The 2010 Harvest Stompede – Annual Vineyard Run & Walk is rapidly approaching and we thought we would whet your appetites with a sampling of the wine and food you can expect to find along the trail. Tickets are selling fast and traditionally this event sells out every year. If you would like to enjoy the Leelanau in the fall, the very unique race through the vineyards and flavors of harvest we encourage you to get your tickets today!!!

• L. Mawby is offering, from Silvertree Deli, an apricot phyllo cup, incorporating food for thought apricot preserves and Land 'O goshen goat cheese, among other exciting ingredients.
• Good Neighbor is pairing their Gewurztraminer with spicy foods that will include locally grown peppers
• Circa will be serving apple tarts made with organically grown apples from the Gene & Kathy Garthe farm in Northport and prepared by chef Phil Murray of "Phil's on Front" in Traverse City. These will be paired with their newly released, Improvisation – Lot 809. On Saturday we will have live music on the patio, as well as featuring their new release – 2008 Requisite – for tasting.
• Chateau Fontaine is serving Cincinnati Style Greek Chili on Spaghetti noodles with cheese and local onions
• Ciccone will be serving Minestrone soup. Wine to be determined.
• Cherry Republic will be featuring Chicken (local) with Butternut squash (local) and Cherry (local) almond risotto.
• Black Star Farms will be serving roasted corn and butternut squash wonton cup with toasted pumpkin seeds and an apple cider vinegar reduction. Paired with 2009 Isidor’s Choice Pinot Grigio.
• Bel Lago will be serving their Brut Rosé Sparkling Wine 2009 and Apple Crisp with locally harvested apples.
• Tandem Ciders will be serving their own Pieorgi, made right here, filled with home cured sauerkraut from our home grown cabbage that has been blended with Leelanau Cheese's Mild Raclette, poached in their Farmhouse cider then fried in supermarket butter.  Paired with any of our ciders, maybe dry, maybe sweet depending on how your tastes run, and a smile.
• Chateau de Leekanau will be serving local fruit with cheese and procuisto. Wine to be determined.
• Longview Winery will be serving salmon chowder with pinot gris.

Photo credit: lpwines

If you are participating in these exciting LPVA events with a group of friends, why not make your home base a luxury beach house — only 2 miles from Leelanau Cellars — that is a destination in itself? With 5 bedrooms and 4 baths, Bayshore Beach House has stunning views of Grand Traverse Bay, the perfect location for wine touring, and every amenity included. Best of all, it will accommodate your large group in comfort and style.

2010 Taste the Passion
Nights of February 5 & 6 for $1,600 all inclusive, receive a third night (your choice of Thursday or Sunday) free

2010 Sip & Savor
Nights of April 30 & May 1 for $1,500 all inclusive, receive a third night (your choice of Thursday or Sunday) free

Offer subject to availability. Book by January 1, 2010 for Taste the Passion and receive 2 tickets or comparable rental credit for the LPVA event ($60 value).Three night stay required for this offer; security deposit and advance payment required; please click on "Bayshore Beach House" to view photos and details of property amenities. Contact: northporthome@sbcglobal.net.

Registration for the Harvest Stompede RACE is closed – tickets remain for the wine tour!!

Location
Ciccone Vineyard 10343 E. Hilltop Rd. Suttons Bay, Michigan 49682. Saturday 9-18-10 STARTS at 9:00am

About This Event
This annual event is sponsored by the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Makers. This course is open to the public only on race day and takes place through a matrix of vineyard rows and trails in the majestic rolling hills of Leelanau Peninsula. Race starts at 9am. It is coupled with a wine tasting weekend and has been enjoyed by both the competitive runner and the curious walker. Baby Joggers/strollers/dogs are allowed only on the WALK course due safety issues with runners.. WINE TOUR tickets for Saturday and Sunday are sold separately at www.lpwines.com after 6/1/10. EVENT IS CAPPED THIS YEAR AT 750 PARTICIPANTS.

T-shirts
Once again, PARTICIPANTS NEED TO SIGN UP BEFORE midnight ON 9-04-10 IN ORDER TO RECIEVE A T-SHIRT. We try to give high quality, newly designed shirts and due to the subsequent increased cost, cannot afford to order shirts that may not get purchased. You will still be able to sign up 9-4-10 through 9-16-10 at the same price (online) but this WILL NOT include a t-shirt. We will not mail shirts to people who do not show up for the event. Registration fees non-refundable.

Why
This is a ONE OF A KIND course and offers the option of participating in the popular local wine tasting tour. The course provides landscape views that are unrivaled. Both courses wind through vineyard rows that allow for viewing of nearby participant positions. Medals go 3 deep in each age group. The walk has become popular and we intend for it to stay non-competitive. Last year we had over 900 total participants. We have Chip timing. Bragging rights provided at the finish line. Wine tickets available at www.lpwines.com.

