Black Star Farms Old Mission

Went here yesterday had had a fantastic time, we skipped wine sampling and went straight for the amazing cocktails 🍸 I believe Julia helped us (I think that was her name, it was 2/14 am shift). She made excellent drinks and was so fun to chat with. Thanks!

Outstanding wine selection and great service! Nicklas was fun. Do not skip the cocktails! The bar is beautiful, but seating is uncomfortable. If you're hungry, there is only crackers and cheese here, plan accordingly!

Our waitress was rude. We tried almost 10 different wines and did not find one we liked. Would rate higher if it wasn’t for the rude service, will not be back.

Had a very nice experience here. Wonderful location in a beautiful, scenic spot, cozy tasting room and friendly staff. The wines were not my favorite- but, I’ve been all over the world and tasted wines from everywhere, so I’m a bit of a wine snob. They have a decent Chardonnay and Riesling. Their reds didn’t do much for me.

It is February and there is no coat rack or even backs on the chairs to hang your coat from. There are only a few hooks under the counter but it is low and your coat will likely touch the floor that is all wet and dirty from melted snow tracked in from outside. Also, there were less hooks than chairs so not everyone gets to hang their coats anyway. Also, in the womens restroom, there were of course no hooks anywhere to hang your jacket or purse on at all. No table to set your stuff onto either. Hooks on the back of the doors in bathrooms, especially for women, is just basic respect. Am I supposed to put my stuff down on the dirty floor? It's ridiculous, rude, and unsanitary. They need to take better care of their customers. I was uncomfortable with my coat on my lap and in a state like Michigan where we are used to long hard winters, there is no reason we should be dealing with problems like these that have such simple and obvious solutions. The wine is great, but the accommodation is lacking.

Can you say strikingly busy? No greeting at the door, no one to assist with anything. Albeit this place was busy so were other wineries in the area, and we received 0% customer service here as compared to other local wineries. This made us sad because we heard such great things about this place. We wanted to try some great wines but had a hard time even getting through the crowded room to navigate the shelves of wines. We did drop some cash here and hoped for the best without trying before buying. BEWARE! Their grappa will sneak up on you! Plan on coming here when maybe it's not so busy.

Beautiful place and some great award winning wine! Helpful and friendly staff! Great pinot noir! And riesling ice wine as well. All kinds of wine for your fix...go try it out!!

Probably my favorite winery on the peninsula. They have a wide range of wines, ciders, and even brandy. The staff is all very knowledgeable and friendly. I would recommend trying the raspberry dessert wine (also the winter wine)! The brandy is delicious but strong, so be prepared! One of the places I will always go when I’m in the area.

I don't even know where to start. We were looking forward to stopping here mainly because they advertise a deal where you get 2 glasses of wine and flatbread for $30. Once seated, we were told they only offer that at their other location. The stools at the bar were almost unbearable. It's a small plank of wood across the bottom and then one across the back. Your knees hit the very awkward wine barrel as you tried to pull up and it was just very uncomfortable. Maybe they don't want people lingering so there's a higher turnover? We wanted to buy a bottle to enjoy there but they don't have bottle service. You have to purchase each glass individually. So, that's what we did. We guzzled it down because at that point, we couldn't wait to get out of there. Maybe our expectations were too high but it's just not what we anticipated. We ended up stopping at Wendy's on the way home and that went down perfectly with a bottle of wine we already had.

A highlight of of our Saturday winery tours. Nice down to earth place nicely done inside and a nice patio area. Wait to be seated type place, but it wasn't overly crowded so we got a table immediately. They are known for their flights so that's want I went for. The flight arrived and it was accompanied by a paper bag. I asked what it was for and they explained it was for a souvenir glass. How cool. They had a good selection from dry to sweet. The cherry was my favorite. Everyone was nice and accommodating. Check this place out!

We had a wonderful lunch on the patio of their Bistro . Amazing salads and lunch fare . The blueberry lemonade was excellent too . A nice place for both biking and hiking

It is one of the 10 wineries that is part of the old mission peninsula wine tour. It's a nice place to start the tour and also good for a rainy day.

