“It’s just a nice social gathering: Good wine, good food, good music, good people.”

This year, wine must make room for its frothy cousin. Beer from Shorts Brewery of Bellaire will be also be available for tasting.

The poster for this year’s festival is a warm blurred oil painting of Fishtown — a view some wine-tasters may find upon leaving. It was created by local artist Melanie Parke.

As the poster changes from year to year, so will the harbor next year.

“This will probably be the last year the festival will be held in the harbor as we know it,” Telgard said. “The harbor is being renovated this year, so hopefully next year it will be held in the new harbor.”

The Leland Wine and Food Festival is the only fundraiser for the Leland Chamber of Commerce. Money raised supports the chamber for an entire year and profits are spent on Leland projects, such as the Fourth of July fireworks and new trees on Main Street.

Food from the Bluebird, Cove, Leland Lodge, Village Cheese Shanty, Leelanau Cheese Co., Stone House Bread, Epicure Catering, Village Inn and Kejara’s Bridge will be available, and live music will be provided by The Horn Dogs.

The festival will run from noon to 6 p.m. in the Leland Harbor. Admission is $10 and includes a commemorative wine glass and two wine-tasting tickets. Additional tickets will cost $2 each.