2013 Calendar

December - Wine Dinners at the Boathouse – featuring wine from local winemakers and epicurean delights. See home page events section for specific dates

Jan. 7 th Grey Hare Inn proprietors Christmas Party – guests are invited to participate in this year’s themed celebration at no additional charge. Past themes have been "MASH 4077", Harry Potter, Canadian Olympics to name a few; all with fireworks.

January/February Wine and Local Beer Dinners at the Boathouse featuring local winemakers and outstanding culinary presentations, Fridays or Saturdays, check home page news sidebar for specific dates

January Metropolitan Opera Live at the State –

January 18,19 Winter Warmup at the Wineries of Old Mission Peninsula – enjoy mulled wine from a souvenir mug for $10; desserts, appetizers, and other local promotions from 12 – 5pm, followed by a bonfire at the Grey Hare Inn. Cross country skiing available through the inn’s vineyard.


January 14th Traverse City Chili Cookoff – City Opera House

February 3 Boathouse Wild Game Dinner

February 3,4 Taste the Passion/Snowshoe Stomp Snowshoe thru the vineyards and enjoy special wine pours, chocolate goodies and appetizers. Purchase tickets at www.lpwine.com . Grey Hare Inn will also be offering snowshoe and cross country skiing through its vineyards and orchards.

February 4 Women’s Winter Ski Tour – Crystal Mountain Resort with lots of fun, wine, chocolate , cross country and snowshoes. www.womenswintertour.com

February 3,4 Super Getaway Weekend – guests can choose between a package that will include dinner at a local sports bar to watch the Super Bowl or a women’s pamper package including a massage and nightly turndown chocolates. halftime snow Frisbee and bonfire.

February 11-14, 2013 Traverse City Comedy Arts Festival – Michael Moore and Jeff Garlin (Curb Your Enthusiasm) will return next year to team up to provide a festival full of comedic films, standup and other art forms. Your stay at the Grey Hare will include tickets to one of the events and a movie rental.

February 9,10 - Traverse City Microbrew & Music Festival – Union Street downtown. Special tasting at new partner Ferment of beer made from Grey Hare Hops.

Wine Dinner at the Boathouse February 9 features Pacific Northwest Wines with food pairings $65 p/p see menu at [url=http://www.boathouseonwestbay.com. In conjunction with the dinner your stay at the inn will include a complimentary bottle of wine made from the inn's grapes.

February 9 - Valentine's Menu Cooking Class at Chantal $95 per person, plus complimentary evening chocolates at the Grey Hare Inn. Romantic lobster crepes are but one highlight of this opportunity to create a special evening for someone in your life taught by chef Perry Harmon; enhanced by the inn's signature crepes served as part of your stay.

February 15,16 WOWFEST – Traverse City’s Winter is Wonderful Celebration including music, food, frozen food tossing and. This yier combining efforts with the Comedy Festival

February 16,17 Romancing the Riesling at Old Mission Wineries showcasing a Riesling perfectly paired with a food offering in your $15 souvenir glass from 12 – 5p, and a special artistic presentation on Saturday. Breakfast at the Grey Hare will offer a similar pairing of wine poached fruit with cheese. Cross country skiing available through the inn’s vineyard and wooded trails at the Lighthouse park.

February 16th Boathouse Beer vs. Wine Dinner $65 p/p Shorts Brewery versus Bowers Harbor Vineyards

Feb 23 Live at the Met Opera – State Theater presents Verdi's "Rigoletto" - new production 1p

Feb. 24 The Great Indoor Folk Festival One of the most fun events of the year as over 50 local musicians perform short sets in concurrent locations throughout Building 50 and Left Foot Charley winery at the Grand Traverse Commons from Noon to 5:30p FREE

Feb 24th Taster’s Guild Wine Benefit – This annual event features international cuisines prepared by Great Lakes Culinary Institute students, with local and select regional and international wines. The benefit is held at the Hagerty Center on NMC Great Lakes campus with net proceeds going toward academic scholarships. $60 p/p

Restaurant Week February 24 - March 2 Specials presentations, pairings and discount throughout the Traverse City region. In conjunction the Grey Hare Inn will be offering a midweek third night free so that participants can enjoy even more dining out.

February 23 Slow and Savory Cooking Class at Chantal winery– Chef Pery Harmon highlights stews, braises and chili for $95 per person $95 p/p 12:30 -4:30p

February 24 Jazz D'Vine 2-4pm Enjoy a casual afternoon of great music from the Jeff Haas Trio with wine and cheese at Chantal Winery. $25 p/p to benefit the Grand Traverse Pavillions Foundation.