SERVICE: 5 FOOD QUALITY: N/A DRINK QUALITY: 5 ORDER TIME: 5 AESTHETICS: 3 NOISE LEVEL: 5 MENU SELECTION: 5 OVERALL EXPERIENCE: 4.67 Black star farms has their main winery, and a smaller tasting winery. This one happened to be the smaller tasting winery. No reservation required, and is first come first serve. The line was about 20 people long but only waited about 10 minutes which was well worth it. Anyone who lives in Michigan knows that black star is one of the better wines produced in our great state. I did a tasting flight of their non commercial wines, and they were just as good as the stuff you can buy at stores. The sitting deck isn't that amazing. It's just a small concrete deck on the side of the building overlooking the parking lot. If you want wow factor, and beauty while you taste their wine then go to the main winery. Overall this is our favorite wine in traverse city, and a must visit if you're in the area to drink wine.

This was one of the wineries we visited in the area. The whole area is beautiful. It looks like they have an are for events that looked pretty, and stables. Good wines and nice patio area to sit outside. Highly recommend.

Cute winery in Traverse City. We came in for a tasting, and we loved the atmosphere and service. The staff were all super friendly and accommodating. The power was out in the peninsula but this place had a generator so that worked out. We got a wine flights and brandy flights. - Cabernet franc (5/5): this was great, dry but was flavorful and earthy - Sparkling reisling (5/5): loved this one, was a dry white wine - Delighted (4/5): a sweet wine, very light and tasty For the brandy, we got the Apple and the raspberry flavored. Both had end notes of Apple/raspberry and were strong but good quality

Kathleen was very nice. The woman with the black lips was very rude. To reiterate the woman with the black lips was very rude.

Solid wine, knowledgeable, staff, and a nice patio. Had a great time would go back again.

Terrible, rude service. We had an appointment for 10 of us, called ahead a week and a few days before to confirm, and yet they turned us away with an open bar and tables. Server was incredibly rude and offered no solutions. Will not return to their tasting room as there are many others who have better wine and friendlier staff.

This was the first winery we stopped at. We sat outside on the little back area. Each of us got a flight of wine. I also got a flight of 2 liquors. The flight had one glass and 2 plastic cups. I understand wanting to save on dishes but I thought this was a bit tacky. The cab frank was the star of the show - so good! The other wines were ok - nothing special. I didn't like the liquors. No food at this winery (at least we didn't notice any) so if you want a charcuterie board or similar to snack on I wouldn't come here. Nothing special about the ambiance either. Probably not a winery I would come back to, minus stopping in to get another bottle of the cab frank because it was excellent. If the cab frank wasn't so good I would have given this 3 stars.

The wine was delicious. We loved how we even got to take a glass home with us! The employee that helped us was extremely friendly, I wish we would have gotten his name. We appreciated his recommendations for other wineries in the area, too! Deducted a star because the outside patio faces the parking lot instead of their beautiful vineyard.

This was a fun stop on the tasting trail. You get a flight of 3 wines and got to keep the glass. Very fun vibe, mostly due to their outdoor patio with firepits. They warned us about not keeping the plastic glasses too close and they were not lying Tried the 2 pinots and the Marquette. All were ok reds. This is the place with a pear brandy with an actual pear inside the bottle!! Very friendly staff. Inside they had other wines sold and ended up buying some rose and cab franc, excited to try those wines. I would come back based on the laid back patio/fire pit experience.

Extremely knowledgeable and helpful staff. They were able to recommend great options for different types of wine drinkers. We each did a flight which was a great price and included a free souvenir glass! Great location, however, if you are looking for views of the water while enjoying your wine this is not the location. Definitely want to try their main location in Sutton's Bay!

