Ohio Wine Country Excursions
By Patricia Latimer
Emmis Books

When you think of American wines, two things are likely to come to mind. The first is California, for very obvious reasons. It was California, after all, that dethroned some of the very best French wines in 1976… and those decisions actually came from the French judges. (They judge wine better than figure skating, methinks). And in a rematch 30 years later, the New World wine star edged out France again.

The second? Being that you, dear readers, are from Cleveland in one way or another, Ohio is not exactly high on anyone’s list as it relates to being a “wine region.” Is it?

“I’d rather pound on some Two-Buck Chuck, Manischewitz or Boone’s Farm,” you say? Local author Patricia Latimer will respectfully discourage you, if you'll give her a couple-hundred pages of your time.

You should. Her Ohio Wine Country Excursions book not only provides the only thorough historical wine guide for Ohio, but she goes out of her way to expose the wealth of amazing wineries to be found in Ohio's growing vineyard industry. This guide features over 60 wineries and vineyards throughout the state, including directional maps, color photos and even flavor-profile expectations.

Once upon a time, Ohio was “world-famous for the quality of its wines and for its cultivation of the Catawba grape.” I know that sounds dire and makes you think of melted-down-and-bottled Smucker’s Jam from the islands. But today, Ohio vintners continue to bring forth “innovative grape-growing” and use wine-making techniques that bring forth some spectacular results.

Vintners like Ferrante, Markko, Debonne and others are the highpoints mentioned in the book for Northeast Ohio. And having “taken one for the team” myself, this Cool Cleveland contributor can vouch for all of the quality of those wines. (Critic’s observational note: If you’ve not sampled from Wolf Creek Winery south of here, or had an Ohio-grown Cabernet Franc, you are really missing something special… ).

Latimer is the founder of Patricia Latimer Associates, a PR/strategic planning company located in San Francisco and Cleveland. She takes a page from the best Cali wine guides and maps out a dearth of fantastic wineries across Ohio. And if you use this book to map out a weekend of mini wine tours, and you really do your homework on the vintners profiled, you can extend your travel experience or get a little bit of California… right in your own backyard.

No, Ohio isn’t California. But with this book, you've got all that "airfare and hotel accomodation" cheddar to spread on some quality wines. You'll find them in this guide, which will make your discoveries both fun AND easy. Highly recommended.

Enjoy an evening of fine spirits (including some Ohio wine) and a silent auction, with light food and a surprise wine tasting on Wed 6/21 at 6PM. The event—held at Budapest Blonde Martini & Wine Bar, 6901 Rockside Road, Independence—is to benefit The Cleveland Chamber Symphony. Check the link in this week's Cool Cleveland newsletter for more details.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Peter Chakerian peterATcoolcleveland.com (:divend:)