Like many of us, our histories begin with our dreams fueling a way of life. Originally from the Detroit area, Walter and Eileen Brys visited the Napa Valley in the 1970's as part of a business trip when Walter worked for Blue Cross of Michigan shortly after they were married. They immediately fell in love with the vineyard and winery concept and spent the next 30 years dreaming about someday starting a vineyard and winery. During those 30 years, Walter's career in real-estate development took the family to Houston, Texas, where Walt, Eileen, a stay-at-home mom, and their three children, Katie, Patrick and Stephanie lived until 1998 when Walt and Eileen became empty-nesters. About that time, Walt retired from his real estate development career and the couple relocated to Florida to begin their early retirement. They quickly realized that retirement was not for them and they began thinking about their 30-year dream of starting a vineyard and winery. They began traveling the country searching for the ideal vineyard land as well as an ideal location to call "home."
Walt and Eileen returned to Texas to check out the land in the Hill Country where many vineyards and wineries were popping up. Since their son, Patrick and daughter, Stephanie had attended Pepperdine University in California, the Brys also had an opportunity to search most of the California wine growing regions while they were visiting their kids. Their search also included the Willamette Valley in Oregon and the Finger Lakes region in New York State. In 1999, after nearly two years of traveling and searching for the ideal location with no success, Walt and Eileen decided to return to their home state of Michigan, after being gone for 20 years, to explore the wine regions of Old Mission and Leelanau Peninsulas around Traverse City. They had heard that this area was an up and coming wine growing region, and a place where beauty and scenery abound. Traverse City offered all the amenities that they were looking for including a regional airport, a quaint and vibrant city with all the conveniences, and surrounded by the beautiful waters of Lake Michigan. They also found that the area had ideal fertile land, where cherry and fruit orchards dot the landscape and which had earned it the name of "Cherry Capital of the World." These conditions made it an ideal area for growing vinifera wine grapes.
It was love at first sight when they saw the dilapidated 80 acres, a former cherry orchard, dotted with a circa -1890's farmhouse, four barns, old migrant quarters and chicken coops. Walt and Eileen describe their first experience on the land as seeing it through "rose-colored glasses."
By way of much vision and hard work, the Brys family transformed the faded cherry orchard and homestead into an enchanted and productive working vineyard of the highest estate standards. The home and farm structures that dotted the land have changed drastically since the Brys family began renovation in 2000. Several outbuildings in poor condition were removed, but all that could be salvaged was saved, including the two barns and pump house.
In the renovation of the existing farmhouse, the home was almost entirely rebuilt, but in keeping with the historic tradition of the 1890's homestead. The wrap around veranda focuses attention to the lake views and sprawling gardens that flow onto the vineyard. One of the barns was moved down into the valley and is the barn on the cover of a book called "Barns of Old Mission Peninsula." One of the other barns was turned into a storybook guest cottage. All the rocks along the main drive and entrance as well as on the front of the tasting room and throughout the landscape, were native to the farm. Walt spent many hours on the tractor "harvesting" those rocks from the property as he prepared the soil for a cover crop before planting the first vines. The 40,000 vines were planted in stages beginning in 2001. Through all of these efforts, the Brys were awarded an Old Mission Peninsula Township Development Award in 2003.
By May of 2004, when the vines were nearing their first harvest, Walt and Eileen began construction on their new winery and tasting room facility. In the fall of 2004, Brys Estate experienced their first harvest and the tasting room was opened on May 6, 2005 showcasing the very first wines of Brys Estate. Since then, Brys Estate has won over 225 medals in national and international wine competitions. Among them: Wine Literary Award in San Francisco for the "Best New Red Wine Discovery" in 2006 for their 2005 Cabernet Franc; The Hardings' Cup (1st and 3rd place for the best Cabernet Franc in Michigan) for their 2007 Artisan Cabernet Franc and 2007 Estate Cabernet Franc; 2008 "Best of Class" award for the best dessert wine in Michigan - Michigan Wine & Spirits Competition and three medals in the International Wine & Spirits Competition held in 2010 in London, England for their 2007 "Dry Ice" ice wine, 2008 Gewurztraminer and 2007 Artisan Pinot Noir.
Walt and Eileen focus on maintaining a boutique winery producing between 5,000 to 6,500 cases of premium wine annually. In optimal growing seasons, they focus on producing 100% estate grown and bottled wines.
Walt and Eileen's two daughters, Katie and Stephanie Brys joined them in greeting visitors and working in the tasting room that first season. Once the first snow flew and the major tourist season came to a halt, Katie and Stephanie returned to Houston to continue their lives and careers. Since then, Judy Shaughnessy, Walt's niece, relocated with her husband and two daughters and Walt's 90-year old mother, from Shelby Township, Michigan to join Brys Estate as the Tasting Room and Wine Club Manager. In the summer of 2009, Patrick Brys began working at the winery and subsequently returned to Houston, sold his home and in the spring of 2010 became the Operations Manager at Brys Estate and a new resident on Old Mission Peninsula.