Pretty awful service to say the least. Nobody outside came to help us even though parties that came after us were helped immediately. One worker kept staring at us, giving very judgmental and what felt like racist looks. Got 3 tastings, 2 came out after like 20 minutes and it took another 10 minutes for the 3rd to come out. Doesn't make sense how it takes 30 minutes for a tasting. Also came later in the day when it wasn't very crowded. Felt stereotyped, ignored, and disregarded. Wouldn't waste my time here again and wish I could leave 0 stars. Better wine at Cherry Republic!

Stopped in for a tasting with family, we were not waited on and had to go inside to ask for the tasting slips. After making our selections, took into the bar (still no service) and it took 25 minutes for our flights to come out. It was not busy and we watched as other parties came in and were greeted and served. No stars should be given. Wine was not very good either. Don't waste your time here.

Casual environment with a comfortable patio thats family friendly. They have flights and let you keep a glass a souvenir. They don't have a kitchen just some prepackaged snacks available for purchase. Its very close to traverse city and almost at the base of old mission peninsula.

This is a can't miss tasting room! Woah! The service was beyond excellent and wines were the best around! We loved getting to try some delicious choices. They had so many to choose from! I cant remember the name of our server but he was excellent. He explained about this cool brandy that they grew a pear in the bottle. It was the coolest thing ever!

Delicious wine and friendly service. We tasted 6 wines and enjoyed each one. The patio ambiance is lacking compared to other wineries in the area but I think the Sutton's bay location is nicer if you're looking for a place to sit outside and stay awhile

I was on a bachelorette party wine tour and this winery was stop number one of our day! We were given our own private tasting room away from the business of the main area. We were all allowed to pick one of four tasting line ups. I tried the sweet wines. I enjoy sweet wines but these were pretty sweet and syrup-like. Two of them I could barely finish they were so thick. There were also bees everywhere and the server kept killing them with his bare hands. Yikes. I did get to keep my tasting glass, so that was nice.

If I was rating the service, I'd give this place 5 stars. Our waitress was phenomenal, helpful and tried her darnedest to find me a wine I'd like. Where I have to give it 3 stars is the wine. All of the reds are extremely wash out, very bland, and not worth going back for. My taste is for dry wines, preferably reds. After many attempts to find a red I'd like, this gal had me try some of their whites--I surprisingly found one that I liked but it still wasn't anything to write home about. Overall, the staff is wonderful, but the wine leaves much to be desired.

Okay winery, but the wine is good. The views weren't great and the people pouring the wine weren't that friendly. Our person was a young man and then say much to us and you could tell he wanted to end his shift.

Super friendly. Very knowledgeable. Made you feel welcome. The wines here were much better than others in the area. I was surprised with the white wine selection as I even liked their Reisling which is typically too sweet for me. That pinot blanc was good as well. Had to order both along with some others to take home. Surprisingly, their table red blend was good too, rivaling their more expensive reds including their cab franc. Definitely recommend visiting here.

I'm giving Black Star five stars for the top notch service but more like four stars for the view/setting. I am not much of wine connoisseur but I know what I do and don't like. Our server asked me what I like even though I had already circled my 3 choices and he crossed them out and went over the list with me and was so kind and informative. I love, loved all of them! Made for such a great experience! He even suggested an "off the tasting list" wine to my husband for his flight. After that it didn't matter where we sat.

I love Black Star Farms from previous visits and they knocked it out of the park again. While many wineries didn't accept visitors without reservations, or had limitations if you didn't have reservations or had set flight menus etc. during this pandemic Black Star somehow made the experience as close to pre pandemic as possible while adhering all the safety protocols. I love that they have a good selection of sparkling wines with a new addition this year!! Plus the souvenir cups are pretty nice but I was disappointed that they repeated the design this year from a previous year.

Black Star is the perfect place to start your day. The staff is relaxed non pretentious or pushy with speed of experience. In addition to having some really flavorful wines, (I liked everything from the brut sparkling wines to the Francs) they also have brandy! The Apple pear brandy was the surprise hit of this winery and learning how they grow it was interesting too. This brandy would make a great gift. As far as gifts go this location was decked out with merchandise, great place to pick up a couple souvenirs and mark the moment. Thank you for your hospitality Black Star, you've got fans in Southwest Florida.

