Dave Rechsteiner standing amongst his vineyards. The winery is in the background.

Wine owner: Dave Rechsteiner

Founded in 1976 by Floyd and Peggy Jones, this Columbus area location was originally designed as a live/work space with a large production facility, wine shop, tasting room, and a second floor suitable for personal lodging. Known for its uncommon wine, the establishment produced wine from a variety of flowers, fruits, and vegetables such as tomatoes, dandelions, grapefruit, red clover, and rhubarb.

Ownership transferred to Bill and Jane Butler in 1985. The couple redesigned the labeling and shifted product offerings to include award-winning labrusca and vinifera varieties.

Robin and Valerie Coolidge acquired the winery in 2006 around the time the area was being developed into a residential neighborhood. Today, the site exists as an urban live/work winery offering a light food menu and gourmet desserts and a variety of dry to sweet wines. All of the wine is still produced on site and the grapes and juice are sourced locally when possible.

Photo features former wine owners Bill and Jane Butler.

Located in the heart of the historic Brewery District of Columbus, the winery opened in 1990 in the second location of the legendary Bavarian Brewery. Established in 1856, the brewery founded this location in 1875. The brewery market that peaked in the 1890s began to deteriorate by the turn of the century, due in part from regional competition and the increasing victories of the local Temperance Movement. The remaining Columbus area breweries, including Bavarian, merged into one company in 1904 but external pressures and local prohibition laws forced the company to dissolve in 1924.

Abandoned and in disrepair by the 1980s, the property that once housed large beer caskets lacked electricity, floors, and doors, but the hand-cut stonework and long semi-circled ceilinged rooms inspired Bill and Jane Butler. As owners of the successful Wyandotte Wine Cellars, the couple knew how to operate and market a winery. They acquired the property and for fourteen years the wine at this location was provided by Wyandotte. The couple sold both locations in the early 2000s.

Today, the cellar is owned by Brian Johnson and offers banquet style dinner seating for up to 100 guests. The establishment offers not only a private label wine produced by Wyandotte exclusive to the cellar but also a variety of Ohio and international wines.

In 1972, Dr. Thomas and Mary Quilter, Ohio Wine Hall of Fame recipients, began growing a wide variety of wine and table grapes as an experiment and hobby on a grain farm thirty-three miles north of Columbus. They learned that certain grape varieties such as Seyval, Marechal Foch, Concord, and Niagara are, in general, more winter hardy and therefore more suitable for the region. A hobby turned into a business when, in 1984, Shamrock become a bonded winery.

Today, the vineyard includes a number of French-American hybrids, labrusca, and some vinifera. The current owners, Van and Emily Creasap, only produce wine from fruit grown on site, with only a few exceptions due to climate issues. Van Creasap is the grandson of Dr. Thomas Quilter.

Willow Hill Vineyard wineowners sipping wine in the tasting room.

Wine owners: Dave Rechsteiner and Elaine Rechsteiner

Dave Rechsteiner standing proudly in front of his log cabin winery and home.

Willow Hill Vineyard staff sipping wine in the tasting room.

Wineowners: Dave Rechsteiner and Elaine Rechsteiner

In 1975, amateur winemakers Fred and Joanne Bucci, started growing American hybrid and French American hybrid grapes on 4 acres in Conneaut. Eleven years later, the couple opened a comfortable bed and breakfast with four rooms for lodging adjacent to the tasting room. Today, the winery specializes in white wine and produces about 1700 cases annually. In 2018, Buccia Vineyards was re-built with a modern design while keeping the feel of the original winery.

Replacing old Niagara vines with new varieties, primarily Pinot Noir and Meritage blends, installing proper drain tile, and building a boutique winery requires time and careful planning. It took Matt Meineke, a small batch hobby winemaker from Mentor, seven years to establish his winery on 12 acres of land in Geneva.

Canadian wineries situated on Niagara-on-the-Lake served as a source of inspiration for the Meineke family and the training Matt received at UC Davis and OSU helped him further develop his craft of producing cool-climate high-end wines.

Established in 2012, the winery offers a tasting room, cozy fireplace, a loft, and an outdoor deck and patio overlooking the vineyard. The location creates European-style dry wines and is the only licensed Meritage producer in Ohio.

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.

Wineowner Carl Limpert in the vineyard holding a gallon of Golden Sunshine, described as similar in taste to a Cream Sherry.

The Limpert family shifted from selling fruit to making wine after Prohibition. During this time, according to Limpert, a gallon of wine sold for 80 cents a bottle, plus an additional 20 cents to cover the tax.

In 1972, Bill Worthy, banker and stock broker turned winemaker and wine owner, planted the first vines on his 23 acre farm and sold his first bottle of wine in 1978. As proprietors of the Grand River Wine Co., the Worthy family followed the lead of Arnulf Esterer of Markko Vineyards and planted a number of European-style vinifera vines successfully, considered by the experts to be a fruitless venture at the time. In addition to a hospitality room and wine cellar, the winery also produced plays under the name of Mapleleaf Theater.

The Worthy family sold the winery in 1998 and in 2005, Madison Wine Cellars purchased it and named it Grand River Cellars. Today, the winery prides itself on producing quality Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, and Pinot Grigio wine from grapes grown in the Grand River Valley Wine Region.

