NEW!  Summer Wine Dinners Announced!

Join us every Wednesday and Saturday evenings at the winery from June 19-September 4th for our amazing 6 course wine dinner.  Only $50 per person plus tax and gratuity.  Make your reservation by calling 1-800-969-4009 or through our online catalog.

Prepare your tastebuds with our great menu!

Chateau Chantal Breaks State Lines into Illinois

Traverse City, Michigan (April 5, 2010)  An agreement has been signed naming Fresh Coast Distributors as the exclusive distributor of Chateau Chantal wines in Illinois. Fresh Coast Distributors is a new company formed by Chicago natives and Michigan proponents Kelly Kniewel and Darcy Morowitz. The company focuses on bringing local wines and spirits to Illinois from Michigan and the Midwest. Chateau Chantal is among the first wineries to sign on with Fresh Coast’s portfolio of high quality Michigan wines. Chateau Chantal has a strong belief in the company’s motto of buy local and experience the best of Michigan.

Chateau Chantal is extremely excited to gain focused representation in the Chicago market. “We see hundreds of visitors each year to our tasting room and bed and breakfast from the Chicago metro area. Now, we’ll be able to send them to their favorite local wines shop or restaurant for a taste of Northern Michigan,” says Marketing Director Marie-Chantal Dalese, a former twelve year resident of Chicago. “There’s a strong Michigan community presence in Chicago that I think is open to try more high quality Michigan wines as part of the “locavore” movement within Chicago.”

This is the first step in the hopeful expansion of Chateau Chantal wines outside the state of Michigan. Winemaker Mark Johnson says, “Our popularity has grown throughout the Midwest, we receive customer requests from Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio and Indiana for our wines. The challenge comes from being able to increase production enough to be able to supply the growing demand and then finding just the right distributor who appreciates the elevated quality of the Chantal wines and displays the ability and enthusiasm necessary to properly market the wines. We believe that we have found the perfect people at Fresh Coast.

Fresh Coast will carry a wide selection of Chateau Chantal’s offerings, including Chardonnays, Riesling, Pinot Noirs, and specialty products like Naughty and Nice, Ice Wine, and a cherry port style wine called Cerise. Products are expected to be available for sale in Spring 2010. Contact Fresh Coast Distributors for more information on sales in Illinois at www.freshcoastdist.com.

Chateau Chantal Announces $1.1 Million Expansion
TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan (February 10, 2010) - Last night the Peninsula Township Board gave Chateau Chantal the go ahead for a $1.1 million expansion of its cellar and tasting room. The plans call for a 9,835 square foot expansion to the cellar, a 1,784 square foot tasting room addition, and 2,730 square foot patio space located on the roof of the cellar for seasonal use.

Jim Krupka, President and CEO said, “The expansion is needed to allow Chateau Chantal to continue our growth in processing grapes from the Peninsula and letting more people experience our fine wine we produce.” Originally built in 1993 and expanded in 2003, Chateau Chantal has steadily increased wine production since opening. Chateau Chantal farms 70 acres of grapes on Old Mission Peninsula and is working with other farmers to plant and manage more vineyards. In addition, the company owns a 55 acre Malbec vineyard in Mendoza, Argentina to supplement their Old Mission production. Robert Begin, founder and Chairman said, “This piece of Michigan geography is indeed a gift. The more opportunities we can create for our guests to share its beauty, the more each of us will profit.”

With the expansion, customers during the busy summer and fall seasons will be greeted with more wine tasting space and variety of offering. The Chateau expects to continue its current seasonal Tapas Tours, and thanks to the 2009 passing of ‘sale of wines by the glass with food’ amendment at Peninsula Township, offer more food and wine pairings to add to the tasting room experience, including wine education seminars and dinners featuring Chantal wines and local produce. Marie-Chantal Dalese, Director of Marketing comments, “These events present exciting opportunities for us to showcase our passion and talent for combining wine and food, elevating each in the process, and creating a memorable experience.”

Chateau Chantal has contracted with Peninsula Construction to build the expansion. Ground break is planned for March 1st with completion slated for September 2010. The winery and bed and breakfast facilities will remain open through the construction offering complimentary wine tastings, lodging and scheduled events.

