Black Star Farms

Went with a Black Star member, sat in the special tasting room, knowledgeable staff and some good wine.

Went to Blackstar Farms in the winter for a casual wine tasting. We had a wonderful experience thanks to sommelier Erin. She was very informative, inviting, and friendly. Will go back again.

We stayed at the inn for several nights in December, and it has truly been a 5-​star experience. Mira was a lovely suite with everything we needed for a comfortable stay, including a complimentary bottle of wine, plus an evening happy hour and use of the sauna. The gourmet breakfast each morning was quite possibly the best part, with the chef taking special care to meet my vegetarian dietary needs. As inn guests, we were also able to enjoy a special tasting in a private area of their tasting room. Kevin took exceptional care of us, providing quality wine recommendations. We loved our time here and are already planning our return trip! All the extras that are included with your room rate make the cost well worth it!

Oh man. There are not enough words to describe the great quality and ambiance of this place.
The boyfriend and I came into TC for his sister’s wedding weekend and we had extra time on our hands so we rented bikes and did our own little wine/​brewery tour.
Black Star was the last place on our list and after biking 20 miles, we were looking to stop for lunch. SOOO glad this is where we chose to stop!
Black Star is both a winery and a farm, which for us translated into organic pizza and wine. It was GREAT. And as a New Yorker, who takes serious pride in our city’s pizza (boo deep dish!!), I have to give up to these guys.
Everything was delicious and the ladies who worked there were incredibly friendly and pleasant. There’s also a cute kitty that roams around the outdoor restaurant, so be careful if you’re allergic/don’t want the kitty on top of you! (He also liked the pizza and had jumped on me to like my plate… something I would’ve done, had he not beaten me to it!!!
As for the wine, we split a bottle of Black Star Pinot Noir. It was really good, and had flavorful notes without as many tannins (which the boyfriend appreciated).
While we didn’t stop by the tasting room, it seemed from the outside to have good foot traffic. We definitely plan on returning when we get back to the Traverse City area!
TL;DR Version?:
Really great views, friendly restaurant staff, great food, good wine, cute cats, and bike racks!

Great time. Great selection, 5 tastings, free glass! Much better than Brys. We went during the week so wasn’t very busy. Looked like the animals were away, so skipped that part.

Beautiful scenery, great for a walk/​run. Friendly staff and great accommodations. Love the evening stars in the room! Nice architecture in the tasting room. Petting zoo for kids. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Wish we would have arrived earlier!

Loved this winery! Free tasting glass with $ 5 tasting. Delicious apple sparkle wine. Will be back!

This is such an all around wonderful tasting room and property. I come here every time I am in Traverse City and I am never disappointed! The Arcturos Chardonnay is my favorite!

We were not impressed with this place at all. We were not even greeted or recognized when we walked in. There was a girl behind the bar but, she never said a word to us. We looked around at the wines but, they had them way overpriced compared to other wineries we’ve visited. Also thought the tasting was overpriced. So we left to look for something else. We would not go back.

My husband and I was staying in Traverse City and wanted to go to a couple of wineries. Read the reviews and thought we would check it out. This would be the second winery we visited that day.
You can spend a day here. Besides the winery, they have a restaurant to dine in and a hotel/​inn.
As we entered the driveway, you go through their beautiful acres of vineyards. All I saw was gorgeous green landscapes. Then comes the farm. WOW!!! Horses, beautiful barn and buildings. I can already tell this is going to be a great experience. There are signs that will guide you to where you need to get to. I wanted to do the tasting. It is $ 5.00 for 5 tastings of your choice of Dry White Wine and Dry Red Wine. They also have a reserve tasting which is 2 for $ 5.00. I did just the 5 tastings which was all dry red wine.
This is what I chose from the list:
–2012 BSF Pinot Noir: Cherry and hints of cedar with cocoa & vanilla rose
–2011 Arcturos Pinot Noir: Bright berry nose touched with spicy oak.
–2011 Vintners Select: Rich dark fruit flavors and a hint of cocoa & spice.
–2011 Arcturos Cabernet Franc: Raspberry & Blackberry with herbal spicy oak.
— Red house Red: Fruit driven with layered flavors and hints of oak.
My favorite was the BSF Pinot Noir, Arcturos Cabernet Franc, and Vintners Select.
I ended up getting a bottle of the 2012 BSF Pinot Noir for $ 11.25.
Besides wine, they also sell chocolates, nuts, gifts, t-​shirts and more.
This is a must visit. Employees are very friendly, knowledgeable and take pride in their jobs.
Love it here!

