I've lived in Ohio my whole life and recently took my first trip to the Grand River Valley for wine tasting with my bestie. Ohio has never had a reputation for great wine but maybe it's time we start changing that a bit. Let's remember that not all wines need to be incredible wines, but we can appreciate the best of what any region has to offer. We went just to have a good time and expected wines lacking in character but were pleasantly surprised by what we found! A few great Bordeaux-style red blends here as well as Pinot Noir and a couple of good rosés! There are now over 30 wineries in this region, we hit 4 of them, and we will be going back to try more! Here's a quick guide to tasting in the Grand River Valley.
Some basics - First off, you'll want to know that most of the lodging and dining will be found on the Lake Erie shore in Geneva-on-the-Lake, but also be cautioned most of the action will be found on the weekend in the summertime. Our October visit found us searching for someplace open to eat on a Sunday night.
Now, we were happy to be staying right on the lake and had a beautiful view, but it turns out we were nearly eaten alive by bed bugs. A week later I'm still paying for this. This has never happened to me (until now) but let me warn you - it's awful. So I'll give you some other likely recommendations for where to stay! And of course, there's always Airbnb! Just check the beds. Let's get tasting!
Our first stop was Grand River Cellars. I was blown away by the number of pours I had in my first flight - nine (Yes, nine!) red wines! Grand River offers discounted pricing on retail wine and I got a $5 credit on my two bottle purchases! Not too shabby! My favorite in-house was the Reserve Merlot, but I always look forward to tasting again at home!!
We had planned to visit Laurentia next, but we came to the turn for M Cellars first, so off we went. No doubt this was not a good choice. We were warmly greeted and had an awesome experience here at M. Tastings were by the pour for $1 each and I tried almost everything. I started with the Brut Rosé because I literally cannot resist a bubbly rosé and while it just barely had a pink color to it, it was bubbly AF and I loved it! Also lots of great dry reds here, I would highly recommend trying them all as I did! Our host at M suggested we also try Kosicek Vineyards so we took her word for it and added it to our list.
Next, we made a stop at South River Vineyards. We love the way they are making use of this old church and the views from their outdoor terrace are stunning! Truthfully, the wines were not our favorites, but this is still worth a stop for the views if nothing else. After our flight, we took a short walk around the vineyard and relaxed a bit longer in the pavilion. This would be an awesome spot to hang out in the evening by their fireplace! They also have Red Eagle Distillery right up the street so if you need a wine break (huh?) make a stop for some spirits!
Okay, now we're on to Kosicek! Since this wasn't originally on our list, we weren't sure what to expect but we quickly got comfortable. Our host was friendly and helpful with wine selections as well as some dinner recommendations. We liked the reds and the whites here and I even brought a sweeter blush home for the hubs! Remember the Schitts' Creek scene where David and Moira taste every one of Herb Ertlinger's fruit wines, trying to find just one they liked? That was the scene here. Except we liked them all!
I hope this inspires you to check out Ohio's wine country or your local wine region - even if it isn't known for the world's best wines! Looking for more options? Check below for more suggestions! These spots are on my list for next time!
Places to Stay
The Lakehouse Inn Tons of cottages or Airbnb rentals can be found through a Google search. Just a reminder to check the beds :)
Places to Dine Another reminder that many places have limited hours in the off-season - Check hours or give them a call before you head out. Our first night we stopped at The Loft at Indian Creek, mainly because it was all that was open but we had a decent beer and burger with friendly service.
The second night we did Horizons at the Lodge which, to be honest, was exactly what you'd expect from this restaurant and lounge inside the lodge. It was a decent meal, but we mostly chose this for convenience to where we were staying.
These were recommended to us: Rennick Meat Market
Sunrise Café (seasonal)
Madsen Donuts (limited hours)