Situated three miles south of Lake Erie in Conneaut, the location provides a moderate climate, glacial till, and platea silt loam soil-an ideal site for growing grapes. Arnie Esterer and the late Tim Hubbard planted the first vines in 1968 and built the winery in 1972. Known locally as the godfather of Ashtabula County winemaking, Esterer began his tutelage under the late Dr. Konstantin Frank, a well-known viticulturist and winery owner in the Finger Lakes region of New York. Under Frank's direction the winery became the first in Ohio to successfully grow European vinifera grapes.

Today, the winery has an annual capacity of 5,000 gallons and consists of 15 acres of Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet, and Pinot Noir grapes. “We believe wine is a food,” Esterer tells his patrons “It’s healthy and nutritious and should be consumed with food. It’s the beverage of moderation, not to be abused.”

In the fall of 2020, Esterer passed away and the winery hired Lauren Fiala as wine maker and Todd Stevenson as vineyard manager.

John Christ started the winery and fruit farm in 1946 on an estimated 27 acres of land. Today only 5 acres remain and the location is surrounded by new residential development.

Appropriately named for the barn where Geneva-on-the-Lake’s very first fire engine was housed, the event winery is located directly on the shores of Lake Erie. Offering a tasting room and restaurant on site, all of the grapes and juice used to make the wine are sourced from other areas. The winery first opened its doors in 1988 and is owned by Joyce Morgan, Dave Otto, and Don Woodward. Known for its large summer festivals, the establishment offers wine made from American, hybrid, and international grapes as well as a number of fruit wines.

A view of one of the many outdoor events held at the Old Firehouse Winery.

With grapevines on site dating back to the turn of the century, three generations of Klingshirns have operated the winery since 1935. Started by Albert Klingshirn as a home cellar venture, the variety of wines and the size of the facilities expanded under the ownership of Albert’s son Allan, who took over the winery in 1946.

Allan’s youngest son, Lee, now runs the business, a position he acquired after receiving his BS in Enology and Viticulture from OSU in 1986. Lee has also expanded the product line by introducing three varieties of sparkling wine produced using the traditional methode champenoise. The winery generates about 5,000 cases annually.

Exterior view of the Kinkopf's Old Mill Winery.

Paul Cantwell in the basement of Old Mill Winery.

Wine owner: Paul Cantwell

Paul Cantwell pictured next to the original mill from the 1860's.

Wine owner: Paul Cantwell

Interior view of Cantwell's Old Mill Winery.

Exterior view of Chalet Debonné.

The summer of 2016 marks the 34th annual Hot Air Balloon Festival at Debonne. Guests listen to music, sip wine, and dine under the stars as illuminated hot air balloons pass by. Tethered hot air balloon rides are available on scheduled days during the summer.

First, second, and third place winners at the first annual Hot Air Balloon Festival at Chalet Debonné.

Award winning wines produced at Chalet Debonné.

Historic Grand River Vineyard sign.

Bill Worthy speculating in his vineyards. In 1972, the former banker and stock broker turned winemaker and wine owner, planted the first vines on his 23 acre farm and sold his first bottle of wine in 1978.

Wine owner: Bill Worthy

Bill Worthy assessing the health of his grape vines in the vineyard.

Wine owner: Bill Worthy

Because of the way grapevines grow and produce fruit, growers must prune annually during the winter months when the vines are dormant.

Dr. Thomas Wykoff, a surgeon, in 1974 converted a Cleveland Heights beauty parlor into Au Provence, a well-known French style restaurant and a winery named Chateau Lagniappe. The company also operated a wine store adjacent to the restaurant. Prior to opening his own winery in Madison, Bill Worthy of Grand River Vineyard sold his grapes to this firm. The businesses were in operation till 1986.

Vineyard worker tending to the vines.

The vision of Gary and Leonard Blackie, this Madison winery is named after the glacier that delivered rich soil to the region. Designed as a house to make guests feel at home, the tasting room has a rustic but open log cabin feel, a central fireplace, and is made from reclaimed barn siding and hand-hewn beams from the 1800s. A wine bar and open cellar on the lower level of the winery offers space for private parties and weekend entertainment, while the outdoor deck areas provides scenic views of the wooded lot and the surrounding vineyard.

The establishment opened its doors in 2015 and produces dry wine. All of the grapes are sourced from the Finger Lakes region of New York. As the vineyard matures, the wine will be produced from grapes produced on site. In 2020, the winery’s Stoltz Road vineyard was expanded to include additional Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. In 2021, ground was broken on a third building dedicated to the agricultural aspect of the business.

With vineyards and a tasting room in three locations in Thompson and Madison, the establishment generates around 12 varieties of wine and cultivates about 25 grape growing acres. Staying small is a strategy that works for wine owners, Art and Doreen Pietrzyk. Everything at the vineyards, from the picking to the sorting of grapes, is done by hand and the output of this process is quality control. A former automation engineer, Art has been growing grapes since childhood.

Best known for its Pinot Noir, this variety has received a number of California gold medals and is the only Ohio wine featured in John Winthrop Haeger’s “North American Pinot Noir.” A particularly challenging variety to grow successfully in this region, Art’s hands-on process in the vineyards to prevent over-cropping provides the right flavor and tannins needed to produce this award winning wine. The winery has been in operation since 1997 and in 2007, it opened its main Tuscan-inspired tasting room in Madison.

