And It’s Not Just About Grapes
By Claudia Taller
The first time I met Mansfield Frazier, I knew there was no way to fool him about who I am. He knows all kinds of people and knows where they’re at in their hearts. He changes lives, one at a time, by counseling former inmates and helping them re-enter the world. He hopes they’ll stay and not take the easy route where prison is home.
His vineyard in Hough is one of the tools he uses to help men grow.
Come to After the Harvest, a celebration of Chateau Hough, a vineyard in Hough that’s now producing its own wine. Frazier will be celebrating his dream of growing grapes in Hough, giving men a new livelihood, and making wine this Fri 10/27 from 4-7PM. The vineyard is planted in the midst of abandoned houses north of Chester Avenue at East 66th Street and Hough Avenue.
“I had vines in my backyard,” Frazier, a former homebuilder, explains. “When the housing market crashed, I wondered what we could put on the land. I thought, ‘You can do gardening.’ Grapes yield the greatest monetary value.” So, he invited former prisoners to come and get some job skills by clearing the land, tilling the soil, planting vines, and caring for the grapes. He hoped the vineyard could produce jobs, but that hasn’t happened like he envisioned. “I hire neighborhood kids for a few hours at a time. But the Biocellar will help create jobs.”
The soil is good in this former Civil Rights battleground. The Lake Erie Appellation, where Chateau Hough is located, has the longest growing season in the Eastern United States. Cleveland has a rich wine-making history, and to have wine, many of the immigrants that came to the north coast from Europe grew their own grapes in their backyards. Cleveland Height’s Lakeview Farm is one example, and it’s not so far from Hough, where Frazier grows his grapes.
The Traminette grapes that have been planted originated in upstate New York, where Cornell University has been engineering hardy hybrids for many years. The Frontenac grapes were developed at the University of Wisconsin. The grapes will be ready for wine-making next year.
It’s a labor of love. Growing grapes always is.
Mansfield Frazier had a dream. Well, he actually has had a number of dreams, including becoming the author of From Behind the Wall, a columnist for The Daily Beast and Cool Cleveland, a consultant to our community, an activist, and well-meaning counselor to former prisoners. His Neighborhood Solutions, Inc., a nonprofit corporation, lists three projects: prison reentry, the vineyards, and the 66th Street Biocellar.
He never stops dreaming. “I want to develop a winery at 66th and Chester, an acre and a half in that area,” Mansfield muses. “I’d like to show other people how to do it. I need a winery that will crush the grapes that I grow.” When he has a vision, he makes it happen.
He deserves a chance to show off a bit. When you go to this party, you’ll learn how to prune vines, take netting off the vines, winterize the soil, and build a biocenter. You can get your hands dirty if you want. The event is a fundraiser that will hopefully raise awareness of the potential of the biocellar. Winemaker Manny Calta will bring wine he and his relatives have made, which visitors can enjoy with cheese and crackers.
Bring your cameras and your notebook. You might want to start your own project and change lives, one at a time. Change your own life, one grapevine at a time, one glass of wine at a time. When asked what advice he has for other urban vintners, Frazier said, “Just do it. Find your passion and follow it.” He found a lot of information about how to do it on the Internet.
This Friday, Mansfield Frazier invites you to join him in a celebration of the harvest at Chateau Hough. “Come on out, get your hands dirty, and have a good time,” he says.
Be sure to attend the After the Harvest celebration at the Vineyards of Chateau Hough on Fri 10/27 from 4 – 7pm. http://NeighborhoodSolutionsInc.com.
Claudia Taller is the author of Ohio’s Lake Erie Wineries and roamed Ashtabula County’s dirt roads while writing her book, which can be purchased at http://OhioLakeErieWineries.blogspot.com and makes a perfect gift for history buffs and wine lovers. Join her for her upcoming Word Lovers weekend in Lakeside, where your creativity will be ignited through poetry and memoir and speakers who will inspire and rejuvenate. http://IgnitingPossibilities.blogspot.com.