WIINE'ING AROUND OHIO

THAT IS ...... WINE ..... WITHOUT THE 'H"

JUNE 2^nd  - The weather has cleared up beautifully.  Temps in the high 60’s to 70 degrees with a stiff wind.  It was a perfect day to visit the area wineries and cross a covered bridge.

I never thought our wine tour would begin in Ohio but when you think about it -- why not.  It's the same up here as Niagara area and probably similar to Canada so....why not, I say!

FERRANTE WINERY was our first stop. We sampled a variety of wines from Riesling to Cabarnet Blanc to Ice Wine.  Now Ice Wine is a different taste.  I have been looking forward to samping Ice wines found in this region as well as Upstate NY and Canada.

ICE WINE    

 This very sweet dessert wine is made from grapes that have frozen on the vine concentrating the sugars and intensifying the flavor.  They are pressed, squeezing out drops of juice before starting the fermentation process.  Consequently ice wines are more expensive than your mid-range bottle of wine.    Most common grapes used are Riesling, Gewerztraminer an Cabernet-Franc all of which grow in this region of Ohio.   The most common aromas are towards the apricot and peach with a sweet, honey-like flavor.

After purchasing a Reisling and aVidal Blanc we stopped to have lunch in their great restaurant.  We ate outside, surrounded by beautiful vineyards. 

Our next stop was HARPERSFIELD VINEYARD where we once again sampled Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir.  Did not purchase any wine at this one, just enjoyed the samples.

Down the road, a piece, was ST JOSEPH’S VINEYARDS.  We really enjoyed their wines.  Their grapes start out in stainless steel vats and finish off in French Oak barrels.  We walked off with Riesling and Blanc de Blanc, a very interesting white wine with a crisp taste.

Heading back from wence we came, we crossed the Harpersfield Covered Bridge.  It spans the Grand River and was built in 1868 listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  A flood in 1913 washed soil away from the north end and changed the river channel so a steel bridge was attached to the covered bridge. 

Our final winery was SOUTH RIVER VINEYARD which is in an old Victorian chapel erected in 1892.  This church was set to be demolished and the folks who own this vineyard dismantled the church, numbering each of the timbers and trucked it 90 miles to this location to be reassembled.  

Here they grow the usual suspects but are the only farm in the area to grow Merlot and Semillon.  Here we did a wine flight sample of five wines starting with Riesling Reserve, Blush Ice Wine, Exodus and Karma a combination of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. 

NOTE:  when we say sample, we’re getting about an ounce of wine and sharing the samples, so we weren’t swerving too badly on these back country roads!

By this time we were getting a little tired and our taste buds were worn out.  Wine is this region doesn't taste as full bodied as we usually drink but it was good and even better when you think you can’t buy it outside the area!

I saw on the map where there was a lighthouse in Ashtabula so we headed in that direction.  However, when we got there I couldn’t find a lighthouse – think it was probably in the middle of Lake Erie so we took the scenic route back to Geneva State Park.

We had dinner at the Old Mill Winery which is really a hamburger place that has wine.  But ... I didn't have to cook and it was good.

Tomorrow we're heading out of Geneva Ohio for Niagara Fall, NY.

LIFE IS GOOD!