Bowers Harbor Vineyards — Attraction in Peninsula Township

DO NOT VISIT HERE UNTIL THEY RESUME THE NORMAL TASTING EXPERIENCE!

Visited Bowers Harbor a couple weeks ago to wine taste and it was probably the most disappointing wine tasting experiences I've had

winery is still enacting the same strict covid restrictions from a year ago despite no restrictions being mandated you cannot taste in the actual tasting room tasting is not flexible and you can only pay $25 for 5 tastes from a preset menu or buy a glass wines were not the same quality as the past servers pouring were so young I'd question if they could even drink, and knew nothing about the wine other than what's written on the description card offered 4 different types of cider yet would not allow for any substitutions into a wine tasting or mix and match seating was assigned despite plenty of seating being available patrons had to use a portable toilet and were not allowed to use the actual restroom inside (the same patrons paying $25 for 5 sips of wine)

This WAS one of my favorite wineries on Old Mission, until now. The experience has been ruined and despite the view, I will not return until the same warm, flexible, customer focused, fairly priced experience from years past returns.

Suffice to say, I didn't buy any wine (every time prior to covid, I'd always leave wine from them and usually...

As a Traverse City local and former Old Mission Peninsula industry worker, I was very disappointed by my recent experience at Bowers Harbor Vineyards. I visited on a Sunday evening and was genuinely excited to finally make it up to Bowers, as I’ve visited nearly every other vineyard on OMP.

When we arrived, we looked over the menu and placed our order—the young woman who helped us was friendly and quickly put together our flights. The wine was good and did not factor into my review. Unfortunately, the experience quickly went downhill. Despite being there a full 40 minutes before closing, a middle-aged blonde employee began loudly injecting air into sparkling bottles while openly complaining to her coworkers about how “nobody’s here” and suggesting they should start closing early. This was all said loudly enough for our group, as well as another nearby couple, to hear—making us feel unwelcome and uncomfortable.

Having worked in the industry, I completely understand that slower days can be frustrating. However, it’s entirely unacceptable to disrupt guests’ experiences with closing duties and complaints while customers are still present. It left a disappointing impression of a place I had really been looking forward...

Excellent wine and ciders with beautiful scenery. We stopped by for a tasting during a busy time, but we hovered near the outdoor bar and were noticed right away. The woman helping us was amazing: she was helpful and relaxed, despite the fact that she was scurrying around a bit between customers. She chatted with us and lent her personal thoughts (all good!) to the wines and ciders we tried. I wish I could remember her name! The garden/outdoor area is relaxing and offers plenty of shade and side tables if you want to take a glass and enjoy it, or if you need to keep little ones busy. The tasting fee includes your wine glass, which she wrapped up for us. The grapefruit and watermelon ciders were some of the best we've tried, so of course we had to buy some! I noticed a staff member checking on the people sitting in the chairs too, which was nice to see. **My sister went earlier in the day and had a slightly different experience. They also went to outdoor bar area and gentleman serving their tasting kept referring to the ciders as weak, or not their best, hoping the next batch would be better. He also asked if they wanted their glasses (they are included) and seemed a bit put out...