Packet Pick-up/Late Registration
PACKET PICK UP WILL TAKE PLACE AT CICCONE VINEYARD THIS YEAR FROM 5-10PM ON FRIDAY 9/17. This is where the race starts on Saturday. Go to the big red barn. SIGNING UP AT THIS TIME WILL NOT INCLUDE A SHIRT. You can also pick up packets at Ciccone Vineyards from 7am-8am on race day. There is no morning registration. Pre-Registration is again entirely online but you can sign up with check/cash at packet pick up on FRIDAY ONLY. Registration on Friday = $30. NO MORNING REGISTRATION THIS YEAR. We encourage early registration to assist in putting on a better event for you. Entries non-refundable.

Accommodations
This year the host hotels will be the Comfort Inn, Best Western and Cambria Suites. September is a busy time of year up here in Traverse City and you are encouraged to make reservations early. Make sure to mention you are with the Harvest Stompede in order to get promotional rates. Click here to go to our site

Directions
Race starts and finishes at Ciccone Vineyards (10343 E. Hilltop Rd. Suttons Bay MI, 49682). This is located 11 miles north of Downtown Traverse City off of M-22. Take a left on Hilltop road (off of M-22 North)and at the summit of the hill you will see Ciccone's Big Red Barn on the right. PARKING is located 200 yards past Ciccone Vineyard, on the right. You should arrive by 8am.

Information on the 2010 Harvest Stompede 7mile run, 5K run/walk

Photo credit: Go! by Church of One

A blogger named Ken has a nice retrospective on his experience as a race participant. Give it a read!

Non-racers but wine lovers, Chrystal and Brook, give us a peek at their wine trail weekend on their blog.

Photo credit: Go! by Church of One

Check out the rest of Church of One's photo set Harvest Stompede 2008!

Click for 2008 Harvest Stompede race results from Classic Race Management (who again did an amazing job of running the race!)

View a set of 150+ photos from the 2008 Harvest Stompede (slideshow) on Flickr. Carol aka Church of One has some great photos in her Harvest Stompede 2008 set – check out the slideshow for the best view!

Do YOU have photos from the race or day? Share them in our Leelanau Wine group on Flickr!

The photo is 1st Annual … 2001 and is a picture of a shirt from (you guessed it) the 1st Harvest Stompede in 2001. This year there are over 650 runners registered making it the biggest ever!

A reminder that you can head over to the Holiday Inn West Bay in TC tonight starting at 5 PM for the packet pickup party and buffet and come over to Ciccone Winery tomorrow to watch the race at 9 AM.

A few tickets are are still available – check the Harvest Stompede page for details and to order!

If you take some photos that you want to share, add them to our group on Flickr or email them to info@lpwines.com!

There are over 600 participants this year, and packet pick-up is encouraged because it expedites things on race day morning.

The Holiday Inn West Bay will also have a pasta bar on the evening of the Harvest Stompede registration open to all racers & walkers and also to those who are only participating in the wine trail event. The buffet begins at 5 PM and will feature different pastas to select from, 3 different sauces including meatballs w/ Italian sausage on the side, a salad bar, garlic bread sticks with beverage all for $14.99 plus tax. They will also have a cash bar, and it will be in the same room as the registration and they promise to make it an easy flow for everyone.

The event takes place Saturday & Sunday, September 20 & 21 and starts with a race through Leelanau's vineyards followed by a wine tour of LPVA member wineries featuring wines, gourmet pastas and other culinary delights.

Tickets are selling fast – get yours before they're all gone! Click the photo below for a gallery of photos from 2007!

Here's a photo of the sunrise over Grand Traverse Bay on the morning of the Harvest Stompede race and winery tour (slideshow).

We have posted almost 200 photos from the 2007 Harvest Stompede Vineyard Run & Walk (slideshow).

You can click that link to head over to Flickr and view or print them. They are available in high-resolution format through Flickr and media outlets are welcome to use them under a creative commons license. These photos ARE available for media outlets to use to promote the Harvest Stompede and/or the Leelanau wineries or Leelanau Peninsula!!! Please credit Andy McFarlane, lpwines.com

If you have any questions, please email the photographer, Andy McFarlane

Refreshments (including wines from many Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association wineries) will be offered at various locations throughout the evening and you can purchase a commemorative wine glass with a portion of the proceeds benefiting a Downtown Public Art Initiative.

For more information, please contact the Downtown Traverse City Association at 922-2050.

Photo courtesy Belstone Gallery

As fall approaches so does the annual harvesting of grapes and related events. Wine Spectator is currently running an article on harvest time in wine country and features Leelanau's Harvest Stompede alongside of some of the nation's most notable wine destinations. Check out the article titled "In the Heart of Harvest" and see what harvest time is offering up from New York to Napa.

You can click the photos to view larger versions. Use the links below to download high-quality images for print or other media use or click for 2007 Harvest Stompede photos! (many more!!)

Stompede 2006 #2 (Left, 441 KB)
Stompede 2006 #1 (Right, 1.5 MB)