The members of the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association are sad to mark the passing of one of their founding members, Bruce Simpson of Good Harbor Winery. Our heartfelt hopes and best wishes are with his family.
There will be a memorial service at 2 PM on April 4 at the Leland Community United Methodist Church. Donations can be made to the John Worth Simpson Scholarship Fund, established by Bruce's father to help needy children, in care of the Leelanau Children's Center.
Wine writer Sandra Silfven has done an excellent job of memorializing Bruce in Good Harbor Vineyards' Simpson was a Leelanau wine pioneer. She quotes Sam Simpson, who with sister Taylor and mother Debbie will continue the tradition of winemaking at Good Harbor:
"My dad had a really curious mind. He was always pondering and thinking. He had a holistic approach to farming. First and foremost, he was a farmer, and made his wine out in the vineyard," Sam said.
Bruce Simpson worked on his father's farm when he was growing up, and since it was never an option in the Simpson family not to get a college degree, he graduated from Michigan State University, and showed an interest in wine. At the urging of his father, he went on to study winemaking and viticulture at the University of California-Davis…
"My mom always told the story of the first time Dad got all the new wine in the tanks. He was purple from head to feet and said, 'I learned more today than I ever learned at UC-Davis.' "
Good Harbor Vineyards was the fourth winery established in Leelanau County, following L. Mawby Vineyard, Leelanau Wine Cellars and Boskydel, and was one of the earliest planters of Pinot Grigio. Besides the popular Trillium, Fishtown White and Harbor Red, Moonstruck sparkling wine is one of Simpson's most applauded wines, earning high marks from British wine authority Tom Stevenson and numerous gold medals.
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