Inspiring Conversations with Hailey Green of Chateau Chantal

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Hailey Green.

Hi Hailey, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
My love for wine started young… before I could even drink. Funny enough, the movie Parent Trap, which was released in 1998, initially sparked my interest. The character Hallie Parker (close to Hailey) grew up on a vineyard with their father. Watching them ride their horses through the vineyard looked like a dream to 9-year-old me. Later in life, someone approached my father asking about an investment opportunity in a winery.

Since all my siblings leaned towards a medical profession and I leaned more toward business, my dad talked about business with me, even if he didn’t take my advice. He told me about this opportunity that was presented to him when I was 14. He asked me to make a list of pros and cons for investing in this industry. When doing my research, I was hooked within 10 minutes. I was drawn by the fact that you will never know everything to know about wine. Becoming a sommelier is one of the hardest exams in the world; the nerd inside me loved that. I also loved the fun places this industry can take you, the romantic aspect, and the fact that wine will never go out of demand. I have known I wanted to be a part of this industry since that moment.

Since then, I completed my undergrad at Central Michigan University. They didn’t have anything that focused on wine business so I catered my studies as close as possible with a double major in Marketing and Logistics Management and a minor in Hospitality. I also studied abroad for a year in Australia at International College of Management Sydney, where I got a specialization in wine tourism. During my freshmen year at CMU, the girls in my family took a trip to Traverse City, and I drove the ladies old enough to drink around to a couple of vineyards. Even though they were wined out by the time we were around Chateau Chantal, my aunt told me there was something magical about this place that I had to experience. Even if we just went on the patio to look at the view. She was right. I felt at home the second I entered the building.

When looking for a summer job, Chateau Chantal is the first and only place I applied. I worked as a tasting room associate for the next two summers. I remember the second summer, I asked my boss what his educational background was and how he got to where he was. I knew that what he was doing was my dream job.

After graduating from CMU in 2020, I was released into the real-world mid-pandemic. I called Chateau Chantal to see if I could work there again behind the bar until I found my “big girl job.” The goal was just to return to Traverse City and be surrounded by the wine scene. They were short a tasting room manager once I arrived back at Chateau Chantal. Within a year, I was promoted several times and eventually made it to my current position as the Tasting Room Manager. I got my dream job when I was 24 years old…now what?

I have quickly learned that this position is what you make of it. I have the opportunity to completely change this industry for the better. Michigan is a relatively new wine region, and the world doesn’t know how good our wine is yet. The best part about Michigan being a new wine region is that we are very approachable. You could come into the building knowing nothing about wine or having extensive wine knowledge and still have a great time. I just ask that any snobbery be left at the door.

Anyway… that’s where I am now and loving it.

Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
Honestly yes. Surprisingly, everything has fallen into place at the right time. Writing a story about it isn’t as fun, but it’s true.

The only thing that was a little tough was getting started back in the hospitality world when the COVID pandemic was in full swing. However, that is pretty much the hardest part. If any roadblocks pop up, I try to keep a positive mindset and just deal with it.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business.
Chateau Chantal is the perfect winery because you can experience it as immersive as you want. You can do as little as enjoy a glass of wine on the patio or as much as spend the weekend in our bed and breakfast after enjoying a 6-course wine dinner. The broad range of memories that tie people back to this place is incredible.

We have the whole wine-making process here, from grape to glass. The wine starts in the vineyard with the grapes, we then harvest them and bring them directly to our cellar where we press and make the wine. We also have our botting machines that will put the finished wine into a bottle. It is then sent to wine shops to be sold in stores or brought upstairs to be enjoyed in the tasting room.

Whether you like dry/sweet, red/white/rosé, or still/sparkling, we have a little something for every taste. However, that is not all. If you aren’t a big wine fan, you can find beer, hard cider, and specialty cocktails in the tasting room. During the warm months, you can find our delicious wine slushies; in the colder months, you can warm up with our spiked hot cocoa. Some of the products that I could go on and on about are our ice wines. If you have never heard of ice wine, I highly recommend deep diving into it. The grapes are frozen on the vine, and you take them directly to the cellar to be pressed while frozen.