One of the new additions to the Grand River region, two generations of Hundleys opened the winery during Geneva’s Grape Jamboree weekend in 2014. Prior to opening, the family replaced 7 acres of orchard land with Riesling, Vidal, Traminette, Seyval, Niagara, and Delaware grapes and converted a ranch and garage on site into a lodge-style tasting room with a wood-burning fireplace. Picnic tables and an outdoor deck provide picturesque views of the vineyards and a small pond on site. As a boutique winery, bottles are only available for purchase in the tasting room.

In 1979, Wes Gerlosky acquired 50 acres of farmland in Harpersfield, planted vines, and seven years later bottled a Chardonnay. Determined to elevate the status of the winemaking industry in Ohio, Wes focused his passion on producing superb European-style wine such as his world-class Gewürztraminer.

The Ribic family acquired the winery in 2005 and has carried on the Gerlosky tradition of producing fine European wines. The establishment offers a rustic tasting room, outdoor seating with direct views of the vineyard, and weekend music entertainment. As an estate winery, all the wines are made exclusively with grapes grown at the vineyard. Today, the winery is best known for its Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noir.

Known as the “church winery”, this boutique winery is contained in a century old Methodist Episcopal church that originally was located in Shalersville, Ohio. Wine owners, Heather and Gene Sigel, moved the church to its present location in 2000, opened the winery in 2002, and constructed a back deck overlooking the vineyards in 2006.

Signs of the church remain such as the original pews, the wainscoting, flooring, and some of the stained glass windows. Marketed as “the quiet winery”, the location provides a relaxing atmosphere for intimate conversation and beautiful views. Currently the vineyard consists of 35 acres of vinifera and produces 2,500 to 3,000 cases of wine yearly.

Established in 2012 in Geneva, this 56 acre Concord grape farm turned winery was a dream come true for Tony and Mauri Kosicek. Before opening the winery, Tony Kosicek, a third generation grape grower, sold tons of grapes to Welch's every year which were harvested on land purchased by his grandfather in 1929.

Today, the winery offers 18 varieties of wine, a relaxing and modern tasting room, and an outdoor deck overlooking the 15 acres of Concord grapes and 8 acres of vinifera varieties.

Established in 1998 by Charlie Virant, a third generation winemaker, the winery offers a relaxing family friendly atmosphere, a tasting room, and an area suitable for private events. Producing about 8,000 cases of wine annually, Frank Virant, Charlie’s son, manages 23 acres of vineyards and makes the wine. The location offers a number of dry and sweet wines but Red Velvet, a medium sweet Concord variety first produced by Charlie Virant, is the most popular wine sold on the premises. Charlie passed away in 2022 and the winery is currently managed by son Frank.

Table setting featuring Terminal Red, a Chateau Lagniappe wine from the Cedar Hill Wine Co.

For many years wine was produced in the basement of Au Provence from hybrid and Lake Erie grapes and was sold in the adjacent wine shop.

Interior glimpse of Au Provence restaurant. Jack Foster is pictured holding a bottle of wine he produced in the basement of the restaurant.

Winemaker: Jack Foster

Jack Foster in the basement winery at Chateau Lagniappe.

Winemaker: Jack Foster

View of the new tasting room and wine shop after a fire destroyed the restaurant in November of 1994.

Architectural drawing of the Ferrante Winery.

Featured as part of the Ashtabula County’s Barn Quilt Trail, an 8 foot-by-8-foot painted airplane quilt hangs prominently on one of the oldest barns on site. The story goes that before wind machines were used to prevent vine frost damage, the late Tony Debevc, Sr. would bring in World War II airplane engines to circulate the air and protect his vines. The current wine owner, Tony Debevc, Jr., is also an avid flyer and his personal hangar is located on a grassy site between rows of grapevines.

Surrounded by grape vines are John Christ's more popular wine label varieties.

Sight of the winery's outdoor pavilion and the popular Twin Tower waterslide manufactured by Flumes Slides.

Exterior photo of Markko Vineyard's winery. The structure provides a basement cellar for wine making and an intimate community tasting room on the first floor.

Located along the southern shores of Lake Erie, the winery offers award-winning wines, a tasting room, cellar tours, weekend events, a full-service Italian restaurant, and an outdoor terrace with scenic views of the vineyard.

It all started in 1937 when Anna and Nicolas Ferrante opened their first winery in Cleveland's Collinwood area and grew grapes on the winery's current location in Harpersfield. New winemaking facilities were built in Harpersfield by sons Anthony and Peter in the 1970's around the same time the winery in Cleveland closed.

Today, the wine is produced by Nick Ferrante, a third generation winemaker, who was inducted into the Ohio Wine Hall of Fame in 2015. The winery currently sells about 100,000 to 130,000 gallons per year and about 35 percent is estate grown. The winery is known for its vinifera varieties and its ice wine.

Glimpse of the original church pews in the tasting room and the stained glass windows.

The stone pavilion hides the wine cellar beneath, which is a 3,500 square-foot cavern made of pre-cast concrete.

Three generations of the Farinacci family have made wine but Michael Farninacci was the first to turn it into a commercial venture. It all started when home winemaker Antonio Farinacci, an immigrant from Gildone, Italy settled in the Little Italy area of Cleveland in 1912. His son, Dominic, carried on the wine making tradition and then passed it along to his grandson, Michael.

