Here's what's happening at the wineries.

Hi friends, here is my weekend diary...

Saturday . Sept. 22, 2007.
I took Sande and Aaron to visit Markko Vineyard in Conneaut, St.Joseph Vineyards in Thompson and Harpersfield Vineyards in Harpersfield Township. Here's a rundown of the day.

Markko Vineyards - Arnie Esterer, owner, winemaker extrodinaire, and all around great guy. ( Everybody loves Arnie!) Linda, Vineyard Manager , and Arnie's right hand gal for 31 years! Linda really knows her wine!

Well, I am happy to report that "Vinny", Arnie's personal Markko dog has had her puppies .

Arnie was busy punching down the Pinot Noir that was recently picked . Aaron was intrigued at seeing the very beginning stages of wine, and he wanted to have a bottle of the wine that came from that very batch ,which is why we decided to follow this Pinot from grape to bottle. Watch this Blog for the story on this batch of Pinot "From grape to bottle". It will take about two years , so we are in it for the long haul!
The winery was buzzing as usual as folks enjoyed the great wine and weather. Vinny was hiding from the puppies for a little while , getting some rest.

My favorite selections: Homage- Chardonnay with 13% Pinot Gris; 2002 Riesling Reserve - the sweetest "dry" Riesling they have. Linda says it tastes like lemonade without the sugar. Its really good especially if you like your Riesling dry but not too dry; and my all time favorite, 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve- great for enjoying with a steak or burgers. http://www.markko.com/

St. Joseph Vineyards, Thompson, Ohio. Art and Doreen Pietrzyk, Owners. Art Pietrzyk, vineyard master and chief winemaker. This boutique winery is world renowned for their Pinot Noir, and they have won many honorable medals.

The winery was busy, as usual on a beautiful fall day. Sande and Aaron tasted the ice wines, and a selection of reds. The atmosphere was lively and wonderful.
My favorite selections: 2005 Pinot Noir Reserve, 2005 Cabernet Franc Ice wine, Shiraz.
Art and Doreen are wonderful people and really make you feel at home when you visit their winery. http://www.saintjosephvineyard.com/

Harpersfield Vineyards, Harpersfield Township, Ohio. Owners Adolf and Patty Ribic, and CoCo Channel their adorable Jack Russell "Terroir". Winemaker, Wes Gerlosky.

OK folks, if you love Chardonnay, this is where you want to be! Just park yourself under an apple tree by the vineyard with a bottle of their flagship Chardonnay St. Vincent 2003. It's well worth the $35.00. Don't worry, you just stay there in total blissfulness...I'll bring you food! I understand!

Oh yes, let us not forget the other two Chardonnays: Chardonnay “Fut de Chene” 2005, and
Chardonnay Cuvee Sans Chene ( without oak). Their Pinot Noir and Rieslings are very respectful as well. http://www.harpersfield.com/.

Sunday September 23, 2007 ( the first day of Fall!)
This was truly an incredibly beautiful day in Northeast Ohio! Also a great day for picking grapes, which my mother , Betty and I did ! The Linehan family grape farm is located on Rt. 307 , 1.1 miles west of St. Rt. 534. We pulled in the drive next to the "pick your own grapes" sign and followed the road to the barn. That took...about 2 minutes. Waiting for the chickens to cross the drive so we could park...10 minutes. After visiting with the Linehans for a few minutes, we were on our way toward the vineyard to pick some Concord grapes. I also picked a couple bunches of Catawba, as I had never tasted them. Very interesting! After picking, we hiked the trail from the vineyard to the south end of the property to overlook the Grand River. Wow! We were higher than the tree tops and could see the tops of the birds just below us flying around . What a sight! What an elevation!

The annual Grape Jamboree is being held this upcoming Saturday Sept 29, and Sunday Sept. 30, in Geneva, Ohio. If you have ever yearned to stomp grapes in your bare feet, NOW IS THE TIME!!! You won't want to miss the parades! They have one each day including Slovenian Dancers in authentic costume with traditional dances from the “Old Country” on Saturday morning.

Stop by and see us at the Ashtabula County Convention and Visitors Bureau booth.

We give winery tours all year around. Contact us for your custom wine tour package!
440-576-4588.

Until next time, keep your glass full of great NE Ohio wine!
Beverly

Great wines of Ohio

Hello fellow wine lovers!

Welcome to my first blogging experience. I hope this goes better than the first batch of wine I tried to make:0)

I would like to introduce you to the experience of Northeast Ohio Wines, and show you why our local wines have won international awards and recognition. So come along. Let's take a walk in the vineyard and meet some of my favorite wine makers and get inside their minds. What really makes wine great...the vine or the process?

Oh yes, you might want to visit my web site: www.ohioVinetours.com for some of the tours we have planned for you!

Beverly