March 2 – Vegetarian Cuisine Cooking class at Chateau Chantal $95 p/p learn how to make a winter squash risotto and wonderful grain dishes. Participating guests will be asked to provide samples of their efforts during the inn’s reception time, augmented by Italian styled vegetarian hors d'oeuvres such as tapenade and bruschetta.

March Wine Dinners at the Boathouse TBD

March 9,9 Wineries of Old Mission Cellar Sale In preparation for a new season, the Wineries of Old Mission Peninsula are cleaning out their tasting rooms to make way for the new wines being released during Blossom Days in May. Visit their tasting rooms to enjoy one time only 20-30% discounts on various wines and merchandise, including the wine made from the Grey Hare Inn's grapes at Peninsula Cellars.

March 16 Bistro Cooking at Home class at Chantal you will create dishes you might find at your favorite neighborhood bar with a northern Michigan flair. including cream of French Onion soup, carmelized onions and cheese with truffled potato frites, apple and ginger tart with sweetened creme fraiche. $95 p/p 12:30p - 4:30p Once again we will be encouraging participants to share their creations with other guests during the inn's hors d'oeuvres hour and sample a special single vineyard wine made from the inn's grapes at Peninsula Cellars after the class.

March 23 French Cooking– class at Chantal Enjoy an afternoon with Chef Perry learning the techniques involved in preparing the various specialties of different regions of France. In conjunction with the class you will also have the opportunity to prepare your own crepes at the Grey Hare Inn. $95 p/p

March is Beer Appreciation Month on Old Mission. Bed,Beer and Beyond package combines your stay with a pint and pizza at Jolly Pumpkin.

March weekends -Old Town Playhouse presents “Legally Blond the Musical” March 1-23. For Sunday performances the inn offers a third night complimentary stay in conjunction with your purchase of tickets.

March 2 Live at the Met Opera of Wagners "Parsifal" 12 noon State Theater and March 16 Zandonai's "Francesca da Rimini

April is Michigan Wine Month
visit www.michiganwines.com for more events

April 6 Tastes of Paris, Texas Cuisine, think cornmeal crepes a la Mexicana with chorizo and tomatillo salsa. The Grey Hare Inn will offer one of it’s signature dishes to complement this class – melon and proscuitto with pear marinade.

Boathouse's Brys Estate Wine Dinner , Friday April 5th
Bowers Harbor Winery Dinner at the Boathouse Restaurant April 12th


April 6 and 27th Live Met Opera at the State, Berloiz's "Les Troyens" on the 6th 12 noon; and April 27th Handel's "Giulio Cesare". Enjoy tickets to the Met and a glass of wine at Trattoria Stella's afterward in special packages at the Grey Hare Inn

Spring 2014 Save the date as "Les Miserables" is coming to the Old Town Playhouse and the Grey Hare Inn will be sponsoring what will surely be a night to remember at this outstanding local theater, and will host a special party in conjunction with its opening. Call the inn in the fall of 2013 for details.

May 11 - Mother's Day Wine Dinner Five course dinner with wine at Chateau Chantal for $65 per person including tax and tip. Guests at the Grey Hare will receive complimentary red roses. What a great way to celebrate parenthood with a weekend getaway from the kids, or give as a gift to your own Mom.


May 4,5 Spring Sip and Savor at Leelanau Wineries. Grey Hare Inn will be offering morel hunting and dandelion wine making classes in conjunction with this fun annual event

May 18,19 Blossom Days on Old Mission – Peninsula wineries offer special tastings and the inn offers tours of their boutique vineyard along with morel hunting and dandelion wine making discussions and panoramic cherry orchard views.
Thurs. May 23 Hawthorne Vineyards New Release Dinner at the Boathouse

May 19th Great Lakes Wine Festival, Michigan International Speedway. Brooklyn

June 8 or 9 Leland Wine & Food Festival TBD

June TBD Leelanau Wineries Small Plates event

June 16th -Divas Uncorked $25 OMP Wine Trail – the annual “Girls’ Night Out”. Pamper yourselves with a stay at the Grey Hare Inn that will include massages , chocolate, and wine


Leelanau Wine Festival – Northport TBD

June 22nd Traverse City Wine and Art Festival The third annual Traverse City Wine & Art Festival will be a celebration of the wines, art, music and food of the Grand Traverse region. Wineries in attendance will present their wines using the beautiful grounds of the Village at Grand Traverse Commons as a backdrop. The event will feature art displays from regional artists and organizations working in all manner of media. It will also highlight foods from our area and endeavor wherever possible to do things in a green and sustainable manner. As afternoon turns to evening, attendees will experience an exciting concert that features a variety of musicians from our region.

