Were you to stand on the 45^th Parallel, an imaginary line halfway between the Equator and the North Pole, you would be at the same latitude as Minneapolis-St. Paul, a certain spot in Yellowstone National Park, the watery city of Venice, the wine region of Bordeaux, the deserts of Mongolia, and the snowy northern tip of the Japanese islands. Rather amazing! What do these regions have in common? At some point every day, the sun shines down on each at exactly the same angle.

The Old Mission Peninsula in Michigan also lies on the 45th Parallel and is fast becoming known for its fine wine production. The stretch of land surrounding the 600-foot-deep water in the East and West Grand Traverse Bays plays a major role in grape production. Temperatures that remain cold later in the spring protect the plants from late frosts. And the extension of warm fall temperatures benefit the ripening process.

I recently took a tank-of-gas adventure to some of the dozens of wineries in this appellation and discovered a wonderful winter outing. That's right --wineries in the off season!

Starting in Traverse City (A), my companions and I drove about 20 minutes north to Black Star Farms (B) near Suttons Bay on the Leelanau Peninsula.

The wine tasting room lies just beyond the mansion house known as the Inn at Black Star Farms. The Inn, which features nine guestrooms overlooking a working farm, caught my eye. In addition to farm-to-table dining, Black Star Farms boasts a creamery on site: the Leelanau Cheese Company.

Turns out that this location, so excellent for growing grapes, is also good for growing grass. Excellent grass results in outstanding cheese. The Leelanau Cheese Company is renowned for producing Raclette, a cheese used in fondues. The only U.S. producers of Raclette, in fact, they've won a World's Best award. (Sadly, I didn't get to taste any, as the cheese sells out quickly.)

Back in the Black Star Farms tasting room, we started with a 2009 Chardonnay--very smooth and, quite honestly, fabulous! (Or, was that due to it being the first glass of what ended up as a thoroughly enjoyable day?) We moved on to a Riesling, which paired well with spicy cheese and left a refreshing feel in my mouth. We next sampled a 2008 Pinot Noir with a vibrant ruby color, and finally a Sirius Cherry dessert wine served with a luscious chocolate truffle. What a way to start an outing.