New Blog launched for Chateau Chantal Winery and Inn.  Read our blog here.

Chateau Chantal Named a Gayot.com's Top Ten US Winery Inn!  Here's what they had to say:

"Dividing Lake Michigan's Traverse Bay, Old Mission Peninsula is the place to go when you want to get away from it all. Although it's home to only five wineries, it's an official American Viticultural Area, one of four in Michigan, a state that specializes in vinifera, hybrid and native grape varieties. Come out here for a long weekend and you'll have enough time to get to know each winery well, beginning with Chateau Chantal, a European chateau-style winery on a 65-acre estate. The winery is home to an eleven room B&B, as well as a cooking school. Of course, the most pleasant way to pass the time here is by sitting on the patio, sipping a glass of house wine and savoring views of the bay, vines and cherry orchards."

Chateau Chantal’s Founding Owner Publishes Life Story Cookbook

Nadine Begin, founder and Bed & Breakfast chef at Chateau Chantal, has released her first cookbook, Feed my Lambs, Feed my Sheep-The Meals and Memories of a Lifetime, detailing her varied life experiences and the recipes that accompanied each stage. At the request of many B&B guests to have a book about these life experiences and recipes, Nadine spent the past few years compiling her recipes and writing her story.   Cookbook available at our online store.

Chateau Chantal takes 15 medals at Taster's Guild!

GOLD medal winners include:

Proprietor's Reserve Cabernet Franc 2007
Proprietor's Reserve Pinot Noir 2007
Pinot Grigio 2008
Proprietor's Reserve Chardonnay 2007
Tonight Sparkling Wine
Reserve Malbec 2007

Blossom Days Barrel Taste-Off

Winemaker Brian Hosmer led guests through a special barrel tasting during Blossom Days this past May 16 & 17. Guests were able to sample Chardonnay from both an American and French oak barrel and then vote on their taste preference. The result was for the French barrel, 144 votes to 112 votes. The wines from both these barrels will be blended together to create additional complexity in the wine. Look for the 2008 Proprietor's Reserve Chardonnay sometime this summer. In the meantime, our 07 Proprietor's Reserve Chardonnay is available for sale now - it's an amazingly lush and beautiful wine.

Want to participate next year?  Blossom Days is an Old Mission Peninsula wide event that takes place every May.  For $15 guests take home a souvenir glass and gain entry to special barrel and reserve tastings at all seven Old Mission Wineries.  What a blast!

Chateau Chantal Named Among Top 50 Cooking Schools in US

Additional Summer Courses Added

Chateau Chantal has been named among the top 50 US cooking classes by author Joe David in his latest book, Gourmet Getaways-50 Top Spots to Cook and Learn.  Mr. David writes, “An American version of a modern Loire Valley chateau, Chateau Chantal is more than just another stunning bed-and-breakfast-it is a retreat for gourmets who seek a food and wine holiday.”  Cooking classes are a natural extension of the offering at Chateau Chantal, where a lifestyle of family, friends, hospitality, wine, and food go hand in hand each day.

As popularity for our cooking classes has expanded, Chateau Chantal is announcing, for the first time, three additional summer sessions to our schedule.  Our instructor, Nancy Krcek Allen, is a graduate of San Francisco’s California Culinary Academy, certified culinary professional, and a member of Slow Food, I.A.C.P., and the New York Association of Cooking Teachers.  All classes run from 3pm-6pm for $75 per person including the enjoyment of the foods prepared during class. 

Check our calendar of events for schedule

2008 Macaroni and Cheese Bake-Off Winners

After another spirited competition consisting of long lines and gourmet dishes paired with award winning wine, the sold-out 2008 Mac and Cheese Bake-Off was a roaring success and the people have spoken. Below are the winners by category.

We thank all of the participants in their help to make this annual event such a grand success and remember: the 2009 cook-off will go on-sale November 1st!

For Immediate Release September 29, 2008

Contact: Liz Berger 800-969-4009 liz@chateauchantal.com www.chateauchantal.com

Chateau Chantal is proud to announce our 2nd annual collaborationwith the Artcenter TRAVERSE CITY, featuring local artist Jerry Gates to release a limited bottling of 2006 Semi Dry Riesling. The specially produced label features a Jerry Gates painting and is signed and numbered by the artist. The wine is $19.99 per bottle and $5 of each sale will be donated to the Artcenter TRAVERSE CITY. Jerry Gates is an experimental artist pursuing a fascination with light and color, surface and texture, subject matter and form. His work attempts to capture a moment of “collective consciousness” through the depiction of things both fleeting and static, beautiful and sublime. Jerry has a MFA in fine art from CMU and is currently working on various art projects.