In 2006, Michael and his wife Dawn acquired 38 acres of farmland in Austinburg and converted a barn into a winery with outdoor space and a great room. The winery offered several varieties of red wine, Vidal Blanc, and Limoncello, Antonio’s recipe made from Meyer lemons, grape brandy, and cane syrup. The winery has since closed.

It is a common practice in the Grand River region for up and coming winemakers to rely on the expert advice of Arnie Esterer of Markko Vineyard. This is exactly what Larry Laurello, Jr. did when he purchased this Austinburg Burkholder farm with his wife Kim in 1991. The couple converted a farm market into a winery with several tasting rooms, on site restaurant, and an outdoor eating area and replaced several acres of Concord with vinifera. The location offers several red and white wines, mostly on the sweet side, and most of the grapes used by the winery are sourced from area farms. Wines produced here don’t go unnoticed; the winery won Best Winery of 2020 by Cleveland Hot List, and has also won awards for their selections of ice wine.

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.

Founded in 2001, this Geneva establishment offers a tasting room, full-service restaurant, and an outdoor stage for entertainment. The winery is co-owned by Bob Bostwick, a fifth generation winemaker and founder of Pennsylvania’s Heritage Wine Cellars. Bostwick also owns a line of wines from Biscotti’s Winery in Conneaut and, together with Deer’s Leap, he sells more than 20,000 bottles of wine annually. The winery specializes in fruit wines and all the juice to make the wine is shipped from the Northeast and is bottled on site.

In 1983, the sons of Charles Daughters, Sr. established a small winery in Madison and offered a variety of well-made native, hybrid, and vinifera wines. Dana Daughters, who worked for Bill Worthy of the Grand River Wine Co., managed the wine cellar and Charles Daughters, Jr. operated the winery.

Its 1978 American Cabernet Sauvignon, in particular, stood out and received a gold medal in the state of Ohio wine competition. Production was limited to 9,000 gallons a year in a converted garage area and grapes and juice for the wines were sourced from California and local growers. The winery closed its doors permanently in 1986.

The site presently is the home of Daughters Florist and Gift Shoppe, a brick and mortar store started by Charles Daughters, Sr. over three decades ago.

As a young man, Ken Tarsitano learned from his grandparents the art of home winemaking and the pleasures of growing and creating good food. These lessons turned into a business when Ken acquired his grandfather’s dairy farm in Conneaut in 1996.

Ken planted his first vines of certified organic viniferia in 1998. He opened the winery in 2000, the restaurant in 2004, and started teaching viticulture classes at Kent State Ashtabula in 2008. Ken married Kelly in 2005 and together they manage winery operations.

Today, the Tarsitanos maintain two wineries, the Conneaut establishment and Flagler Beachfront Winery in Florida. Grapes grown at the Ohio location, which now offers a light snack menu and limited hours, produce the wine offered at both locations.

One of the most unusual winery farms in Ashtabula County, the establishment opens its doors from September-October every year to celebrate the sights and sounds of the Halloween season. Capturing the true spirit of agri-tourism, the location offers a number of holiday themed attractions such as tours of the two-story haunted house built in the 1800s and the spooky corn maze and activities that cater to the whole family including hay rides, a gourd trellis, pumpkin patch, farm animals, corn cannons, steer roping and duck races.

Abandoned for nearly forty years, Mark and Debbie Mihalik acquired the property in 2005. This 52 acre site once housed the historic Cohotas Winery, which was known for its sweet cherry and Concord Jewish wine. The couple hopes to establish a vineyard and open a winery on site in the near future.

A cozy winery located in the former Bulger’s Inn in Ashtabula, the establishment opened in 2012 and offers a casual food menu, sweet wine such as apple Riesling, cherry Niagara, blueberry Shiraz, and pineapple grapefruit, a dry Riesling, and a Pinot Noir. All of the wine is made on site from sourced juice.

More than 160 years ago, Carl Limpert’s great-grandparents settled on over 70 acres of farmland in Dover, known today as Westlake. The Limpert family established a fruit farm in the 1910s and shifted to making fruit wine commercially in 1934, a year after Prohibition. The family determined the market for wine at the time was more robust than the fruit produced at the farm.

Over the years the area has transitioned from large tracts of undeveloped land to a highly developed commercial area and the fruit farm had decreased in size to 25 acres. Known for its simple country wine sold only in gallon quantities, regulars would purchase it from the back porch of Limpert’s house. The location in the 1990s offered four varieties of Concord, a semi-sweet Niagara, and one dry variety. All of the wine was produced from Labrusca grapes, apples, plums, and apricots grown on site. Carl Limpert, with help from his daughter Nancy Rodgers, ran the winery until his passing in 1998.

Photo features Carl Limpert, winemaker and wine owner

Situated on the western side of the Geneva-on-the-Lake, this unique destination resort features an eight room bed and breakfast, four 1940s era cottages, a full production winery, a farm-to-table restaurant, and a day spa on 2 acres with an expansive view of Lake Erie. The location offers a variety of semi-sweet and dry wines designed to accompany the food available at the restaurant.

