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January 29-February 4, 2023
January 29-February 4, 2023
West Bay is visible through twisted trees near the parking lot (above); Snowshoers, friends, and me enjoy the fire on a freezing January day
Summary:
Summary:
The unmistakable, sugary-roasty aroma of barrels and subtly everywhere twisty vines surprised me when I visited Ciccone Vineyards. I expected a traditional, old-world quasi-Italian feel and a big room. Old world and Italian-leaning for sure, but this is an intimate setting with a stone fireplace, communal & "at barrel" seating, and a vibe of being among the vines and in nature.
An organized snowshoe hike between Ciccone, Suttons Bay Ciders, and Mawby Vineyards arrived back to their starting point for apres-snowshoe
Something to Love
Something to Love
The fun! The team of staff were enjoying themselves and it was easy to get on board. They prepared a mulled wine for winter and when a patron asked to buy a howler of it, the staff shared the recipe although it was obvious the customer was intimidated. They joked and said "c'mon, it's three ingredients!" There is a kids drawing in the back window, it felt humanizing to the business and the team, and I wondered about its story.
The kids drawing in the back window is a contrast to the overall cozy, traditional, old-world vibe. There must be a story here!
With an admirable and subtle balance of acknowledgement and respect, this photo graces the bottle & retail section in the corner.
Something to Do
Something to Do
Aaahhhh listen to the music! Ciccone does it so well - they have QR codes for upcoming music events and scheduled well into summer. The North Bay Celtic Band will play from 2:30 to 4:30PM on March 17, 2023, a Friday, for St. Patrick's Day weekend. Rigs & Jeels, another Irish band from the area, will perform on the same weekend as their Sunday music features. My parents have attended a lot of the music here and have been impressed; I guess it isn't surprising that music is part of the culture here considering the founders' famous daughter.
Something to Hope For
Something to Hope For
Family-friendly St. Patrick's Day Music. So this is a little personal to me, but this year, St. Patrick's Day is on a Friday, and my young daughter gets out of school at 2:30 PM. There aren't many family-friendly St. Patrick's Day activities in Traverse City, but the staff assured me the traditional Irish music that will be at Ciccone from 2:30-4:30 that day is an exception. I am going to attempt to bring my daughter here for her first experience of live Irish music - she loves to dance, loves music, and I have a strong connection to the country after having lived there for half of my senior year of college.
EDIT, March 17, 2023: My hopes were fulfilled and exceeded! The 12-piece Irish band took up most of the front of the room, and the rest was already filled by the time we arrived. However, a church bench was available in the foyer where the bathrooms are, just off the main room with the ability to still hear and see the band, albeit much quieter. My kiddo's friend (also my friend's kiddo) had a headache and liked the quieter environment, which was a perfect environment for little kids in their usual after school fog. The amazing, incredibly accommodating staff brought over a table and the appetizers we purchased, which the kids drew pictures on, and devoured, respectively. I wanted to cry I was so happy with how it turned out. And these little kiddos got to see their first live Irish "trad." Thank you, thank you, thank you, Ciccone Vineyard!! The staff went way above and beyond for us.
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