Open Access Kent State (OAKS)

Spring Hill’s Heritage is a semi-sweet blend of Concord, Catawba, and Niagara grapes and features the West Liberty Street covered bridge. Funded by Ohio Public Works Commission grant dollars and constructed by Ashtabula County Technical and Career Campus students, the covered bridge is the nation’s shortest and crosses over Geneva’s Cowles Creek.

Spring Hill’s semi-sweet Niagara label features the Windsor-Mills, also referred to as the Wiswell Road or the Warner Hollow, covered bridge. Crossing over Phelps Creek in Windsor Township, the bridge was constructed in 1867 and renovated in 2002-2004. The location serves as a popular secluded spot for family gatherings.

Awarded a silver medal at the 2017 Ohio Wine Competition, this label showcases the Harpersfield covered bridge in Harpersfield Township. A popular local tourist attraction and spanning the Grand River, the bridge is part of the Ashtabula County Metro Park. Constructed in 1868 and renovated in 1991-1992, the only original structural components that remain are the trusses and its south abutment.

This semi-sweet labrucsa white wine label features Ashtabula County’s Netcher Road covered bridge in Jefferson Township and is the area’s only red covered bridge. Dedicated in 1999, it is 110 feet long, 22 feet wide, just over 14 feet high and features cupolas and a copper roof at each end.

Label features Ashtabula County’s newest and longest covered bridge, the Smolen-Gulf covered bridge, which rises almost 100 feet above and stretches 613 feet over the Ashtabula River.

Donniella Winchell joined the Ohio Wine Producers Association in 1978 and held the position of executive secretary. In 1984, she became the association’s full time director. During the ensuing years she helped build the organization from a fledging cluster of 9 farm wineries to a dynamic group of nearly 65 wineries and several dozen growers.

Under her leadership, the industry initiated the Vintage Ohio wine festival, which served as a model for similar events in several states. She has been active nationally with the Winegrowers of America, the American Vintners Association, the National wine Vision strategic planning group and the Wine Market Council. She also serves on several state and local tourism committees, underscoring her belief in both regional tourism and economic development.

Source: Lou Heineman and Donniella Winchell Named to the Ohio Wine Hall of Fame Press Release from the Ohio Wine Producers Association (2002)

Constructed in the 1860s by the J.E. Goodrich family, the grist mill supplied the needs of the area for about one hundred years. Mr. and Mrs. Richard Kinkopf converted the mill to winery in the 1980s and salvaged a piece of local history. Over the years, the winery has had several proprietors including Paul Cantwell, Bill Turgeon, and Alan and Joann Schnider.

Since 2005 the establishment has been owned and operated by the Froelich family. The location offers a dining menu, open patio, a full bar, local weekend entertainment, and a variety of medium to sweet wines. All of the labeling, processing, and bottling is done on site.

In 2009, the brother and sister team of Tom and Cindy Swank, with the help of local investors, renovated their farm market into a winery with an outdoor patio and gift shop. Maintaining the feel of the original farm market was important to all involved and the interior decor includes several pieces of memorabilia highlighting the role the family has played in the history of the region’s agricultural industry.

The establishment offers casual dining and several varieties of dry and semi-dry vinifera, semi-dry and semi-sweet labrusca, fruit wines, and hard cider. Entertainment is provided on the outdoor stage.

In 1953, Tom White, grandfather of the current winery owners, purchased in Geneva 200 acres of orchard land and a cold storage facility used to store the fruit harvested for two other family-owned orchards in Chardon and Windsor Township.

The original sign from the Tom White Orchard hangs in the winery as a reminder of property’s historical role in the local agricultural industry.

Interior view of the winery.