It’s an exciting time in Ohio wine country | Phil Your Glass
Harvest is my favorite time of the year. The Ohio winery scene has so much to offer.
Who can resist those lovable goats and the Tuesday Yappy Hour with dogs at the Winery at Wolf Creek? Having a glass of Irritablé or Miserabile red with those two grumpy guys at Sarah’s Vineyard is always a hoot, too. The sauce is definitely the boss that makes the pizza and meatballs worth the trip.
On a recent staycation, I decided to head east on Interstate 90 to the Grand River Valley to check out the excitement surrounding some of the 38 wineries in the region.
About 50,000 smiling sunflowers greeted me as I pulled into Kosicek Vineyards in Geneva. Brix, the 3-year-old Bernedoodle winery dog, was waiting at the door of the winery to give snuggles and kisses.
I had stopped to try the estate-grown sparkling riesling that was just named Best In Ohio in the 2023 Ohio Wine Competition. Owner Tony Kosicek and his daughter Emma were there to pour me a glass, and we toasted to Emma’s bright future on her birthday. She recently returned from a winery visit in Tuscany with Canton native and fellow John Carroll University graduate Frank Grace at his Il Molino di Grace winery. She plans to enroll in the enology program at Cornell University this fall.
As we sipped on the lovely sparkler, Tony and Emma enthusiastically talked about their big event from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 24.
"The Tasting in the Vines is where you pick the grapes off the vines yourself, taste them, and then taste the wine made from those grapes,” Tony said.
The $25 cost includes tastings and a souvenir wine glass.
That is also Grape Jamboree weekend in Geneva so there are plenty of things to do in the area.
Pick up a $22.99 bottle of these bubbles to have with Tom Turkey and all the fixings. My take-home bottle was great the next day with homemade pasta with pesto and chicken. Can’t wait for my next trip to the winery as Tony was talking about making a sparkling merlot with this year’s harvest. And you know how much I love bubbles.
What’s up at M Cellars?
I took a short drive down South River Road to my next stop: M Cellars.
Owner Matt Meineke came in from the vineyards to chat with me in the tasting room. He and his wife, Tara, have been making some incredible wines in the 11 short years that the winery has been open. Tara recently earned a prestigious Legacy Award from the Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts. The award earned Tara an exclusive three-day experience hosted by Grande Dame Carolyn Wente, owner of Wente Family Wines in Livermore, California.
Wine steward and soon-to-be Level 3 sommelier Paige McGrath poured me a sneak preview sample of the dry rosé that was named Best in Ohio in the 2023 Ohio Wine Competition. This wine is made from estate-grown pinot noir, cabernet, cabernet franc, merlot and petit verdot grapes. It will be available to purchase and sample as soon as the 2021 vintage is gone.
McGrath described it as “summertime in a bottle.” Matt Meineke suggested mushroom risotto or smoke salmon as the perfect pairing.
McGrath was happy to pour more $1 samples. It is rare to have someone with her level of expertise working at an Ohio winery, and I was more than willing to try a couple of her favorites.
The 2020 sparkling brut rosé, the first traditional method sparkling wine in the Grand River Valley, was truly delightful. It had lovely apple and strawberry notes and lots of tiny bubbles. McGrath suggested a carryout order from Osaka Sushi House in Madison to have on the patio with this $36 sparkler. M Cellars has a small shareable food menu, but the owners don’t mind if visitors bring in food from the outside.
While we were on the subject of firsts, McGrath insisted I try the $49 Reserve Meritage. It’s 100% estate grown and made from 70% cabernet, 15% cabernet franc, 13% merlot and 2% petit verdot. M Cellars is credited with making the first certified meritage wine in Ohio. And, yes, it’s delicious.
Boxes of locally made chocolate raspberry F-Bombs are available at the winery to have with a glass of Noiret wine for dessert.
Next stop: Ferrante
I was getting hungry, so I headed down the street to Ferrante Winery & Ristorante. The food there is always great.
I had to try Ferrante’s Vidal Ice Wine, yet another wine from the Grand River Valley named Best in Ohio in the 2023 Ohio Wine Competition. Owner Nick Ferrante and his crew picked grapes for this wine in the wee hours one January morning during 14-degree weather. A true labor of love.
This wine is nectar of the gods. A definite treat for sweet wine lovers. More adventurous wine drinkers should try it with a hunk of their favorite blue or gorgonzola cheeses.
By the way, my pepperoni and mushroom pizza was fab.
Other places to explore
A rookie mistake kept me from stopping at Cask 307 to try its Best in Ohio cabernet. I was so excited to visit wine country that I never checked to see if Cask 307 was open. I will happily make the 50-minute trip from Cuyahoga Falls back to the Grand River Valley on another day.
There are more than enough wineries, restaurants and shops to explore in nearby Geneva-on-the-Lake. Na*Kyrsie Meats (pronounced na-ker-see) is an absolute must stop in the area. It’s a small but mighty butchery in Geneva that specializes in artisan-style charcuterie and salumi. Its meats are served at Laurentia Vineyard & Winery, Cask 307, Grand River Cellars and Debonne’ Vineyards as well as Flour Restaurant in Moreland Hills. Now you know why I always have a small cooler with ice in my car when I travel.
To find out what is going on in the Grand River Valley, go to https://visitashtabulacounty.com/.
Reach Phil Masturzo at philyourglass@gmail.com and follow him on Instagram @pmasturzo_philyourglass
More: Phil Your Glass: Five wines from Northeast Ohio that you need to try
More: Sardinian Vermentino is perfect for shrimp boil and clambake season | Phil Your Glass
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: It’s an exciting time in Ohio wine country
