Black Star Farms defines agri-tourism

Ship in a bottle? There's not too much of a secret to squeezing a model of a fully rigged schooner into a narrow-necked bottle. It is a matter of collapsing and raising masts and sails by attached strings. But how about getting a big, fat pear into a similar slim-necked bottle, a la the liqueur Poire William?

The trick is to start young. As buds begin to grow, these tiny pears are enclosed in bottles tied to branches. This creates mini "greenhouses" in which the fruit grows plump. The bottles then are removed and filled with pear brandy.

Sample this French-style digestif at Black Star Farms, folded into picturesque Leelanau Peninsula near Suttons Bay, Mich. You'll discover that Black Star not only houses a distillery that makes eau de vie -- fruit brandy that the French call "water of life" -- but also provides stylish accommodations in a chic eight-room inn.

Although you do get breakfast along with your bed, this elegant inn is far removed from the typical bed-and-breakfast. It is on a sprawling 120-acre equestrian estate and is known locally as "the big red house." The palatial colonial manse has soaring white columns in the manner of a Kentucky horse farm. It overlooks rolling farmland and a neatly kept array of stables, barns and paddocks.

Rooms (some with companionable fireplaces, all with comfortable bathrobes and a complimentary bottle of wine) are so comfortable that it takes resolve to venture out. Each evening, guests gather in the bar for wine and hors d'ouvres.

In addition to the inn, the property houses a well-regarded winery/distillery and award-winning cheesemakers. There's even a permanent farmers market on site, making this the quintessential agri-tourism destination.

Handcrafted wines from Black Star Farms, such as a Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and semi-dry Riesling, consistently capture awards. The region is on the 45th parallel, where air temperatures, moderated by Lake Michigan, create an ideal climate for growing European-style grape varieties. The soil is right and sheltered southeastern slopes are ideal for viticulture. Some of the world's best wines come from similar cool climates.

For its fruit brandies, the distillery uses more than 30 pounds of fruit to produce each bottle of 80-proof spirit. In addition to pears, it features cherries, apricots, plums, apples and grapes. It also makes fortified port-style dessert wines (raspberry is ambrosial) and a magnificent sparkling hard cider.

This summer, John and Anne Hoyt, owners and cheesemakers of the Leelanau Cheese Company at Black Star Farms, returned triumphantly from the 24th Annual American Cheese Society competition. They beat out more than 1,200 entries to capture the Best of Show award for their aged raclette.

Traditionally, this Swiss-style cheese is melted over boiled potatoes and garnished with cornichons, tiny sour pickles. The name comes from the French word racler, "to scrape." Legend has it that the dish was created when a grape gatherer on the hillsides of Switzerland's Valais region speared a piece of cheese on a knife and approached a crackling fire made from vine branches to warm himself as he ate. The cheese melted and he scraped up, tasted and enjoyed the crisp, golden cheese -- and a tradition was born.

Michigan native John Hoyt studied cheese making in Switzerland where he met his French-born wife, Anne. Together they make rounds of nutty, buttery raclette using milk from a single Michigan farm and curing the cheese for at least three months. The artisanal creamery also makes French-style cheese spreads that come in four flavors: plain, dill, garlic and peppercorn.

Try raclette at O'Keefe's Pub, a former fire station in downtown Suttons Bay; look for the bright red facade. The firemen's pole is faux, but the raclette is authentic, prepared the Swiss way. Fish and chips are good, too, with fish prepared with a Bass ale batter. Nearby and worth a stop is Bahle's Store, a department store established in 1876 by Lars Esten Bahle and now operated by the fourth generation as a men's and women's clothing store.

Although grape growing and winemaking are booming in this region, cherries remain a major money crop. Head for Traverse City to shop for a variety of cherry products, from wine and intensely flavored marmalade to dried-cherry trail mix and perfectly cobbled cobblers. Try the Cherry Stop on East Front Street.

Enjoy a cruise in a tall ship -- of the unbottled variety -- aboard the 114-foot-long schooner Manitou sailing out of Traverse City. This is a hands-on experience, with the crew recruiting volunteers to help raise and lower sails and the captain offering generous time for passengers to take a turn at the wheel, creating plenty of photo ops. "She weighs 73 tons," notes the skipper, "but slides through the water as though it was nothing."

Among the more unusual food-and-wine combinations is the pairing of the likes of Riesling and Pinot Grigio with plebeian macaroni and cheese. Such matches are the focus of the Great Macaroni and Cheese Bake-off, which challenges local chefs to turn this classic comfort food into imaginative culinary creations. (Nov. 24, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., The Wineries of Old Mission Peninsula).

If you go

Information: Black Star Farms, (231) 271-4970, www.blackstarfarms.com; Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau, (800) 872-8377, www.mytraversecity.com; Travel Michigan, (888) 784-7328, www.michigan.org.

Mileage: Suttons Bay is about 332 miles northeast of Chicago.

MikeMichaelson is a travel

writer based in Chicago and

the author of the guidebook

"Chicago's Best-Kept Secrets."