Think about it… most wine regions don’t get cold enough to freeze. This makes for a delicious, complex, sweet dessert wine. Depending on availability we make three different types of ice wine and one port style wine that is made with ice wine. We also make a couple of spirits out of our grapes, but these are exclusively available in the tasting room. We have a barrel-aged brandy, comparable to a whisky, and a vodka made from a blend of Pinot Blanc and Pinot Grigio grapes. Most people don’t know that you can make vodka from grapes, but you really can… and boy, it’s good. Non-drinkers also have much to choose from when they visit, including mocktails, sparkling grape juice, and more.

Our proprietors, Bob and Nadine Begin, have lived above the wine shop since we opened in 1993. Unfortunately, Nadine passed away in 2017, but Bob is still kicking it and can regularly be found at the fireplace after closely hanging out with bed and breakfast guests.

Indulge in a more immersive Chateau Chantal experience with any of the following options: staying at our 12-room boutique bed and breakfast, attending a multi-course wine dinner, our pizza and rosé pairing lunch that we call sips and slices, Jazz at Sunset (my personal favorite), cooking classes, yoga retreats, or hosting a private event.

This year, we are expanding our horizons even more. Here are some sneak peeks you can look forward to when visiting Chateau Chantal. Starting this summer, we will have live music on Friday nights from 5 pm to 8 pm with musicians from around the area. We are also starting our Sunday Fundays this summer as well. This will consist of a charity and local vendor we will partner up to have at the winery that day. We will donate $1/drink to the charity along with them being there to promote what they do and accept any other donations. For the pop-up vendors, be prepared to see permanent jewelers, local artists, local shops, local farms, and much more. We will keep the same charity monthly but change the vendor each week. We will also bring back house-made food in the tasting room by popular demand. Yes, you can now get a charcuterie board to share with your friends or keep everything to yourself.

We are also going to be offering a more immersive tasting experience that will be available by reservation only, but more details will come later. Also, starting this summer, we will offer free public tours of our cellar at noon on Saturdays. Remember me saying that we sell spirits made out of grapes? There is spirit in the works as we speak. Have you ever heard of gin made from grapes? I for sure haven’t. Gewürztraminer is a grape that is known for its strong floral aromas. Take that concept distilled and infused with botanicals grown right here on our estate. YUM! We do not have a release date yet, but we are all holding our seats, ready to try it.

If none of this interests you (which I would be surprised), Chateau Chantal is worth coming for the views alone. Being one of the highest points on Old Mission Peninsula, you can see bays and 360-degree views any time of the year. Prepare to get your breath taken away. A little insider scoop: this is one of the best spots to watch the sunset in Traverse City.

What matters most to you?
Happiness has always been very important to me, both personally and professionally. Not only do I want to make sure that I am happy with what I am doing but also that my staff is happy and anyone who visits Chateau Chantal is happy.

Why? Why not?

Staff-wise: my staff is incredible, so they all deserve happiness. This is a fun workplace, and they do not take that for granted. We can have fun, but they are all also very hard workers. Their smiles are contagious… if they are having a good time, chances are that the guests will, too.

Guest-wise: The memories that are created here by anyone who visits are some that you can not forget. My goal is to make sure that the more people who leave here with a smile on their faces, the better. I would love to create an environment that people want to continue to visit repeatedly.

Pricing:

• Any drink in the tasting room is $12.60, including gratuity and tax.
• Bottles of wine range from $15-$90
• B&B Rooms range from $227-$770+ a night depending on the type of room and availability
• Wine dinners range from $115-150
• Sips and Slices $45/person

Contact Info:

• Website: chateauchantal.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chateau.chantal/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChateauChantalWine
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@chateau.chantal

Image Credits
Kyle Brownley and Cam McLeod