Michigan By The Bottle Tasting Room

We stopped in for one quick glass before an evening out and stayed rather longer than one quick glass warrants. The first thing you notice is the bar itself — it’s enormous, and it anchors a bright, modern room on the ground floor of a condo building on Auburn Road. Behind it sits a rotating roster of independent Michigan wineries, with the retail shelves organized by style rather than by producer, all of it Michigan, all of it worth asking about.

Our bartender knew every winery on that list cold — who grows what, why this vintage and not that one. We genuinely couldn’t tell whether we were talking to an owner or simply to someone who takes the job seriously, and either answer is a good sign.

It was a scorcher, so we skipped the flights and ordered two wine slushies, which felt like the correct response to the weather. The verdict: fun, and too sweet for us. Next time we’ll take the wine straight, which is plainly what this room is built for.

Seating is the real luxury — the bar, a few soft-seating vignettes, and a wraparound patio on the main drag made for watching an afternoon go by. There’s a small private event space as well, though we only saw it through an open doorway. It’s a polished space, with the polish of a new building rather than a worn-in one, and a calendar of pairing dinners suggests they’re still filling it in. We’ll be back, and we’re curious how Royal Oak compares.