Running the business is a family affair for the Fagnillis, who purchased the property in 2001 and opened the winery in 2002. Sam Fagnilli, who grew up on a dairy farm, is the winemaker and his wife, Karen, assists with the daily operations in the inn, spa, and restaurant. Their son and chef, Nathan, manages the restaurant and Andrea, their daughter, coordinates the location’s events.

In 2015, Lori Albrecht, a Kent State Ashtabula wine student, opened a small urban boutique winery in a renovated century home in Ashtabula’s downtown district. The location provided a gallery featuring the work of local artists, a light food menu, and outside areas for conversation and relaxation. Dry and sweet wines were available and made on site from locally sourced grapes and juice. The winery continued to operate into the summer months of 2019, but has since closed.

Established as a grape growers’ cooperative in the 1930s, the location at its height ranked as one of the largest wineries in Ohio with a combined storage capacity of 180,000 gallons. Named for the Dover region, known today as Westlake, the location specialized in Labrusca wines and served as a major ingredient and equipment supplier for local home wine and beer makers. For many years the winery also operated the Dover Chalet, a well-known Hungarian restaurant.

Acquired by Zoltin Wolovitis in the 1950s, it increased its distribution network by entering into a marketing agreement with the Rutman Wine Company. This opportunity enabled the company to sell its product through a variety of retail channels unavailable to other local wineries. In 1984, Bernard Rutman and others purchased the company and brought on Bob Bostwick as a consultant, a fifth generation winemaker and founder of Pennsylvania’s Heritage Wine Cellars and co-owner of Deer’s Leap in Ohio.

The ingredient and equipment supply side of the business is known today as the J.W. Dover, Inc. and has been owned by Jerome Welliver of Heartland Vineyards Winery since 1997. Firelands Winery, the vanguard facility for Lonz, Inc., now owns the Dover Vineyard brand of wines.

In 1977, Peter and Anthony Ferrante sold the original location of the wine shop located in South Collinwood on the corner of Saint Claire Avenue and Whitcomb Road that their father had purchased in 1937. The brothers opened a state of the art wine making facility and a restaurant on the family’s vineyard land in Harpersfield a few years later. Photographed are Peter Ferrante and his wife Josephine, who were inducted into the Ohio Wine Hall of Fame in 2005.

Since 1946, John Christ Winery has been dedicated to the production of quality wine. Located less than two miles south of Lake Erie in Avon Lake, all of the wines are produced and bottled on the winery premise. The winery offers a tasting room, tasting bar, and live music. Acquired by the Kopf family in 1995, the location is known for its fruit and medium to sweet wines. It produces between 13,500 to 15,000 gallons of wine annually. Current vintner Jack James has cultivated new batches of wine through experimentation, and multiple wines have won awards at the Ohio State Wine Competition.

Photo features John Christ, former winemaker and wine owner of the John Christ Winery.

In 1972, two generations of the Debevc family opened a winery in Madison on crop land acquired by Anton Debevc, a Yugoslavian immigrant, in 1916. The winery was originally named Chalet Debonné because of the Swiss Chalet style of the first winery, which was built from the wood of the family’s farm buildings.

The winery has grown significantly from its humble beginnings. Today, the family and staff tend to over 175 plus acres of vines and produce over 85,000 gallons of wine each year. The winery is known for its Riesling and ice wine. It is the largest estate winery in Ohio and in 2008, it became the first winery in the state to open a microbrewery.

The quilt hangs on Emory Tyler’s barn, a structure that was used as the village’s first fire station, from 1924 to 1935, when the WPA built the new firehouse across the street. The site of the Old Firehouse’s grounds was once part of the half-dozen or so farms that existed in the area in the 1800s. The large building in front of the winery was originally a farmhouse; it now houses three gift shops. The barn was built to support farming operations, but owners soon discovered that renting out rooms in the farmhouse to tourists several months out of the year surpassed growing crops and keeping livestock. By 1900 the barn had become nothing more than a support structure for the growing resort operation.

Source: Ashtabula County Barn Quilt Trail

Nick Ferrante and Kent State President Dr. Beverly Warren discussing wine fermentation in the cellars of Ferrante Winery as part of the President's 2014 Listening tour.After the event Warren remarked that she is so impressed with the sense of community in Ashtabula County.

“It doesn’t matter if I am with faculty, students or local business leaders, the sense of family is really at the core of why people live, work and play in Ashtabula County,” she said.

Kent State Ashtabula Dean Susan Stocker and Nick Ferrante presenting to a group of community members and Kent State officials. The event was the first event of President Warren's Listening tour.

Relaxing glimpse of Lake Erie from one of the many outdoor patio areas at the Lakehouse Inn & Winery.

Outdoor dining is available Memorial Day through Labor Day by "The Grill at Debonne" featuring wood fired pizzas, specialty sandwiches, paninis and appetizers. Year round indoor dining is also available.

Touching tribute to Tony Debevc, co-founder of Debonne Vineyards, painted on the interior wall inside one of the recently remodeled tasting areas.

Glimpse of winery from the farm's vineyard.

Given that the location is an estate winery, the amount of wine produced varies from year to year and is dependent on the volume of harvested fruit.

The location features three types of chardonnay — St. Vincent, Fût de Chêne and Cuveé sans Chêne.