June 29th Harbor Springs Waterfront Wine Festival The 8th annual features wine tasting from both Leelanau and Old Mission winereies as well as wines around the world. Appetizers, entertainment and raffle prizes, tickets on sale at waterfrontwine.org starting May 1

July TBD -Suttons Bay Jazzfest, Bluegrass Festival

July 30 through August 4th -Traverse City Film Festivalwww.traversecityfilmfest.org

September ?? TBD -Womp in the Park – old mission wineries and restaurants outdoors.

October TBD Grey Hare Inn Annual Harvest Stomp Party, 4p – 6p Experience Old World Grape Harvest by hand picking and de-stemming grapes and then stomping them into juice with your feet. Tasting of the wine made from the inn’s grapes at Peninsula Cellars and local produce hors d’oeuvres sampling are included in the $35 per person charge. Advance Reservations required and private events of 10 persons or more can be arranged for different times and dates.

September TBD,2014 – Maritime Heritage Alliance Tallship Festival Traverse City/Michigan Schooner Festival – the Grey Hare Inn owners will take guests sailing to see the festival aboard their 42ft sailboat $150 p/p providing a unique perspective of the event.

September – Dining in the Vines – pairs the Boathouse restaurant’s culinary talents with the wine knowledge of Bowers Harbor to provide a unique experience dining among the vines $125 p/p. Call for dates

September 8,9 -Harvest Stompede at Leelanau Wineries , www.lpwines.com

November 2,3 and 9,10 Toast the Season Leelanau winerie4

November 30th Thanksgiving Saturday – The Great Macaroni & Cheese Cookoff at Old Mission Peninsula wineries – Local restaurants compete with unique creations paired with wines from each winery. www.wineriesofoldmission.com


Selected 2012 Wine Events/Industry Conferences Out of the Area

2013 Events to be Posted as soon as notified but some are included with the year noted behind the date.

January 19-21 Northwest Orchard and Vineyard Show, Grand Traverse Resort, Acme, MI

January 23 Winter Delights, A Festival of Wine, Food, and Jazz – Mendel College, Benton Harbor

February 3,4 Southwest Michigan Horticulture Days, Mendel Center, Benton Harbor. Thursday features session on fruit, berry and grape growers.

February 6-8 Midwest Wine and Grape Conference , Tan-Tar-A Resort , Osage Beach Missouri

February 24-26 Michigan Grape and Wine Conference, Amway Plaza, Grand Rapids, MI

March 9-12 Wineries Unlimited, Valley Forge Convention Center, King of Prussia, PA – the largest, most powerful trade show for the eastern wine industry

MARCH 15, 2013 MSU Museum Wine Tasting Benefit Kellogg Conference Center $45 p/p for an evening featuring more than 175 varieties of wine to sample and savor, along with door prizes and auction. For more information call 517-432-4655

March 31, April 1,2 License to Steal, Lodge at Geneva on the Lake, Ohio industry conference devoted exclusively to the promotion of regional wines

Michigan Wine and Beer Dinner Series – Salt of the Earth restaurant, Fennville featuring wines from Fenn Valley to start then seven other Michigan wineries. Dates are 1/13/10, 1/28/10, 2/10/10, 2/25/10, 3/10/10, 3/25/10, 4/14/10, 4/22/10

June 19th Lake Michigan Shore Wine Festival – Weko Beach, Bridgman, MI Toast the Coast of Lake Michigan Shore wineries with food and music

August 28 Wine and Food Festival at Meadowbrook

August 28,29 Round Barn Winery’s annual Harvest Party with live music , food, DiVine vodka and beer samplings, and of course grape stomping. Baroda, MI

November 18 – 20th Grand Rapids International Wine and Food Festival – the third annual event at DeVos Place is already considered one of the largest wine events in the Midwest; featuring over 1200 wines, beers and spirits, more than a dozen restaurants, a variety of food and beverage seminars, and a marketplace of specialty and artisan food vendors.


Michigan Wine Country Links:



- MI Wines/Grape Council
- Wineries of Old Mission
- Peninsula Cellars
- Leelanau Wineries
- Tasters Guild
- Fenn Valley
- Black Star Farm