Lake Leelanau Winery Laurentide will now be featured at all University of Michigan athletic contests, including The Big House, Yost Arena, and Crisler Center, in a big win for the local boutique winery.
Bill and Susan Braymer, owners of Laurentide Winery, are Michigan graduates of 1982 and 1984 and bleed maize and blue.
“We returned to Michigan to make wine. We are Ann Arbor, southeastern Michigan, Leelanau focused wine ... We want it to resonate with the alums and fans that they are drinking an all-Michigan wine at Michigan Stadium made by alums,” Susan said. “I’m pretty true blue, and this is extremely emotional for me.”
Laurentide will make its debut during Michigan football’s first game against New Mexico Saturday, August 30, at 7:30 p.m.
Throughout the football season, they will be available on the concourse, club, and suite levels with exposure to over 100,000 fans for at least six home games, wherever alcohol is sold in a multi-year deal.
The University of Michigan sold roughly $5 million in alcohol at its sporting venues throughout 2024-25, which was the first year alcohol was allowed.
Laurentide will be displaying their “aMaizing” labels throughout the stadium with at least five wines available, including red and white, along with their signature Sauvignon Blanc.
“We got an ‘aMaizing’ blue label. We went the whole nine yards,” Bill said.
“We are thinking of the opportunity as a piñata... Some people know how to hit it, and all the stuff falls ... other people whack at the thing for the whole day, and out comes one lousy candy bar. We want to hit it. We want to be smart about this.”
The opportunity presents a challenge for the small winery located on M-204 and French Road.
Bill and Susan report that the past four harvests have been exceptional since 2020 and have allowed them to carry the high volume needed for an opportunity of this magnitude.
“They’ve all been good, they’ve been extraordinary. We have the inventory to support this,” Bill said. “It’s just a question of being able to execute.”
Laurentide directly distributes to the university, including athletics, the music school, botanical garden, and more. Bill and Susan’s wine was even featured at the president’s house during various events.
Laurentide has been working with Michigan Sports Properties, the School of Business, among others, to make this happen.
They have also been exploring former connections from their glory days on campus.
Bill and Susan hosted a University of Michigan alumni and donor event last year that must’ve resonated with attendees.
While working through channels, they earned the opportunity.
Susan is from New Jersey, and Bill originates from the Kalamazoo area.
They met freshman year in the arboretum, a botanical garden, on a gorgeous April Saturday or Sunday, Bill and Susan reckon.
Susan was studying as a diligent engineering student, and Bill used his natural ability of talking to swindle a date.
Bill admits he hasn’t stopped talking.
“When I saw that she had a calculus book, I said, ‘That’s the girl for me.’”
And since that day, they’ve been on a journey that has led them from California to Leelanau County.
Bill and Susan began growing grapes in Leelanau in 2006, with the Laurentide Winery tasting room opening in 2012.
Since graduating, they’ve always stayed in contact with the university.
A portion of the profits will go to the new William K. and Susan M. Braymer Engineering Scholarship to support undergraduate student-athletes at the College of Engineering.
Laurentide has won over 200 international awards.
