Welcome to Prime Vine: Winery opens in New Franklin
The tasting room at Prime Vine Winery is ready for wine enthusiasts to pour in.
Owners Jim and Julie Pulk of Bath are excited to show off their historic 7,000-square-foot Colonial Revival home at 4332 Manchester Road in New Franklin across from Lala’s in the Lakes.
“Our main goal is for people to be able to come out and enjoy the property,” Julie Pulk said. “It’s spectacular."
She and her husband bought the 12-acre property for $330,000 at a 2015 auction. They spent nearly $1 million and 4½ years meticulously restoring and renovating the estate, which includes a three-story brick mansion, carriage house and greenhouse. The home originally was owned by the Swiss-born Zimmerly family who made a fortune in the meatpacking industry, initially selling frankfurters and sausage by horse and buggy in 1891.
The mansion, completed in 1919 after two years of construction, has been added to the National Register of Historic Places, thanks to the help of Mark Gilles, principal with Architectural Restoration Renovation Consultants Inc., a subsidiary of Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens.
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"We tried to keep everything original that we could,” Julie said as she led a tour of the mansion. “We kept all of the charm and character of the house while adding six bedrooms and 6½ bathrooms.”
It was important for every bedroom to have its own private bath, she noted.
The Pulks plan to make five of the bedrooms available for large bookings with a need for overnight accommodations. Two of the third-floor bedrooms will be used as an owner's suite. The Pulks have hosted small gatherings and events at the house, which is equipped with a catering kitchen.
The Pulks have been making Venture Wines at The Caves of Soda Canyon in Napa Valley, California, since 2012 along with business partner Scott Dilyard, who is originally from Cleveland.
They have weaved a bit of wine-country charm into the three-story carriage house, which serves as the tasting room for Prime Vine Winery. It still has the original garage doors and floor from 1919.
Visitors can have a glass, flight or bottle of three Vine 93 Wines — cabernet, red cuvee and white — which are made at the California winery and sold only at Prime Vine Winery.
Venture Wines, which are distributed nationally, are also available to taste and purchase. The Pulks plan to add 11 wines, some sweet, from all over the world for the tasting room, which also features a full bar.
Things are still evolving. The Pulks would like to offer yoga, pilates and art classes in the third-floor studio above the tasting room. Food trucks, live music, guest chefs and a classic car night are also in the works.
The winery has been in soft-opening mode for just over a month.
John Bahas from the Waterloo Restaurant & Catering is the Pulks' No. 1 choice for caterer.
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The couple will soon be parking their yellow 1938 Chevy pickup truck at the entrance on Manchester Road to let customers know that the tasting room is open. For now, there’s a small sign. The hours are 3 to 8 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, and Sunday by request.
A 125-seat outdoor patio gives visitors a beautiful view of the 700 Marquette vines, a cold-weather red grape, planted on the property. Jim and his stepson Myles augered the holes while Julie planted each vine.
The food menu is limited to a $25 charcuterie board, a $16 hummus platter, a $16 seafood dip and a $2 nosh of peanuts and pistachios. Hungry visitors are encouraged to order carryout from across the street at Lala’s on the Lakes, which will be happy to deliver food to small groups visiting the winery.
“Our 2014 Venture Cuvee ($18) is crazy good with one of their pork chops,” Jim Pulk said. “All of wines have a little bit more age on them than most places. We're still drinking our 2012 cab and getting ready to switch over to the 2015.”
The cabernet grapes are from two different Oakville, California, vineyards in the Napa Valley, which is an extreme rarity for an Ohio winery.
Sometime soon, visitors will get a glimpse of Trudy, the 1-year-old German shepherd whose job is to spoil the guests and chase the deer and geese from the vineyard. She’ll also be in charge when the Pulks are at their Napa Valley winery during harvest in the fall and bottling and barrel sampling in the spring.
Keep in touch with upcoming events at the winery website https://primevinewinery.com or on Facebook or Instagram @primevinewinery, or 330-807-1317.
Send Phil Masturzo an email at philyourglass@gmail.com with any wine questions and follow him on Instagram @pmasturzo_philyourglass
Details
Place: Prime Vine Winery
Address: 4332 Manchester Road, New Franklin
Hours: 3 to 8 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, and Sunday by request
More info: https://primevinewinery.com/ and 330-807-1317
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Prime Vine Winery opens in New Franklin, ready for wine enthusiasts
