Does anyone have any experience with wines from Ohio? We're looking at a trip to visit wineries on the Southern shore of Lake Erie, particularly on the Eastern side of the state. It looks like there are quite a few in that area, and I'd appreciate having the wisdom of others to help narrow down our choices.

I guess we are the pioneers in this group when it comes to Ohio wineries. Receiving no responses to the above post we set out anyway determined to find some quality wine on the Lake Erie shore and we were well rewarded. The first discovery was that while there are many wineries in the area of Ashtabula and Lake counties, most were open Wednesday through Sunday only. Having arrived late Sunday, prepared to do battle starting Monday morning, we did find a couple of tasting rooms open Monday.

Just like wine, we experienced a range of quality, friendliness, and expertise among out servers at the various wineries. Our first tasting was at Ferrante Winery and Ristorante when we met Deb who helped us sift through the myriad of wineries and plan our attack. Two of her suggestions turned out to be our favorites: St. Joseph and Markko's. Our tastes tend to favor drier and more sophisticated offerings and both these wineries were treats.

Both are small wineries with limited production but with an emphasis on quality. Markko adds no yeast, relying only on the wild yeast that comes with the harvest for fermentation. We were served some 2002 whites that had been recently bottled, which we were at first suspicious of because of the age, but found them quite enjoyable. Arnie, the winemaker, explained that they had to leave their wines under fermentation longer because of the no added yeast policy and thus they were slower to develop.

St Joseph has recently added a second vineyard, but we were treated to a private tasting by propriator Doreen Pietrzyk. They operate a small boutique winery, handpicking the grapes specially chosen for their unique microclimate. I was surpised to see the number of awards they had received for wines entered into international and national competitions including those in California. The highlite was a tasting of ice wine that they has just begun bottling. It was a winner!

There are other wineries in the area that are of note but they tended to be more commercial and thus lacked the intimacy and the option to interact directly with the winemakers. We did return to Ferrante's for a delicious dinner and, while we found their wines enjoyable, they were not wonderful.

Toward the end of our visit we journeyed to Presque Isle State Park to spend some time on the beach, watching the sun set over Lake Erie. It was beautiful but a little cool. If we had been able to enjoy a bottle of our selected wines there it would have been perfect.

If ever you find yourself in this area, take some time, raise a glass and enjoy some quite nice Ohio wine.

"the winemaker, explained that they had to leave their wines under fermentation longer because of the no added yeast policy and thus they were slower to develop"

I guess. Thing is, once wine has fermented, it is fermented. I don't see how this means wines would be slower to develop after fermentation. Once they have fermented, the job of the yeasts, natural or other, is completed.

Fermentation takes normally what - 2 weeks to a month for both primary and secondary? Let's say 'natural' yeasts doubled or tripled that time. The wines were still done fermenting back in 2002.

I believe I have had Ohio wines from a Put-in Bay winery.

Thank you for the great write-up! I've never been to any wineries in Ohio, I definitely should take a trip out there and see what they have to offer.

We took a short trip yesterday to a new (for us) Ohio winery. located in Ripley Ohio on the banks of the Ohio River. The winery, named Kinkead Ridge, is small with limited production. This weekend they are featuring the release of their 2008 Reds. If you are close, and don't have plans for tomorrow, this would be a good choice.

Unlike other wineries that try to be all things to all people, Ron and Nancy concentrate on doing what they can do well--and that contributes to producing a quality product. With only about 60 acres of vinefera vines, the vineyard, planted on unglaciated ridges, consists primary of grapes for red wine, although they do produce a limited bottling of white wine. Primary varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Viognier and Riesling, with smaller quantities of Petit Verdot, Syrah, Roussanne and Sauvignon Blanc. Experimental varieties include Merlot, Gamay Noir, Dolcetto, Sangiovese and Semillon. The grapes are estate grown and handpicked allowing them to be at the peak of perfection when they are crushed and that shines through in the final product.

Ron was giving tours of the vineyard, and it was there that we learned how the winery came to be. With many years of experience in the Oregon vineyard and winery industry, Ron set out to prove that good wine could be made in Ohio. His vision has proven to be spot on.

We tasted and purchased Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, and Petit Verdot. All were quite good right now. We can harding wait to see what the aging process brings. The whites, having been released earlier, were sold out and unavailable for tasting.

Be aware that Ohio State law prohibits free tastings, but the nice spread of cheeses, crackers, and fruits combined to enhance the experience, and at a reasonable cost.

That's really interesting that they prohibit free tastings. I understand the don't-get-people-drunk issue but there are plenty of laws in place to already handle that part of it. You should be able to charge whatever you wish for a product.

I was just talking on another forum about reasons to go to Ohio - it sounds like visiting wineries is one of them!

I saw something there from the Liquor Control Commission that said it was illegal for any holder of a license to sell spirits to give it away for free. Probably something having to do with buying elections.

Most charge only a nomimal fee to comply with the law. I have been to several tastings where the charge was only .25

Very interesting - I'll definitely have to take a look into that!