The St. Vincent is the flagship chardonnay, the Fût de Chêne is aged in American oak and the Cuveé sans Chêne is a classic chardonnay without the oak.

The endless quest of cultivating a superior Pinot Noir grape in a colder climate inspired winemaker Art Pietrzyk to hang a print of Picasso’s sketch of Don Quixote next to a parody sketch of his family and workers laboring in the vineyards and producing wine.

Other Ohio wineries produce Bordeaux-style blends, but M Cellars is the only one in Ohio that has gone through the rigiourous certification process and quality standards required to be a licensed Mertiage producer.

According to the Mertiage Alliance, a industry trade association, Meritage wines are provocative red or white wines crafted solely from specific "noble" Bordeaux grape varieties and are considered to be the very best wines of the vintage.

Glimpse of the spacious loft area on the second floor of the winery.

The late Lee Wyse and Joy Wyse inside their winery.

Wine owners: Lee and Joy Wyse

Updated outside view of Brieitenbach Winery and Der Marketplatz.

Breitenbach's winery sign.

Glimpse of the tasting room at Portage Hills Vineyards.

Older Breitenbach's winery sign.

Glimpse of Breitenbach's winery shop.

Gary Glaus, the brother of Kent Glaus, pictured behind the wine bar at Portage Hills Vineyard.

Co-wine owner: Gary Glaus

Historic Rainbow Hills sign.

Vintage exterior photo of Breitenbach Winery and Der Marketplatz

Founded in 1980 by Andrew Wineberg on the property of his parents, the winery offers a number of outdoor and indoor events, large tasting areas, an outdoor deck, and picnic tables providing views of a rolling landscape of trees, vineyards and open space areas. The first 12 acres of vineyard included a mix of Cayuga White, Seyval, Vignoles, Dechaunac, Chancellor, Leon Millot, and Vidal grapes.

In 2002, long-time vineyard manager Andy Troutman and his family acquired the winery and quickly expanded production and the vineyard acreage. Today much of the original hillside vineyards have been replanted with European grape varieties and the annual case production is around 10,000 cases. The Troutman family also owns the Troutman Vineyards winery in Wooster that specializes solely in estate and locally-grown wines.

Wine owner: Andrew Wineberg

Scenic deck view of Rainbow Hills Vineyards.

Located in the scenic southwestern corner of Portage County, the Glaus family converted 40 acres of farm land into a winery and vineyard and opened its doors in 1987. Proper soil, the right microclimate, and frost protection provided the family with the best land in the area to produce high-end American, hybrid, and vinifera wine. The winery closed in 2002.

The Portage Hills Vineyard wine shop.

Second place award winner at the first annual Hot Air Balloon Festival receiving a plaque from Tony Debevc, Jr.

Wine owner: Tony Debevc, Jr.

The late Dr. Kent Glaus established Portage Hills Vineyard with his parents and brother in 1987. His love of teaching and education eventually led him to the university level where he was the founding Director of the Enology and Viticulture program at Kent State University at Ashtabula.

Co-wine owner and winemaker: Kent Glaus

One of Breitenbach's most popular wines is the medal winning 'First Crush', a semi-sweet and tart wine produced from native grapes.

Glimpse of the original Ferrante restaurant before a fire destroyed it in 1994.

One of the initial Chalet Debonné awning signs.

Original hospitality room at Chalet Debonné.

Coshocton's oldest winery is nestled in the eastern hills of the county and offers variety of estate-grown American, French hybrid, and fruit wines, a tasting room with a fireplace, outdoor deck, and a 4 room bed and breakfast. The winery was started in 1989 by Lee and Joy Wyse. The winery is currently owned by Eric and Traci Dennis, who purchased it in 2018.

Glimpse of Breitenbach's winery shop.

Breitenbach's winery sign.

Older Breitenbach's winery sign.

One of Breitenbach's most popular wines is the medal winning 'First Crush', a semi-sweet and tart wine produced from native grapes.

Located in the scenic southwestern corner of Portage County, the Glaus family converted 40 acres of farm land into a winery and vineyard and opened its doors in 1987. Proper soil, the right microclimate, and frost protection provided the family with the best land in the area to produce high-end American, hybrid, and vinifera wine. The winery closed in 2002.

The Portage Hills Vineyard wine shop.

The late Dr. Kent Glaus established Portage Hills Vineyard with his parents and brother in 1987. His love of teaching and education eventually led him to the university level where he was the founding Director of the Enology and Viticulture program at Kent State University at Ashtabula.

Gary Glaus, the brother of Kent Glaus, pictured behind the wine bar at Portage Hills Vineyard.

Co-wine owner: Gary Glaus

Established in 2009 and owned by Ron and Mike Birchak, the winery is named after Jesse Halliday, an early entrepreneur who owned several taverns and a grist mill in Lake Milton in the late 1700s. The idea of establishing a winery began at Debonne Vineyards in Madison, Ohio, the location that supplies and delivers wine to this establishment. With wine labels named after prominent and local historical figures, the location offers a variety of sweet to dry red and white wines and mead (honey wine).

Constructed from two 19^th-century barns moved from Harrisburg and Fowler, the owners were determined to keep a number of the original structural details such as the exposed timbers and the roof cupolas. Amenities such as a bar and lighted stage modernized the space for winery guests.