my favorite of the 6 wineries I went to that trip to Traverse City! I love their Chardonnay and their House Red wine. The people serving the wine where pretty great as well.

I am glad to see the positive reviews but unfortunately our experience was not as good. Although its been a couple of years, I decided to write this review. Overall the place is nice to visit but we were there mainly to taste and buy wine. This is what this review is for. The wines we tasted were ok and we bought 3 different bottles. The only one I can remember is the Bedazzled.
Not sure if it was the bottle wine vs what was in the winery but it really tasted terrible. All I can remember is the taste of alcohol was strong and I did not taste much of the other ingredients. May be we just picked the wrong ones. I can’t say but I won’t be going back.

Visited Blackstar Farms on a winery tour. It was the favorite of the group even after visting 6 other ones. The wine was delicious, the bartender was cool & knowledgable and everyone in the group ended up purchasing bottles. Plus, they give stemless glasses-​which are the best! A great place to visit for wine if you’re in the area!

First winery experience, so nothing to compare it to, but certain it would stack up to others. Beautiful views upon entry, even a little petting zoo area with pigs, goats, horses, etc.
Couldn’t beat tasting 5 wines for $ 5! The place was crowded inside over the 4^th of July, so it might have been nice to have some sort of lines to make it feel a little less chaotic around the bar area. Thankfully a staff member was able to serve our group of 12 at a back bar area without having a reservation.
Wish the distillery was open located inside the restaurant area, but was told its coming soon!

I have been to both tasting rooms in Michigan, and both experiences have been nothing short of amazing. Tastings are inexpensive but comprehensive. There are so many choices and the staff is so knowledgeable. Both tasting rooms are beautiful, as is the vineyard. I no longer live in Michigan, but I make sure I pick up a few bottles whenever I am back, this is one of my favorite wineries.

The wine was mediocre. The lines were too long. The people were not that friendly.
I was not overly impressed.
Just an okay experience.

Black Star is a very large winery with a vast selection of wines. This spot was particularly good for our large group as we had several small children with us, who loved getting to play with the farm animals while the adults indulged in adult beverages.
The wines here are really good. I am a huge Rose’ drinker and really enjoyed the Rose’. The Bedazzled Sparkling Wine was really fresh and a great choice for a special occasion. The staff was laid back and fun. My mother in law also bought some cheese from their cheese shop, Leelanau Cheese. It was wonderful! I look forward to returning to Black Star Farms.

While in Traverse City we stopped in for a taste of Black Star’s wine. We were very happy that we did. They had several to choose from and they also had brandy. I ended up getting a few of the brandy. They have a lot of them. Make sure you stop in.

This was my second visit to Black Star Farms. It’s absolutely amazing in the summer months. Gorgeous grounds, rows and rows of dark lucious grapes… So amazing. The winery has a lot to offer, great products, the spirits are something to be enjoyed too! Onsight they have a cheese shop, that makes so great items, but one thing that is a complete must-​do is their café. Great menu, unique pairings. Who knew potatoes would be so YuM on a pizza… Yes yes they were. It’s definitely more bare bones in the winter, but you have to check them out. They really are terrific!

Beautiful winery. Huge inside. There’s also a bed and breakfast and a few other things on the grounds. The first time my friends and I went, we did a U-​Turn out because we figured it would be too expensive. It was wonderful. You have quite a few selections of wine to choose from. Very nice people. Knowledgeable. Great wine. The dessert wines have a little brandy in them. We even got a wine glass to take home. Cool place.