I really enjoyed the wine tasting process. I wasn't a fan of all the staff. One staff member was the absolute sweetest, he was more than happy to assist us. Another staff member was very stuffy and she seemed annoyed to be there. The grounds are gorgeous to walk around, and their wines are amazing.

Of all the wineries on Old Mission Peninsula, this is one of my least favorites. It has a very touristy feel to it. They do have a satellite location on another trail as well, but for some reason it feels like it is run like a chain. Honestly, the people there know a lot about the wine, but they just don't have as friendly of a personality as with other places on the trail. They don't seem to relate to you as well, as someone that doesn't know about their wine. You do get a free glass with your tasting purchase, and their wine was decent, but I will probably skip this winery next time, in order to add another one to my stop.

Nice winery! Kaitlyn our server was amazing. It was great speaking with her.would te the apple brandy!!!

'Ello chaps! The Traverse City area is a hidden gem for wine lovers. Most people think of Napa Valley for the best of the best, but boy are they missing out. There are dozens of wineries in the Traverse City area, each offering their own signature wines, grown in the local vineyards. Black Star Farms on Old Mission is a member of WOMP (Wineries of Old Mission Peninsula); a trail of 9 wineries, each with their own character. Black Star Farms is one of the first wineries you'll come to in the rolling hills where you can park, walk in and begin the tastings. They charge $7 for a tasting of 5 wines, but you get to keep the souvenir wine glass.

REVIEWING THE WINE TASTING ONLY: Black Star Farms is a cozy tasting facility within the grounds of western Michigans farming are. The interior is well adorned with award winning bottles, seasonal merchandise and much more. The tastings went more wonderfully with a starter taste of a limited production wine (Not available for tasting-?) 2008 Cabernet Franc,-2010 Arcturos, so smokey and spicy for such a young wine. 2010 Acturos Pinot Noir, bold little guy, followed by a Red House Red ans the 2011 Pinot Noir. I try to purchase one bottle per winery, unless it is special to my palate, in which case the bottle count goes up from there. The Red House red was a two bottle buy.

The staff is friendly, fun, knowledgeable. We found some wines we enjoyed very much. The atmosphere is delightful. Beautiful farm setting with the gorgeous vineyards. If you love a relaxing setting and no pretense, it's worth a try!

This was the last stop on our wine tour and we loved the experience! We had a private tasting room for our large group which was a nice change of pace as the other wineries in our tour were jam packed with customers which made it harder for the crew to talk with us about the wines we were tasting. I would be remised not to remind you to please tip your wine steward/stewardess. We learned that our work group did not add a tip to the bill and we were the only ones that tipped all day. I was incredibly disappointed in our group organizer and ended up throwing some extra cash his way to make up for it. There were four groups of 20ish people each in our party that cycled through multiple wineries throughout the day and I know that what I was able to give barely scratched the surface of what they were likely anticipating for the day!

We love the Black Star out by Suttons Bay and decided to switch and come to this location to check it out. The wine and location was great but the service by the two men was absolutely terrible, we asked for a table of 8 and they straight up told us no then we asked for two tables of four and he said "I don't think so" sarcastically. Very very poor service overall even during the tasting.

Pretty tasting room, friendly staff. Really good wine with a range to pick from. Plus you get to keep your tasting glass.

