The Simpson family first planted their roots on the Leelanau Peninsula in the 1950s when visionary entrepreneur John Simpson grew pears and plums for Gerber’s baby food. In the 1970s, he replaced the trees with cherries when that industry became more marketable. John saw an opportunity for cool-climate wine and sent his son, Bruce, to study grape growing and winemaking at the University of California, Davis. 

Upon graduation, Bruce and his wife, Debbie, returned to the farm to start a family, plant vineyards and open a tasting room, slowly converting the cherry trees to grapes over the years as production and demand increased. He was instrumental in driving wine tourism in the Leelanau Peninsula as a founding member of several advocacy groups and associations. 

When Bruce died unexpectedly in 2009, his children Sam and Taylor Simpson returned home to advance the family business and growing operations. Together, the brother-sister team carry on the legacy of their father of producing affordable, quality wine; and of their grandfather in continuing to build family focused community and blue-ribbon early education.