About Spare Key Winery
Spare Key Winery is a family operation on Upper Bayshore Road outside Charlevoix, just under a mile off US-31. It is one of the few wineries in northern Michigan whose wines are entirely estate grown: every bottle comes from grapes raised in its own vineyard and processed on site. Planting started in 2011 with about 400 vines, and family and friends have helped plant, prune and pick ever since; the count has grown to about 3,800.
The winery started small, in a garage addition with a tent for guests, and now has a tasting room with a porch, alongside its production space. The name is an invitation: the family thinks of a visit as being handed a spare key. Recently Spare Key also started offering its own distilled spirits.
The calendar changes with the seasons. In 2025, summer Saturdays brought live music in the vineyard in the afternoon, fall had a Wine and Wood day with charcuterie boards, and winter weekends were part of the Frostbite Trail, when the tasting room paired a dish such as chowder or spaghetti and meatballs with one of its wines, among them Frontenac, Cayuga White and Elvira. Paint-and-sip afternoons filled in the quieter months. The regional wine trail lists the winery as kid friendly, with light bites and retail.
Lavender Hill Farm on Horton Bay Road is about 20 minutes away. Walk the lavender rows in July, then stop on the Spare Key porch on the way back toward Charlevoix.
What to do
- Taste estate-grown wines made on site
- Try the winery's new distilled spirits
- Sit on the tasting room porch
- Hear live music in the vineyard on summer Saturday afternoons
- Join a Frostbite Trail food-and-wine pairing on a winter weekend
Season, hours and prices
- Season
- Open year-round; live music on summer Saturdays; Frostbite Trail pairings January through April
- Hours
- Winter hours posted on their website: Tuesday–Thursday 1–6 p.m., Friday noon–6, Saturday 11–7, Sunday noon–5; closed Monday
Good to know
- Age
- 21 or older to taste or drink alcohol
Tips for your visit
- The winery is 0.9 miles off US-31 on Upper Bayshore Road
- Check their social pages for current events, since the calendar changes often
- Plan a designated driver if you are visiting other Petoskey-area wineries
Pair it with a lavender farm
Lavender Hill Farm · about 20 minutes away
Lavender Hill Farm on Horton Bay Road is about 20 minutes away; visit during July bloom and stop at Spare Key on the drive back.
Getting there
Questions
Are Spare Key's wines made from their own grapes?
Yes. The winery says its wines are 100 percent estate grown and bottled on site.
When was the vineyard planted?
In 2011, starting with about 400 vines; it now has about 3,800.
Do they make anything besides wine?
Yes, the winery now offers distilled spirits.
🗺️ Part of the guide Things to Do Near the Lavender Farm of Boyne City & Lake Charlevoix, Michigan
Checked in October 2026 against the business’s own website and local tourism pages. Hours and seasons change, so check with them before you go. How we check listings · Is this your business? Claim it free
