If you’re a northern Michigander, you probably get a lot of requests from your out-of-town friends to come to visit, especially in the summertime. And honestly, who can blame these friends? We’ve got some of the most spectacular water, fantastic restaurants, and a ton of things to do both in town and out and about.
If we had to guess what one of the items on your guests’ must-do lists is, especially if you live near the Old Mission or Leelanau peninsulas, we’d put wine tasting and touring near the top.
The winery scene in Northern Michigan has been around for more than 50 years, and has become even more vibrant and attractive as the years have gone on. Staples on the Old Mission peninsula like Chateau Grand Traverse and relative newcomers like Bonobo provide lovers of great wine, tasty food, and beautiful vistas more than a full weekend worth of activities.
But, are these businesses actually good for local property owners? Absolutely.
Local Wineries Are Good For Property Owners
Wineries and local wine culture can play a big role in benefiting local homeowners, from increasing the tax base, raising property values by proximity, and supporting a local economy that ultimately supports the local home buyers and sellers.
Stabilizing the Tax Base
Local wineries increase the tax base for local communities by paying business taxes on land that, while used for agricultural purposes, is used in a way that is very friendly to neighbors. When you have an area with a diversified mix of business and residential taxes, you stabilize the tax base, allowing the local and regional governments to do better planning when it comes to infrastructure support and other community-benefiting projects.
Higher Community Property Values
Living next door or near a winery is not like living next door or near a traditional business, or even a standard agricultural business. Ask anyone who lives next door to a winery and they’ll tell you that most of the time it’s like living next door to a Buddhist temple.
Grapevines and the grapes themselves require delicate care by both machinery and people, so unlike traditional agriculture, the fields are treated with an extra level of reverence and care, many tasks being performed by hand. It is unlikely you’ll hear the roar of a tractor early in the morning when you live next door to a winery.
Also, fields of grapes are just aesthetically beautiful to look at. For the same reason that views of the water, views of the golf course, of views of the city skyline will raise your property value, views of rolling fields of grapes and a beautiful winery will too.
Plus, unlike other businesses, wineries have built-in longevity to their business, owing to the fact that grapes take time to develop, and great wine needs time to mature. Because of this, wineries are not fly-by-night businesses, so you can be assured that you aren’t going to have a new business moving in every other year.
Overall, wineries make great neighbors because they are beautiful, respectful, and create stability in an area, all things that do good things for property values.
Great For Our Local Economy
Finally, wineries and the northern Michigan wine culture are a big supporter of our local economy, something that contributes heavily to the financial health and well-being of those most interested in buying and selling homes in our area.
As a region heavily dependent on tourism, many have been especially concerned with the way COVID-19 is affecting our local economy. While the local wine industry has certainly not been immune to this, they also have a large following of local patrons who purchase their products and even (safely) patronize their tasting rooms and restaurants. Having steady service-industry businesses like wineries in our local economy goes a long way towards preventing the most substantial economic impacts of the COVID-19 shutdown.
Ready to Go Wine Tasting?
Ready to go check out some Grand Traverse and Leelanau area wineries? The Old Mission Peninsula Wine Trail and the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trails are a great place to start. Both of these organizations have tons of great information on some of the best wineries in the area. If you have to pick and choose we recommend Chateau Chantal, Bonobo Winery, and Mari Vineyards on the Old Mission Peninsula, and Blackstar Farms, Mawby, and Bluestone Vineyards on the Leelanau Peninsula.
Bringing It All Together
It is hard to picture northern Michigan without these amazing agricultural, community, and tourism destinations as a part of it. What are your favorite northern Michigan wines? What is your favorite tasting room? Tell us in the comments below.
And, if you’re ready to think about finally getting that home out in wine country (or anywhere else for that matter) in Grand Traverse of Leelanau Counties, the Brick & Corbett Team are here to help you with all your home buying and selling needs. Contact us today to for help turning the next chapter in your homeownership journey from a fairytale to a happily ever after.