The mission of Artcenter TRAVERSE CITY is “Encouraging art, artists and art education in the Grand Traverse region and beyond…” and it is a driving force behind the growing creative
community in northwest Michigan.
For more information about the Artcenter TRAVERSE CITY visit their website: www.Artcentertraversecity.com
Chateau Chantal is located on Old Mission Peninsula and grows grapes, crafts wine, and offers overnight B&B accommodations to guests from a stunning location high atop a ridge with views of East and West Grand
Traverse Bays. This 2006 Semi Dry Riesling carries an Old Mission
Peninsula appellation and was awarded a Gold Medal from the 2007
Tasters Guild International Wine Competition and a Silver Medal
from the 2007 Indianapolis International Wine Competition.
Jerry will be at Chateau Chantal from noon until 4pm
10/4/2008 to sign bottles and talk about his art! Please join us!

For more information about the winery please visit our website at:
www.chateauchantal.com

2007 ICE WINE HARVEST

December 18th, 2007

After another fantastic grape growing season Chateau Chantal is looking forward to another magnificent Ice Wine. 

Chateau Chantal has only had a few ice wine harvests in recent years, which is why we are so excited about this years crop. Ice wine is made from grapes frozen on the vine, and then pressed while still frozen. It’s known for its incredible sweetness and fruitiness, with all the delicateness of a rich and lush desert wine, often described as “liquid gold”.

To give you another example of the unique quality of Ice Wine, in a normal 1-ton harvest you can produce 175 gallons of wine, but in a 1-ton harvest of Ice Wine you are able to produce only 40 gallons of wine.

The harvest took place last Saturday December 15th before sunrise (6:45am) in 12-degree (Fahrenheit) weather. We only had a ½ acre area to harvest so the harvest was completed in less than 2 hours.

Chateau Chantal invites you to do a story on this process. Our wine makers Mark Johnson and Brian Hosmer will be available to provide details and answer any questions that you have.

If you are interested in a story please give us a call at 800-969-4009 or 231-223-4110.

Some like it hot...

CHATEAU CHANTAL is devoted to cool-climate wines grown in our Traverse City, Michigan vineyards. But we are also in love with the inky, rich Malbec we are growing in our new Mendoza Argentine vineyard in Lujan de Cuyo. You heard it right; we are growing wines both above and below the equator! And our Malbec Tango label is now available at stores throughout Michigan and right in your backyard! Call your favorite Chateau Chantal retail outlet for information on the release.  We are very excited about this release and want to hear what you have to say! After you find your bottle, we ask you to try it and let us know how you like it at tango@chateauchantal.com .

Bob has made it big time!

See him on TV!

Chateau Chantal is certified!

The Release of the Proprietor's Reserve and Select Harvest

We are proud to introduce the Proprietor's Reserve Line for 2005. In 2005, Michigan grape growers experienced the ripest fruit ever harvested. As a result the winemakers hand selected specific vineyards because of the concentrated flavors in the fruit these areas produced. We hope all enjoy these vintages as much as we do... introducing the 2005 Proprietor's Reserve Pinot Noir, the 2005 Proprietor's Reserve Trio, the 2005 Select Harvest Chardonnay, and the special release of a rare Michigan red the 2005 Proprietor's Reserve Krupka Vineyard Cabernet Franc.

It's about time!

Malbec is in the House!

THE VINEYARD STORY
Cool whites and delicate reds find the terroir of Old Mission Peninsula a natural at the 45th parallel in northern Michigan. For the consumer of deep reds however, we took the advice of Bordeaux’s ‘flying winemaker’ Jacques Lurton, and visited his new Bodega on the hot desert floor near the foot of the Andes in Argentina. We fell in love with the red Malbec variety and bought 135 acres in the prestigious region of Lujan de Cuyo in the State of Mendoza. The native Indians figured out long ago how to direct the melting snow from the mountain to alter the floor of sandy clay-loam into an oasis of what is now the fifth largest wine-grape growing area in the world.

