Hawthorne Vineyards, Old Mission Peninsula's newest winery and tasting room, celebrates its grand opening this Sat., May 25, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. with wine tasting, live music and more. The tasting room and winery is located four miles north of Traverse City off of Peninsula Drive at 1000 Camino Maria Drive. The 26 acres are planted with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pino Grigio, Gewurztraminer and Lemberger varietals. Brian Hosmer, winemaker at Chateau Chantal, is also the winemaker for Hawthorne.

bigLITTLE Wines, owned by brothers Mike and Pete Laing, has opened its tasting room at 4519 S. Elm Valley Road in Suttons Bay on the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail. It will offer one complimentary pour of the featured wine of the day. Visitors can also purchase a flight of wines for $5 or a full glass for $7. The tasting room is open Thursdays through Saturdays throughout the year from noon to 6 p.m. Read more about the wine and its makers here.

WaterFire Vineyards, one of the first wineries to emerge from Antrim County, is releasing its first wines this month. The 9-acre vineyard on the slopes above Torch Lake in Kewadin is entering its 5th season of grape growing and is owned by growers and partners Chantal Lefebvre and Michael Newman. WaterFire's focus is on under-represented European varietals Sauvignon Blanc and Gruner Veltliner. The owners also grow Riesling grapes for vintner Bryan Ulbrich of Traverse City's Left Foot Charley. Ulbrich is also their winemaker.