At the northern outpost of the Great Lakes wine-growing region, you anticipate occasional vineyards dotting the rolling landscape. You don’t, however, expect to find Mari Vineyards and its grand, castle-like winery set on a hill overlooking Lake Michigan’s Grand Traverse Bay in the far northwestern reaches of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.

The 40,000-square foot, stone winery features a large main-floor tasting room filled with polished ash tables, outdoor seating that overlooks the sparkling water of the bay, a state-of-the-art winemaking operation and an extensive cavern system for storing wines.