At an elevation of 2800 feet, the growing season serves an ideal of cool nights and hot days! Forty percent of the acreage is planted with vines ranging from 9 to 20 years. Italians would promptly recognize the vineyard’s overhead, Pergola trellis system that provide full exposure of the leaves to the sun while giving shade to the grape clusters themselves and preventing sunburn.

THE GROWING SEASON ‘04/’05
Chantal South is in the opposite hemisphere to its parent home in Michigan and finds harvest in our late winter and early springtime. What a delight this vintage! We pruned for a modest yield. The growing season was almost perfect in our area and the quality very high. Harvest started about two weeks earlier than normal and continued for four weeks under perfectly sunny skies with temperatures in the 70s. All the grapes were hand harvested and arrived at the winery shortly afterwards.

THE WINEMAKING
At the winery the grapes were crushed, destemmed and pumped into traditional Lagars.
For fermentation, selected yeast strains were added to different lots and fermentation took place at about 70 degrees F. Color extraction was extremely fast and led to early pressing from the grapes after only six days. This prevented extraction of many of the harsher tannins and helped retain bright fruit flavors. After settling, the wine was racked to reconditioned French oak barrels were it aged for six months. In November the wine was filtered, transferred to 1000 liter ‘bag in boxes’, and loaded into ocean ship containers for its final journey at Chateau Chantal North. Final blending and bottling was completed at the home winery during the second week of June, 2006.

THE WINE
The color is beautiful, dark and inky. The bouquet is classic Malbec with dark, berry fruit, some cherry and just a hint of the toast, chocolate and vanilla flavors from the barrels. The wine pairs well with any hearty fare, red meats, pasta and cheeses. It, of course, goes best with thick steaks grilled over an open mesquite fire on the Pampas….
or, with imagination, your backyard will do as well.

Wine Legislation Updates

The best up-to-date information we can give you is best represented at this address...

www.winecam.org

Cerise wins Double Gold in NYC!

   Our fortified wine, Cerise has won international acclaim.  This spring our 'wine scientists' took wines to four major festivals and came back great news.

   The Eastern International Wine Competition took place in NYC this year, andCerise won a Double Gold in the Cherry Dessert wine category!!  Also winning were our Cherry Wine (Silver), Late Harvest Riesling (Silver), and Trio (Bronze).

   At the Taster's Guild International Competition in Grand Rapids, Cerise again took top prize with a Gold.  Placing as well, were the Sparkling Cherry (Gold), Late Harvest Riesling (Silver), Trio (Silver), Cherry Wine (Bronze), and Private Reserve Chardonnay (Bronze).

   Lastly, the Los Angeles County Fair awarded Cerise a Silver medal.

Eau de Vie - The Water of Life

Chateau Chantal’s copper still has survived its waiting period. En fin! Our first release of Cherry Eau de Vie, a pure spirit at 40% alcohol, has arrived! Eau de Vie is distilled whole tart cherries, blended only with pure Northern Michigan water. Enjoy just a sip at a time and experience a three-hundred year old European tradition. From your tastebuds to your toes, this Cherry Eau de Vie will certainly warm your spirits!


The Supreme Court, American Wineries, & You

   On May 16th, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of private wineries in the battle with wholesale distributors over the direct sale of wine to consumers.  The High Court ruled that states whose vintners ship directly to consumers can no longer prevent out-of-state wineries from doing the same.

   Now, it is up to the states to decide whether direct shipping is to be wholly interstate or banned completely.  Michigan is one of these states.

We here at Chateau Chantal believe in free trade, growth, and progressive movement in the wine industry; therefore, we strongly support the decision made by the Supreme Court.  And we need your help!  State capitals are now the focus of the court's decision, and heavy lobbying is taking place for and against wine-direct shipping.  Wineries across America have united and created a website designated to helping you, the consumer, to learn and take a part in the reformation of the wine industry's future.  

http://www.freethegrapes.org/

   This website has loads of information, and up-to-date press releases; as well as an online form you can send directly to your state legislators with the click of a button.  We need all the help we can get, so please take a moment of your time and visit it today.