Another Perfect Day in Our Wine Country

When that perfect summer day arrives, grab some friends and head out to the Wines and Vines Trail in Ashtabula County. We did just that on a perfect day last fall, and as veteran wine country explorer, I mapped out a route of familiar wineries and covered bridges, and added some wineries I had never visited.

We met the other couples at Geneva State Park Lodge. Then we headed straightaway back down 534 past brambled meadows, signs announcing Eddie’s Burgers, and the Old Mill Winery. From the Route 2 Thompson/Madison exit we headed south past wooded countryside and vineyards on both sides of the road strung up by their long arms along wires.

St. Joseph Winery was built in 1999 and sits behind winemakers Art and Doreen Pietrzyk’s residence. The family’s grape growing dates to 1972. In 1982 they invested in the Grand River winery and consulted with Ohio State University, Arnie Esterer of Markko Vineyards, and Presque Isle Winery to come up with some great Pinot Noirs. They purchased farmland in 1986 and on the day we visited, Doreen Pietrzyk explained that she just visited their other vineyards and was disappointed to find some root rot while she situated herself behind the counter.

Known for their Pinot Noir, the winery was not offering tastes of it because they were running short on bottles, but our party loved their Pinot Noir Reserve which sells for $35/bottle. While tasting their Chardonnay, we were amused when Doreen told us her Chardonnay is good but we really should try some of Harpersfield’s Chardonnay because they know how to do it. We also tasted a good non-oaked Chardonnay and a young-tasting American Pinot. The winery, located at 6060 Madison Road in Thompson, (see http://www.saintjosephvineyard.com) is open Saturday 1-8PM, and serves cheese, crackers and fruit.

We were too curious about the new Grand River Winery to pass it up, so we stopped on our way back north. The property and the winery are beautiful, and we sat at table and admired the tiled floors, outside decking, the many windows, and European ambience. We ordered tasting flights of dry wines, three white and three red: a riesling, a white blend, a chardonnay, a merlot, a red blend, and a cabernet franc. The wines were all light and young tasting, and our group agreed that St. Joseph’s wines were more complex and interesting.

Since it was time for lunch, we shared some appetizers: bruschetta with tomatoes, an artichoke-parmesan bake with tortilla chips, brie with pears and crackers, and a cheese and sausage plate. The best was the artichoke bake, and the bruschetta was disappointing because it was made on untoasted Italian bread. Unfortunately, our waitress didn’t know anything about the wines so she brought the bartender over, who was only slightly more informed. We wondered how a new winery could be so well arrayed and knew there was a tale behind the older bathroom fixtures in this less than two-year-old winery. Grand Rivers Cellar and Winery is located at 5750 Madison Road in Madison (see http://www.grandrivercellars.com).

Never having been to Vivant Family Vineyard, we found it quite homey. Two older guys in t-shirts and jeans stood behind a bar in a room that felt like a renovated 1960’s basement rec room. The guys turned out to be the friendly and outspoken owners, who told us about bootlegging wine until they had to get legal and how some vintners in the area still make wine the old-fashioned way without government interference.

They told us that the Grand River Winery we just visited was owned by Debonne (see http://www.debonne.com), which explained a lot of things. We tasted several wines at Vivant, and judged them better than those at Grand River, perhaps because they are happy just doing what they’d been doing since the early 1960s, making quality wines from grapes grown right on their property. Red Velvet is their best selling wine, and their Chambourcin and Cabernet Franc have also won awards. The vineyards surrounding this Slovenian Winery were purchased in 1998. We admired the views down the hills behind the place and took pictures with vineyards and barns in the background, where sunsets would be great. Every Friday and Saturday night they have a barbecue, and they do it themselves, “can burn a steak just as well as anyone else.” Virant Family Winery is at 541 Atkins Road, Geneva (see http://www.virantfamilywinery.com).

We found Harpersfield covered bridge west of 534 and south of 307 before stopping at South River Vineyards, which was remarkably crowded, and while we stood at the bar to the right of the front door of the renovated church, belly dancers came in, and the crowds lined up on either side to enjoy the dancing. They were too busy to do any tastings, so I just asked for a bottle of Trinity and we took our glasses and escaped outside to sit on the new porch with a view, an excellent addition to the property.