The Old Mission Peninsula boasts a selection of wineries to rival any in California or Washington State. As a West Coaster, I've come to a certain standard for wineries on any tour, both in terms of wine tasting and availability of products. Black Star Farms is an excellent example of a winery done right, and it's well worth a visit. Being barely twenty minutes outside of Traverse City on a pleasant state highway makes for an excellent getaway. Black Star Farms features a very broad variety of wines grown from grapes on their property, and standouts include their fruit wines and sweet wines. I have little love for heavily acid whites, so the pinot grigio and the riesling here thoroughly satisfied my palate. But let's get back to the dessert wines, and appreciate how the rare microclimate created on Traverse Bay by Lake Michigan is so remarkable. You can taste a range of reds and whites that thrive out the door, literally a few meters away. The bus tours that rolled up while I visited were greeted cordially and quickly. Individual shoppers receive the same warm, friendly welcome and we never felt too crowded inside the main shop. The wine tasting is absolutely worth the visit unless you're in a complete rush, and the staff will be happy to answer questions or offer recommendations. On a timetable? Let them know and they will helpfully augment their approach based on your needs. Note that the tasting area gets crowded during peak season. Expect to have your elbows squished in and there isn't much room for the servers to slip away from you. I came during the waning peak of autumn leaf season, so I expected a wait, but they were smooth and efficient throughout. The fruit wines and cider are top notes here, and well worth the effort to obtain. Especially for those who are getting their footing on the whole winery experience, Black Star is a great place to start, balancing an easygoing approach with some serious vintner chops.

We stopped at a lot of wineries while in Traverse City Michigan. This was the one I was impressed with the most. Wonderful nice and friendly servers at the tasting bar. Crackers where not extra. We managed to leave there with about a case of wine and some distilled spirits the Pear was my absolute favorite. I would stop by again and I wish they had a place to sit down and eat lunch because I would be in!

Wine was great, and so was the cheesecake! The staff could have been better. Weren't very friendly compared to most of the wineries in town.

We came here for the cheese samples, but stayed for the petting zoo. We were disappointed when the cheese samples weren't free (they were 2 bucks for a few pieces) but it was delicious cheese... We were thinking about doing the wine tasting but it was so packed we couldn't even get in the door. We decided to go pet the animals instead. The pigs were the biggest pigs I've ever seen and the alpaca was cute too. They had hand washing stations available, which is always nice when you're touching animals that roll around in poop. What really stuck with me though is how beautiful it is. Driving in, you come right through the vineyard. There was actually a wedding going on when we came and I was thinking that they made an awesome choice for their venue. I'd really like to come back here some time when it's a little less busy, for a wine tasting.

First stop on our Old Mission peninsula wine tasting. The wines were excellent, however the service was horrible. We arrived and paid for our tasting, and then were subsequently totally ignored in spite of the fact that they were not at all busy. Finally we moved to a section served by Tova who seemed to be preoccupied or on something. Couldn't wait to get out of there. I have been to Black Star Farms on the Leelanau peninsula and it was a much better experience.

Relaxed and laid back atmosphere with great prices (3 wines for $11). Good, unpretentious place to spend an afternoon and drink good wine.

Best wine on the whole trail!! 2 pages worth of options. The sweet flight I did, I throughly enjoyed! Staff member stayed with us the entire time to serve us, unlike others.

This was not worth my time. I heard this was a super friendly winery to do a tasting at, and was very disappointed when I was here. The wine was mediocre at best and the guy leading our tasting barely bothered to talk about any of the wine or show any interest in the wine. I would not recommend to anyone.

Good wine. Nice company. We had an awesome tasting here! The one thing I wish it had was seating. Would definitely come back.

Really great wines and friendly staff! Changed our minds about what a house wine should be!

TJ is very knowledgeable and personable. Really enjoyed the tasting! If you haven't given Michigan wine a chance, you should!!

This place has terrible service! Our server was so rude and the sample pours were very small. There are plenty of wonderful vineyards in the area with better atmosphere and scenery. I wouldn't waste your time or money here.

Staff was friendly and knowledgeable. Great selection. Wine was excellent. The hot spiked cider sample when you first walked in was a nice touch and made this place stand out from the other wineries we visited. We will definitely go back.

I was surprised the tasting was not complimentary with the purchase of a $17 bottle of wine. Wine flights/tasting is $9 for 3 wines. During covid they are pouring your 3 choices of wine then bringing them outside to you. I really missed the tasting host describing the wine notes I should be tasting and an overview of that variety.