The Winery @ Young Farms

We had a primary goal when we started The Winery @ Young Farms: To prove that quality wine could be produced in Central Michigan.  We planted cold-hardy hybrid grape varietals and upon those maturing, converted Mark's "Man Cave" into a winery and tasting room.  With our background in healthcare, Mark a pharmacist and Abby a nurse, we knew this to be true: to produce a quality product, you need the right people, right materials and right equipment.

 

The Right People

 

Owner- Mark Young: If there is one thing Mark doesn't do well, it's delegate.  He personally cares for the vineyard and does all the wine-making.  "Every winemaker wants perfect grapes, but I could never find them so I decided to grow them myself."

 

Lady Boss- Abby Young: If Mark is the gears of Young Farms, Abby is the grease.  She picks up all the slack and is basically the swiss army knife of the operation. When she isn't at the winery, she's running their two children all over, or doing laundry, or working as a Pediatric Nurse in Big Rapids.

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Tasting Room Staff:

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Michele Young-Level 1 Sommelier: Mark and Abby's sister-in-law,  Michele is a wine aficionado who has tasted wine in Italy, France, Napa, Sonoma and points in between. She is one of the "Original 4" sommeliers here at the winery. A retired English teacher, she recently became a certified Level 1 Sommelier.

 

Tracy Snyder: Tracy is also one of the "Original 4" in our tasting room. She warmly welcomed Abby to a playgroup in 2012, and Abby warmly welcomed Tracy to our tasting room knowing her humorous charm and friendly smile would bring our customers the relaxed atmosphere we are known for.

 

Marie Chapman: Marie is a part of our family (literally married to Mark's cousin) and is also now a member of our winery family! Careful, if you blink, you might miss her as Marie is an avid runner, and has completed countless races ranging from 5k to marathons. In the off season, Marie is a social worker in our area schools.

 

Pattie Dzuris: Pattie became a member of our winery family in 2018. Always a team player, Pattie will jump in (even on her days off) to help if we need her. She also is an avid runner and has even qualified for the notorious Boston Marathon. Her warm personality and hospitality background make her a treasured employee here @ Young Farms.

 

Barb Farr: Barb started at the winery in 2021.  She has had a vacation home in the area for over 40 years, and is a permanent resident in the area as of this year! Barb loves to laugh and joke, so her tastings are always fun and full of laughs!

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Ashley Covey: Ashley is back for her third season at the winery! Ashley also runs the Haymarsh Hunt Club with her husband Ben in our off season and also manages to run her two kids to all their activities. Her smile is warm and personality is welcoming and we love having her here.

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Jennifer Upham: Jennifer is a very gifted teacher who has retired from the Mecosta Osceola Career Center where she taught in the Hospitality and Food Service program. We love her warm, fun personality and smile here at the winery.

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Jackie Booms: Jackie moved back to the area from Colorado and jumped right in! She coaches cross country and Track for Chippewa Hills and when she isn't doing that, she is a teacher at Chippewa Hills and a new mommy as of February 2025!

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Cindy Bates: Cindy comes to us with a wealth of knowledge of wine and tasting experience she accrued while working for Mawby Winery in Traverse City, Michigan for over 10 years. Her warm smile and joking personality keep us all entertained here at the winery and we know you will love her too!

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Stephanie Moore: This is Stephanie's third season at the winery, and works as a  as a teacher's aide at St. Michael School in Remus. Her warm personality and shy smile (no worries, we are sure she'll be as loud as the rest of us soon enough) can make the darkest days turn bright. 

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Dana Hatfield: Another customer turned winery staff, Dana is a gem of a person and our newest hire here at the winery. She is a teacher at a local elementary school. She is full of Young's Farm knowledge and goes above and beyond to make your experience a great one.

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Nora Toogood: This is Nora's second year in the tasting room, and also is a student at Ferris State University. She is super busy, also working at Stonehouse Vinyards in Evart. Nora is warm and inviting and we know you will love her as much as we do!

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Pinot and Teddy: Pinot is the official winery dog of The Winery @ Young Farms and his brother Teddy usually tags along. Pinot is a Havanese with a managerial role and Teddy is a playful Yorkie Poo. They both enjoy the workings of the winery and tasting room during our winery season. They make a strong case, but please do not feed them. 

 

The Right Materials

Grapes:  Every varietal wine is named for the grape, if there was no chardonnay grape, there would be no chardonnay wine.  Great wine starts in the vineyard, so at Young Farms all of the wine we make starts with grapes that we grow.  We do purchase grapes, if necessary, sourcing grapes from Arrowhead Vineyards in Michigan and the Dry Creek Ranch in California.

Blueberries:  Our Bertha's Blue blueberry wine is crafted with 100% Young Farms berries.  All hand-picked and sorted.  The Winery @ Young Farms is one of the few wineries in the world that make estate-produced blueberry wine.

Glass:  Our wine bottles were manufactured in France and our stemware and growlers are made in the USA.

Corks:  We use Diam corks manufactured in France and guaranteed to be TCA-free.

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The Right Equipment

Crusher/Destemmer: Our Zambelli Crusher/Destemmer and must pump was built in Italy and made of stainless steel.

Press: Our Lancman water-bladder press is Slovenian-made stainless steel.

Pump: Our flexible impeller pump has an Italian head coupled to an American made inverter-drive motor.

Tanks: Our tanks were custom made for The Winery @ Young Farms in North Central Italy.  They are high grade polished stainless steel and variable capacity.

Barrels: We use 100% French Oak medium toast barrels that have been re-coopered in the United States.

 

What does all this mean?

When you get the right people and give them the right materials and equipment, they make really good wine. Come out and try it yourself, we know you'll be pleasantly surprised.

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-Mark and Abby Young

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