Since its start 52 years ago, Mawby wines has been pouring out some new ideas, including an alcohol-free bubbly and a second family-run winery on its property.
Like a fine wine that gets better over time, Mawby has undergone growth and expansion while maintaining its intimate, special Michigan vibe.
In 1973, the award-winning winery’s founder, Larry Mawby, planted his first grapevines on Leelanau Peninsula property near Traverse City. He turned the winery into one focused on just bubbly in the mid-1990s after realizing that the region’s shorter, cooler growing season was ideal for cultivating grapes for sparkling Champagne-style wines.
In 2022, he handed over the reins to brothers Peter and Mike Laing, whose parents had a 2-acre vineyard nearby and had been selling wine grapes to Mawby since 2005.
Today, Mawby, where 15 acres of vineyards bask in perfect, cool-climate conditions made even better by sandy loam soils and the moderating influence of Lake Michigan, produces about 25,000 cases annually. More than 20 sparkling beverages are offered, including everything from wines and ciders to spritzers — and now alcohol-free beverages.
“[Mawby] is about fun and breaking down the barriers,” Mike Laing says. “Bubbly shouldn’t be stuffy or formal. It’s celebratory.”
Savoring the winery life, Mike shares insights on Safe Sex (a new nonalcoholic variety); his and Peter’s wine brand, BigLittle Wines; and sustainability.
in Safe Sex, the winery’s nonalcoholic offering. // Photograph courtesy of Mawby
That name, Safe Sex, is quite something.
It’s funny you mention that. The staff was not comfortable with the name so we did a soft
launch last September to see how people would react to the label, the taste, the name. People loved the name; there’s no other name it could be.
Tell us more about BigLittle.
Its tasting room is on the same property as Mawby. You’ll find mostly whites there, including a Gamay, some dry whites, and some white blends. There are a couple bubblies, too. The idea is we’re offering big wines with little pretense, thus the name. Also, as we’re brothers, the name refers to big and little brothers.
What inspired the names on the BigLittle bottles?
Childhood memories. We’ve got Mixtape, Driftwood, Dune Climb, C-3Pinot, Lightning Bug, Open Road, Tire Swing. Growing up in Ann Arbor and visiting Frankfort regularly (our grandparents had a cottage there), you can’t help but incorporate memories into these great Michigan wines.
Tell us about your focus on sustainability.
Cover cropping [growing a crop to cover the soil that may be incorporated into the soil later for enrichment] has been our primary weed-management strategy since 2020. And we recycle glass, wooden pallets, and cardboard. We’re also committed to the preservation of Leelanau County through a conservation easement on our property, which means that land will always stay farmland and can’t be developed.
This story originally appeared in the May 2025 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Our digital edition will be available on May 5.
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