Lansing-area banquet center owner adds new winery, vineyard to property

LAINGSBURG — Heather McDonald and her husband Michael hosted weddings at their property for four years before she realized there was room for more on the 6 1/2 acres off West Britton Road.

Almost half the land was vacant and covered with small trees: "I think we should make it a vineyard," Heather McDonald remembers telling Michael.

It took the McDonalds more than two years to create Graham Vineyard and Winery, where grapes will be grown and wine, cider and non-alcoholic juices will be made and sold onsite. They also plan a food menu featuring pizza, charcuterie boards and salads.

The business, which opens June 7, will co-exist with Graham Banquet Center, the wedding venue they've run on the property since 2016.

The vineyard and winery will offer a relaxed, kid-friendly atmosphere, and wines that appeal to different palates, the McDonalds said.

"We want the whole family to come," Heather McDonald said.

A property with history

Heather McDonald had a decade of event planning experience when she opened the Graham Banquet Center. She's hosted hundreds of weddings and receptions there in the last eight years.

Before the McDonalds bought the property, 8920 W. Britton Road, it was home to Graham Church. The white, 1,600-square-foot chapel on the property was built 154 years ago and once hosted religious services. Today the couple utilize it for wedding celebrations. A 250-seat ballroom attached to the chapel, built in the 1990s, is more than double the size of the chapel.

"We've done a lot, decorative-wise, to the interior in both buildings," Heather McDonald said. "We built the patio out on the outside of the ballroom, and we've built a stage for bands to play out there. There's a nice picnic table area, market lights and an outdoor bar. We've got an old-fashioned truck out there and a vintage wagon with wine barrels on the back."

In the last two years the couple has put the same kind of effort into the vineyard and winery, investing several hundred thousand dollars in renovating the property.

They'll start growing their own grapes over the next year, but for now are utilizing Michigan-grown fruit to make their wines and ciders.

Graham Vineyard and Winery will offer yard games for children and hand out crayons to younger guests when they arrive.

"We understand when we travel with our kids and go to a winery, like in Traverse City, they're hungry right away and can get kind of agitated when we're trying to look at a wine list," Heather McDonald said. "We want it to be a calming experience for the whole family so we've got things in place to help everyone."

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Trusting the process

The McDonalds love to visit wineries and vineyards, but they were new to the business when they started learning how to make wine. Developing and creating their wines, ciders and juices was a process, they said.

The couple started making wine in small batches over two years ago. They took some courses and experimented with flavors that made sense to them.

Michael McDonald said his past experience as a pharmacist helped him understand the science behind wine making. The biggest challenge was grasping the timing needed to make each batch, he said.

"Once we looked into it more and I understood really how wines were made I got a lot more comfortable with it, once I learned a little bit more about the process," Michael McDonald said.

The couple has created 15 different wines and three ciders. They also offer white and red sparkling juices.

There's something for everyone, Heather McDonald suggested.

"We do have dry, sweet, middle of the road and we have non-sparkling juices as well for the children so they can feel fancy like mom and dad, but there's no alcohol in it," she said.

There are plans to continue adding to the operation, including a tasting room.

Graham Vineyard and Winery will operate year-round. Learn more on Facebook at "Graham Vineyard and Winery."

Contact Reporter Rachel Greco at [email protected]. Follow her on X @GrecoatLSJ .

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Laingsburg couple adds winery to banquet center at site of one-time church