Fri 8/2 & Sat 8/3 @ noon-9PM
Here we go again — Ohio wines showcased at Lake Metroparks Farmpark. Imagine almost two dozen wineries in one place, all serving wine that you probably haven’t tasted before, or maybe you have and you haven’t been back to the winery in a while (and we know very little of it is sold in retail locations). Behind the small percentage of wines to be showcased at Vintage Ohio this weekend is a community of over 300 wineries in the state.
Yes, 300. When I tell people that, they doubt me. Or they think, not good wineries. Not good wine.
The thing is that there’s a huge variety of wines made in Ohio with local grapes, and by sampling the wines at Vintage Ohio, you can find out what wineries you may want to go visit and which aren’t your style. If you want a dry red wine, you’ll want to seek out the wineries in the state that craft European-style reds like Cabernets. If you like fruity wines, they can be found, no problem. And if you like the sweet Catawba that you first tasted at Heineman’s Winery at Put-in-Bay, you can go to the islands and surrounding vacationland and taste them. Sometimes, you’ll find a winery that caters to a variety of palates by offering French-American hybrids, European vinifera varietals, and native labrusca.
Vintage Ohio, staged by the Ohio Wine Producers Association every year for 25 years, provides its members an opportunity to showcase wines made in Ohio and estate wines made from homegrown grapes. Donniella Winchell, who grew up on a grape farm and is executive director of Ohio Wines, says that the first year of Vintage Ohio was all about highlighting “the ‘new’ wines (hybrids and a tiny smattering of vinifera) to an audience who knew little about Ohio wines.” Most of the grapes grown in the state were natives like Niagara and Delaware, but some wineries were starting to produce French-American hybrids like Seyval Blanc, Chambourcin, and Vidal Blanc, and a few were making viniferas.
Back in 1994, there were only 45 wineries state-wide, up from 13 in 1978. During this year’s wine festival, seven of the original investors in Vintage Ohio — Meier’s Wine Cellars, Valley Vineyards, Breitenbach Wine Cellars, Debonne Vineyards, Ferrante Winery and Firelands Winery — will be pouring some of the finest wines in the state in a “celebration tent” of Ohio grown viniferas from 2-6pm each day. Each attendee who visits the tent during those hours will receive three bonus tasting tickets of these limited-production viniferas.
I asked Winchell how many wineries there are in Ohio today and was not surprised when she said 315. Between 1994 and 2012, the number of wineries grew to 175, and in 2016, there were 265.
“Exponential growth” is an understatement. I’ve often written about the collaboration amongst the wineries, with Vintage Ohio being an example. One of the reasons I love the stories of the wineries is that seasoned vineyard managers mentor new ones, and if a winery runs out of a variety of grape or Riesling bottles, they can reach out to their network and get help. Does that still exist? “As those wineries grew and became ever larger and well known, it has morphed, at least somewhat, into a showcase for a newer generation of winemakers with an interested audience.”
This is not a static industry. It’s constantly evolving as idealists get some land together, put in some vineyards, go to seminars, have their soil tested, and meet with others in the industry. As those original pioneers age, younger vintners come on the scene to make ciders, fruit wines, sparkling wines, dessert wines and Niagara, Chambourcin, and Chardonnay wines. New labels, new ways of interacting with customers, new ideas on what makes a good wine enliven the scene.
On Festival Field, both Fri 8/2 and Sat 8/3, at Lake Farmpark in Kirtland, you’ll find wines being poured from 12-9pm by Barrel Run Crossing, Buckeye Winery, Chateau Tebeau, Deer’s Leap, Klingshirn, Maize Valley, The Vineyards at Pine Lake, and many more. Find the complete list of who will be there by visiting the website at VisitVintageOhio.com. And while you’re at the festival, check out the craft beers by Debonne, Double Wing Brewing Company, Maize Valley Craft Brewery, Valley Vineyards, and Cellar Dwellers in the beer pavilion.
The celebration kicks off with a Celebration Dinner on Wednesday evening, a five-course dinner paired with wines and including an aperitif and dessert. Reservations are required and can be made by visiting the website.
Children’s activities, live music, artisans and crafters, cooking demonstrations, a carry-out store, and regional restaurants and caterers, and a giant gondola ferris wheel that will afford gorgeous views of the lake and the sunset from the farm park round out the weekend event. The cost for drinking adults is $32 in advance and $37 at the gate, so you’ll want to make a day of it.
Winchell recently gave a talk entitled “A Rising Tide Raises All Ships.” She says, “Our industry understands that the variety of wines, styles, geography and focus that each has offers something for every palate. Our ‘competitors’ are not even other craft beverages or California wines: our goal is increasing the consumers’ share of wallet vs. other entertainment, tourism, and general purchasing options as we teach folks to love wine in comfortable settings.” You’ll find that’s true when you visit Vintage Ohio.
Claudia J. Taller is the author of Ohio’s Lake Erie Wineries and Ohio’s Canal Country Wineries. Find her books at claudiajtaller.com or on Amazon.
Kirtland, OH 44094