Edward O'Keefe, Jr., the founder of Chateau Grand Traverse, was born in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1931. He attended
West Chester University and afterwards toured Europe as a member of the US
gymnastics team, making the first cut of the
1952 Olympic Men's Gymnastic team. However, his gymnastic career ended abruptly when he ruptured his
appendix. During the
Korean War, O'Keefe served as a captain in the
Airborne Special Forces and was stationed in
France and
Germany. The situation allowed him to become acquainted with the wines of both regions. After the war, O'Keefe finished his degree at West Chester and then attended the
University of Miami School of Law before joining the
United States Treasury Department. In 1973, O'Keefe built a home in
Acme Township in
Grand Traverse County and began planning a vineyard and winery that would make wine of comparable qualities to those he had encountered in Europe. At the time, the Michigan wine industry was primarily concentrated in the southwestern region of the state (in what is now the
Fennville AVA and
Lake Michigan Shore AVA), and used grapes from
French-American hybrids or Native American
labrusca stock. O'Keefe planned to grow
Vitis vinifera in the Old Mission Peninsula based on the fact that the peninsula was located along the
45th parallel north, which crosses through many of the world's most notable wine regions. Nevertheless, his plans were greeted with skepticism by many experts within Michigan's
viticulture and
agricultural establishment. Seeking help abroad, O'Keefe consulted with German winemaker Karl Werner, who put him in touch with
Helmut Becker, chief viticulturist of the
Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute in Germany. Becker traveled to Michigan and appraised O'Keefe on the favorable conditions of his land and gave him advice on changes he should make to the landscape that would maximize his chance of success, namely by ensure proper
air drainage that can ward off the risk of
frost damage and the creation of a southwest slope that would increase the amount of sunlight that hits the vines. O'Keefe put into action Becker's recommendation and by 1974 was planting
Vitis vinifera vines of German clones that were first
grafted in
Canada. Those early plantings included of
Riesling,
Chardonnay,
Pinot noir and
Merlot, which was planted almost accidentally after another grower on
Lake Leelanau told O'Keefe he was growing Merlot, but the vine actually was a French-American hybrid. However, the
vinifera Merlot took hold and the vines were still producing grapes in 2009. Chateau Grand Traverse became the first bonded winery in northern Michigan on May 1, 1976. O'Keefe sold
fruit wines made from apples and cherry until the
vinifera grape vines were ready for production. The winery used a
second wine label,
O’Keefe Cellars, for these fruit wines as well as inexpensive wines made from grapes imported from other areas of the state until 1985 when the label was discontinued. In the 1980s the estate was the only commercial winery on the peninsula and was the driving force behind the recognition of the Old Mission Peninsula was a wine region. In 1980, the winery produced Michigan's first commercial ice wine and the 1987 vintage of Chateau Grand Traverse Johannisberg Riesling Ice Wine was served at the presidential inauguration of George H. W. Bush. By 2009, Chateau Grand Traverse was producing over 80,000 cases of wine a year and is one Michigan's largest wine producers. ==Vineyard==