Hidden Gems: Meet Michael Gorbe of Movie Stars Wine Tours

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Gorbe.

Hi Michael, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory. 
I’m a former police officer/college faculty. I grew up in Dearborn, Michigan, and I am UofM grad with a master’s from the School of Library Science – I knew nothing about the wine business before I moved to Traverse. We had some drama at my former police department, and during that drama, someone wanted to buy my old house in Dearborn, Michigan, so we vacationed in Traverse City and decided to move here. When I moved here with my 3 kids, I took a job with Magic Shuttle Bus because I had a CDL driver’s license. Since 2019, I have tweaked the Old Mission Peninsula wine tour to make it an experience for the guests. I’ve done that wine tour over 1000 times, The 2022 Viator Top 10 wine tour in North America award winner with approximately 3000 5-star personal reviews, which is more than any business I know in Traverse City. Along this journey, I earned the nickname Magic Mike because I used to work for Magic Shuttle Bus. All the drivers had “call signs”; mine was Magic. To make the Old Mission Peninsula wine tour a special experience, I’ve tweaked the winery lineup, the music playlist, learned the wines, tweaked the wardrobe… All in an effort to entertain and make the day special for guests. My goal, my passion, is 5-star customer service, which I’ve perfected while making this tour very informative and entertaining. As of December 2023, I’ve ditched the bus and started my new wine tour company called Movie Stars Wine Tours. If guests want to feel like Movie Stars for the day, they can now book with me and my new company. Movie Stars Wine Tours is the next step to perfect the Traverse City wine tour experience, with smaller groups rolling in high-end SUVs and making guests feel VIP while on vacation. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There were struggles along the way, just like any business. The whole wine tour business here in Traverse City is young, and I think we are just scratching the surface of its potential. At first, many of the wineries didn’t even like the wine tour groups. There was resistance because groups can be large, and if not managed properly, they can get loud and obnoxious in rare instances. Since I’ve worked the tours, I’ve seen a complete 180 reversal with many of the wineries because the numbers of customers the tour companies bring to the wineries are simply hard to ignore. In 2022, one of the wineries counted that the 4 larger wine tour companies in Traverse City brought approximately 25,000 guests on top of their existing business! Those numbers are staggering and hard to turn away from. 

Another challenge is to educate guests that they can still go on a wine tour in the winter months. Tourists are here all year, but the winter months are slower for tours even on the nice days. Over the past few years, I have noticed that we are getting busier during the winter months, which makes the job more attractive. 

Another big challenge is the shortage of workers. The tour companies cannot find enough quality drivers, so many of the drivers are not wine connoisseurs like myself, so many guests just have a driver, which can be disappointing. If companies advertise a wine tour, I feel their tour guide should be well-versed in the local wines. The wineries have trouble finding help as well, so finding good help is a constant struggle. 

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Movie Stars Wine Tours?
Movie Stars Wine Tours is the newest wine tour company here in Traverse City, Michigan. Movie Stars Wine Tours is not just transportation to the wineries; this is a VIP wine experience, and the tour guides are real wine lovers and connoisseurs. Ditch the bus and roll in high end SUVs, we don’t have 20 buses with 25 random drivers, when you book a wine tour with Movie Stars and a particular wine guide, you will get that wine expert on your tour. Guests want to be Movie Stars for the daybook with us. 

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up, I was a nerdy kid who tried miserably to be a football star. I also ran track, but not that well. I like school and was a good student. I was 6’1″, 130 in 7th grade with braces, so I was one of the nerds. I grew up in Dearborn, Michigan, in a law enforcement family. When I was a kid, I loved football, baseball, and hockey. Had a great time growing up, went to college, and became a police officer just like my father. My parents took me and my 2 brothers up north often, and I was always excited for those trips. Now my 3 kids are living the dream up here in Traverse City. 

Pricing:

• Old Mission Peninsula Wine Tours start at $89 per person

Contact Info:

• Website: moviestarswinetours.com
• Instagram: @magicmikenation
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.gorbe?mibextid=ZbWKwL
• Twitter: magicmikenation
• Youtube: magicmikenation