We watched a bride and bridesmaids in velvet, the bride with a medieval velvet cape, leaving the canopied pavilion down the hill, and we weren’t sure if the wedding was over or just beginning. Because of the milieu inside, we didn’t go back into the winery to buy any bottles; our guests needed to taste the wine, so it was a disappointment not to be able to sample South River Vineyards wines. South River Vineyard can be found at 6062 S. River Road, Geneva (see http://www.southrivervineyard.com). It can be pleasant when not crowded.

The owners met while employed at Chalet Debonne and leased a small 2-acre vineyard in 1995 and purchased their present estate in 1998. In 2000, they bought a 1892 Victorian chapel in Portage County and moved it to their property for the winery. They do a good job with cold-winter Rieslings and deep reds.

We meandered through the countryside, past and over more covered bridges near Hatches Corners Road south of South River Road and others on either side of Route 46 on way from Conneaut near Jefferson, before arriving at Markko Vineyards, previously occupied by a Finnish dairy farm. Marrko is the first vitis vinfera wine-producing winery in Ohio and is a must on any northeast Ohio wine tour.

Winemaker Arnie Esterer collaborated with Dr. Konstantin Franc of the Finger Lakes, and has influenced much of the wine production in the area. Outside the rustic Markko Winery, built in 1968, we admired the four four-week old puppies, shaky on their legs but as big as most three-month-old dogs, greeting us while their mother watched. Arnie Esterer was in the tasting room, exuberantly upbeat as usual.

We asked hostess Linda Frisbie what kind of dogs they were, and with a straight face she said they were Markko dogs (her sense of humor takes some getting used to). Under Linda’s supervision and prompting, we tasted the chardonnays and cabernets, and were glad for the big bold taste of the wines. When we were leaving it was almost six, and the place had cleared out, and charming Arnie ran out to say good-bye. Markko Winery is at 4500 South Ridge Road, Conneaut (see http://www.markko.com).

Next on our list was Harpersfield in the heart of the Grand River Valley, which is approached by driving through its vineyards to the two-story French chateau on land purchased by the Gerloskys in 1979. The French-styled wines are bottled, cored and stored upstairs and the European ambience in the tasting room is charming with its big stone fireplace and comfortable leather chairs, and we gathered round the fire, sipping glasses of wine amidst a Saturday evening party crowd. Before long we had to go outside to the deck to escape the cheering and merrymaking inside. Band members who were leaving were annoyed by the loud crowd in what should have been a nice atmosphere, and we had to agree that this winery is best visited on a quiet afternoon. Harpersfield is located at 6387 SR 307, Harpersfield Township (http://www.harpersfield.com).

Ferrante Winery, a large-scale wine producer, is a zoo on Saturday nights. It’s beautiful winery with a very large tasting area and restaurant, a country retreat in the midst of gardens and vineyards and barns for wine producing amongst the vineyards. The Ferrantes ran a winery in Cleveland’s Collinwood neighborhood until it closed in 1973. The current winery opened in 1979. They serve food but don’t take reservations and there were people all over the place, outside, in the lobby, on the expansive patios, in the gift shop, and we were all glad we decided not to eat there. We also decided not to taste any wines, although we admired the high ceilings and light walls with oak trim and lots of windows. Ferrante Winery is at 5585 State Route 307 in Geneva (see http://www.ferrantewinery.com).

We ended our tour at the Lakehouse on the shores of Lake Erie. After parking in the driveway, we walked along a lighted walkway to the B&B with restaurant opposite. The winery is in a separate building down by the water, and the waves were roaring into the shore. It’s a beautiful spot to end a day. The outside deck above the water and the windowed patio lit by candlelight were relaxing. We drank an excellent red wine until someone showed up to announce our table being ready.

The restaurant has only eight or so tables, and they put together several tables to make space for eight right next to the open kitchen. We ordered mussels and watched chef Nate work.

My tuna with tapenade was excellent with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus. Nate talked about his cooking and we discussed the increasing number of wineries and the vinifera varieties and people’s lack of appreciation for good wines. He was jovial and good-natured, the perfect host, and it was fun. The Lakehouse Inn Winery is at 5653 Lake Road, Geneva-on-the-Lake (see http://www.lakehouseinn.com), and would be a great alternative to the Geneva State Park Lodge for overnight accommodations.

After a full day of talking to vintners and tasting their wines, buying bottles here and there, taking pictures on covered bridges, and driving through vineyards and forests, we felt satiated. A wine country excursion satisfies the wandering soul, until the next wine Ohio country adventure.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Claudia J. Taller ctallerwritesATwowway.com
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