Situated on a hill with picturesque views of the rural countryside of Trumbull County and constructed from two reclaimed barns, this location opened its doors in 2015. Inspired by the success of other area wineries, Randy and Carolyn Wyand developed a plan to establish a vineyard and winery on property that they had owned and enjoyed for over twenty-five years. Planted on the site are several popular cold-hardy grape varieties such as Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Merlot, and Chardonnay. The winery offers a mix of sweet to dry wine and the 5,500 square-foot barn is available for a variety of special events.

Glimpse of the tasting room at Portage Hills Vineyards.

Founded in 1980 by Andrew Wineberg on the property of his parents, the winery offers a number of outdoor and indoor events, large tasting areas, an outdoor deck, and picnic tables providing views of a rolling landscape of trees, vineyards and open space areas. The first 12 acres of vineyard included a mix of Cayuga White, Seyval, Vignoles, Dechaunac, Chancellor, Leon Millot, and Vidal grapes.

In 2002, long-time vineyard manager Andy Troutman and his family acquired the winery and quickly expanded production and the vineyard acreage. Today much of the original hillside vineyards have been replanted with European grape varieties and the annual case production is around 10,000 cases. The Troutman family also owns the Troutman Vineyards winery in Wooster that specializes solely in estate and locally-grown wines.

Wine owner: Andrew Wineberg

Historic Rainbow Hills sign.

The late Lee Wyse and Joy Wyse inside their winery.

Wine owners: Lee and Joy Wyse

Scenic deck view of Rainbow Hills Vineyards.

Vintage exterior photo of Breitenbach Winery and Der Marketplatz

Updated outside view of Brieitenbach Winery and Der Marketplatz.

Originally established as the Golden Eagle Winery in the mid-1800s, the Lonz family took it over in the 1920s. Over the years, this Bavarian castle-like structure built in 1942 has been visited by five U.S. presidents and a number of celebrities. In 2001, the state of Ohio acquired the land and established Middle Bass Island State Park. Enologist Claudio Salvador continues to make Lonz wines, a tradition he started in 1979.

Ohio Division of Natural Resources unveiled a restoration and preservation effort at the historic site in 2017, where the 150+ year old wine cellars were opened for the first time to park visitors. ODNR saved as much as the original structure as possible, including the cellars, the iconic Lonz Winery facade, and the tower. Historical wine exhibits are inside the preserved cellars of Lonz Winery. These exhibits feature wine-making equipment found on the property, some as much as a century old.

Vintage Firelands bottles of White Baco Noir, Vidal Blanc, and Chardonnay.

Historic view of the tasting room. Kirt Zettler is pictured to the far right with his wine workers.

Wine owner and winemaker: Kirt Zettler

View of the outdoor patio and the Nicholas Smith house.

The original tasting room in the Nicholas Smith house.

During the Revolutionary War, the Firelands region of north central Ohio was given to Connecticut citizens whose homes were razed by the British. As they resettled, they brought with them their wine making heritage. The original wine cellar on site was built in 1880 by the Edward Mantey family and has been incorporated into the present Sandusky facility.

In 1979, the winery was purchased by Bob Gottesman, owner of Paramount Distillers, who envisioned a better Ohio wine product. His foresight revitalized the lagging Ohio wine industry. The business was sold to Claudio Salvador, the wine maker, and John Kronberg in 2002. The wines have steadily improved and are now national and international award winners. Today, it is one of the largest producing wineries in Ohio.

Glimpse of the tasting room and gift shop.

Photo of Louis Heineman providing a tour of the winery. Louis served as the director of the Ohio Wine Producers Association and was the winemaker at Heineman’s until he passed along the responsibility to his son, Edward.

Catawba Island Wine Co. built the winery in 1872 using local limestone, sand, and timbers. Soon after the repeal of the 18th amendment, the winery was acquired by one of the few producers of domestic champagne at the time, Mon Ami Champagne Co. . The restaurant was added in 1945 and in 1956 the business was sold to Norman Mantey, a family with historic ties to the Sandusky wine-making business.

Meier's Wine Cellars, the largest wine-making firm in Ohio, purchased it in 1980 and Lonz, Inc., the parent company to a number of well-established Lake Erie wine brands such as Firelands, Lonz, Mantey, and Dover, obtained it in 2000. Today, the winery serves a number of labrusca wines and European-style viniferas.

The winery ceased operation of their wine in 2019 due to a name rights issue. It was purchased by Quintin and Donna Smith and renamed Gideon Owen Wine Co., a nod to the man by the same name who moved to Catawba Island nearly 200 years ago and was involved with the original establishment.

For over 140 years, five generations of the Steuk family produced wine in Sandusky from Native American grapes such as Delaware, Concord, Catawba, and Black Pearl, a highly acclaimed and unique spicy sweet Labrusca variety. The winery was held in an old barn-like building with cellars located below the first floor retail store. This small business produced in the early 1990s about 3,500 gallons of wine and at the time was considered one of the oldest wineries in the U.S. still owned by the founding family. The winery closed around 1997.

The history of winemaking on Kelly’s Island began in the 1842 when Datus Kelley planted the first crop of Isabella grapes. Over twenty years later, the Kelly’s Island Wine Co. opened its doors and operated successfully until the era of prohibition. The island’s historical roots in the wine industry and the strong reputation of the former winery motivated the Zettler family to reestablish the name in 1982 and open a winery in the Nicholas Smith house.

