Bowers Harbor Vineyards

Bowers Harbor Vineyards sits 12 miles north of Traverse City on Michigan’s Old Mission Peninsula, where the Stegenga family turned a former horse farm into a winery in 1991. The tasting room occupies the old stable, which tells you a lot about the place right away: this is not a polished-luxury stop, but a lived-in peninsula winery that leans into its setting. Founder Linda Stegenga remains central to the estate, and proprietor Spencer Stegenga brings more than three decades in wine to a program that spans 20 acres of vinifera vines.

The estate grows Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon, and the range goes well beyond the usual northern Michigan whites. Bowers Harbor also pours sparkling wines, dessert and port-style bottlings, cherry wines, and hard cider, so it works well for mixed groups who do not all want the same thing in their glass. One of the more distinctive touches is the winery’s long-running cast of vineyard dogs, which appear on several labels and help make this one of the more genuinely dog-friendly stops on Old Mission Peninsula.

Visiting is mostly an outdoor affair, with seating spread around the vines, a large pavilion, communal fire pits, and seasonal indoor bar space. Reservations are optional, walk-ins are welcome, and the setup is better for travelers who want to settle in with a glass than for anyone chasing a formal seated tasting. It is open year-round and pours curated flights as well as wine or cider by the glass.