In the Suttons Bay area, they’re taking the concept of Happy Hour to a whole new level — the hilltop level. Three wineries — Willow Vineyards, Ciccone Vineyard and Winery, and Chateau de Leelanau — along with Suttons Bay Ciders are working together to promote Hilltop Happy Hour.

As Ross Boissoneau writes in this week's Northern Express, sister publication of The Ticker, the idea came from Jo Crampton, who owns and runs Willow Vineyards with her husband, John. “We figured out last year we weren’t getting much business before 3pm," she says. "We didn’t know if people were starting on the other end [of the Leelanau Wine Trail] or what. So I thought, let’s start them here and get them before they go anywhere else.”

She proposed the idea of a cooperative happy hour to her friends nearby. Janell Preseau, the tasting room manager at Ciccone Vineyard, said yes, then they brought the others on board. After some brainstorming, they came up with the concept of a cooperative happy hour from noon til 2pm on weekdays.

The Hilltop Happy Hour differs slightly in detail among the four participants, but the theme is much the same: Prices for tastings or bottles (or growlers or howlers at the cidery) are slightly less than during the rest of the day, and they all offer some sort of snack to complement the wine, such as pretzels and popcorn. The goal is to generate more traffic during a slower time in hopes that patrons will return again later. 

“It’s a way to try to drum up some business,” said Mark Korzon of Suttons Bay Ciders.

Read more about the Hilltop Happy Hour in this week's issue of the Northern Express, available online here or at one of nearly 700 spots in 14 counties across northern Michigan.