In the 1990’s, the owners opened a new winery with a cellar for public viewing adjacent to the original winery. The location caters to vacationers and offers a tasting room, gift shop, restaurant with dining room, and covered outdoor pavilions. Known for its sweet wine, all wines are produced and bottled on site.

Established in 1888 by Gustav Heineman, a German immigrant, this Put-in-Bay winery offers island tourists a tasting bar, a wine garden, and a gift shop. Tours of the Crystal Cave are also available. Touted as the world’s largest geode, this cave located 40 feet under the winery was discovered by workers digging for a well in 1897. Historically known for its sweet wine, the most popular wine is Pink Catawba. Other native grapes such as Ives, Delaware, Concord, and Niagara are also grown on the island. Ohio’s oldest family owned winery, today the winery is still run by the third, fourth and fifth generations of Heinemans.

Touring Ohio wineries and vineyards inspired hobby winemakers Paul and Donna Roberts to acquire land, plant grapes, and build a winery on 53 acres of rolling countryside. Visitors can browse the vineyards, taste the wines, and take in fantastic views. The location hosts special events periodically, including chef dinners, cookouts, and catered affairs.

The location opened in 1999 and the couple maintains three acres of mainly French Hybrid grapes, and produces 14 wine varieties ranging from sweet to dry. Several of the wines have received the Ohio Quality Wine label granted by the Ohio Department of Agriculture. This program is open only to Ohio wines produced with at least 90% Ohio-grown grapes and have passed a rigorous sensory and chemical analysis.

In the late 1800's, John C. Meier developed a technique for bottling fresh grape juice, which led him to establish the John C. Meier Grape Juice Co. in Silverton, Ohio. During the prohibition era the company continued to process juice and make sacramental wine in limited quantities. Connections with growers and distributors were kept intact and the repeal found the company in good position to continue its growth.

The company acquired land on North Bass Island in Lake Erie in 1941 and was purchased by Paramount Distillers in 1976. Today, it operates as Ohio’s oldest and largest winery producing wines and juices from Native American grape varieties. Grapes are no longer grown on the island but are sourced from growers in Ohio, New York, and Pennsylvania.

Self-guided tours are available of the cellars where the wine making process can be viewed from start to finish.

Situated on a scenic country road in Ripley, about 52 miles southeast of Cincinnati, the winery was established by Seth Meranda with his late wife Tina in 2003 on land purchased by Seth’s great grandfather which had produced tobacco and grain for decades. A graduate of Ohio State’s College of Agriculture and anticipating the regional decline of the tobacco industry, Seth quickly learned the art and science of wine making and grape growing.

A risk that has proven to be successful, the location is known for its sweet and dry wines produced from estate and sourced grapes and has won a number of awards including Double Gold Best of Show in the 2016 Ohio Wine Competition. Today, the 11 acre vineyard produces a number of regional varieties such as Traminette, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Norton, and Catawba. Seth’s wife Maura, who is often seen in the wine tasting room charming patrons, handles the customer service and business end of the wine business and their four children assist with the operations.

Today, Lou Nebel of Tarula grows mainly Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Shiraz grapes for one customer, Morrow’s Valley Vineyards.

Tarula Winery opened in 1967 as a direct consequence of an Ohio State vineyard research project held in the Southern region of the state in the early 1960s. Founded by Wistar and Ursula Marting in New Clarksville, the farm transferred to Greg and Chris Hayward, two local teachers, in the late 1970s. During this period the winery produced mainly French hybrid wines.

In 1985, the couple sold the 26 acre wine farm to Lou Nebel, who started her career working for the short-lived Warren J. Sublette Winery in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati. Nebel closed the winery in 1988, acquired an additional 200 acres of land, and in 1999, reestablished the vineyard.

Inspired by Dr. Garth Cahoon, a well-established viticulturist, that his family farm in Warren County had the ideal soil and weather condition to grow grapes, Ken Schuchter started the winery in 1969.

Today, second and third generations of the family operate it. The winery offers three dining rooms, a tasting room and private cookout areas, a craft beer brewery, and cellar tours. With 80 acres of vineyards, the wines are made exclusively from grapes grown on the property. The winery produces between 25,000 and 45,000 gallons annually. Some of the most popular wines include Vidal Blanc, Pink Catawba, Red Reflections, Cabernet Franc, and ice wine.

Wine owners: Ken and Beth Schuchter

Located about an hour from Cincinnati on the banks of the Ohio River, Ken and Mary Moyer purchased the land with a rustic building on site in 1972 intending to open a small winery. Built in 1926, the building had been a dance hall for bootleg beer during prohibition, a place for amateur boxing, and a truck stop before it was converted into a winery and a restaurant.

In 1999, the Moyers sold the winery to a group of friends dedicated to maintaining the same quality and tradition. Producing about 2,500 cases annually, the vineyard provides Vidal Blanc, Chambourcin, DeChaunac, Traminette, Cabernet Franc, and Concord grapes. The winery also sourced grapes from other areas.

Ken Smith and his wife Kimberly took over management in 2018, and in 2019 a fire unfortunately destroyed the winery.

Moyer's vineyard.

Wine barrel collection at Meier's Wine Cellars.