Vintage Ohio presents rare blend of wine, food and fun
By Michelle Payne
happenings
Published Aug. 3, 2005

Cheers! Salute! Prosit! No matter what word you choose there will be plenty of wine for the toasting (and drinking) at this year's Vintage Ohio food and wine festival in Lake County.

Every year wine drinkers around the world flock to places like California, Italy and France to sample the world-renowned Merlots, Pinot Grigios and Bordeauxs native to these locations. But what many local residents don't realize is that the search for a good bottle of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay or Merlot does need to extend far beyond their own backyards.

Ohio boasts more than 90 wineries and there is a winery within 45 minutes of every Ohioan, according to the Ohio Wine Producers Association. The annual Vintage Ohio festival on Aug. 5 and 6 will feature 21 of those wineries, including John Christ Winery and Klingshirn Winery of Avon Lake.

"The whole idea of this event is to bring awareness to Ohio wineries and let people know there is some great wine being made here," said Mary Beth Lee, event coordinator for Vintage Ohio. "It's one of the largest wine festivals in the country and it's right here in Ohio."

The annual festival sponsored by the Ohio Wine Association is held the first weekend in August and has gained national acclaim in its 11-year history. Not only is it the largest wine event between the Appalachians and the Rockies but the American Bus Association rated it as one of the 'Top 100 Events in North America' in 2001 and 2005. Wine Spectator magazine, USA Today and Bon Appetit magazine also rated it as one of the nation's top wine and food events for the last five years.

While Ohio is often over-looked by wine drinkers as a place to experience truly exceptional wine, the state ranks fifth in the number of wineries in the nation, according to the Ohio Wine Producers Association. And many local wine makers have emerged as leaders in the viniculture when it comes to one particular type of wine - ice wine.

In recognition of this, the festival's newest feature will be a separate tent serving only the specialty wine and a selection of desserts.

"Because Ohio is one of the few states good at producing ice wine, we decided to have a special area featuring all ice wines. Seven wineries will be pouring only ice wine, but it's very expensive, so we cannot afford to pour on the field," Lee said. "The special tent will have an additional admission of $7.50 per person and each person will receive a special souvenir glass more appropriate for serving ice wines."

Ice wine differs from regular wine because the grapes used to produce it are left on the vine until after the first frost. The grapes are then harvested and pressed while they are still frozen making for a very acidic and sweet wine.

While all participating wineries will be pouring more than 100 different samples, including the ice wines, they will also be selling their product by the glass and bottle. Debonne Vineyard located in Madison will be offering several brands of wine and a North Olmsted resident will be in charge of satiating those who want to take some of Debonne's wines home.

Tony Rego has been the sales and marketing director for Debonne for four years and joined the winery after spending 38 years in grocery store business with Rini Regos and Giant Eagle supermarkets. He is responsible for managing special events off the winery premises and believes the festival is one of the year's best wine events.

"It's one of the largest wine festival in country and it creates great exposure for not only us but Ohio Wine industry as well," he said. "A person with a wide knowledge of wine or no knowledge can come and experience everything from cabernets to chardonnays to Native American varieties - there is something for everyone."

In addition to wine, close to 30 vendors will also be selling their wares at Vintage Ohio's Designer Lifestyles Showcase. Food and wine products, artwork and crafts will be available for purchase from merchants from Butler, Pa. to Strongsville, Ohio.

Carol Westfall, owner of the Flavor of Ohio in North Olmsted will be returning for the fifth year to sell the Ohio made products featured in her store.

"I will be passing out samples at the Ohio Proud tent. I usually bring some gift baskets, talk to customers about the products and pass out brochures. It's a nice event and we've always had a good response," she said. "Somebody might not be sending a gift basket out for three months, but they hold on to the catalog and call us when they need it."

While Vintage Ohio is centered on the fruit of the vines, there will be more than 25 regional restaurants and caterers including: Tony Roma's, Chubby's BBQ, Tarentin Foods and Unionville Tavern serving up a banquet of foods to accompany the libations. Dishes such as: lobster bisque, grilled shrimp, chocolate mousse, ostrich burgers and St. Louis style ribs will be available for those who work up an appetite walking from tent to tent.

And for the culinary inclined, representatives from Loretta Paganini's School of Cooking will be hosting a selection food and wine demonstration called "The Flavors of Italy."

There will also be plenty of entertainment on hand. Guests will enjoy two stages of music and 12 bands will be playing everything from rock to jazz to reggae. Admission to all Lake Farm Park activities is included in the ticket price. Kids (and adults) can learn to milk a cow in the park's dairy parlor, make ice cream or have their face painted throughout the weekend.

More than 30,000 people are expected in to attend the event, which will go on regardless of the weather, according to Lee.

"It's a tented event, so the show goes on no matter what," she said. "And because it's held at Lake Farm Park we field a lot of families on Saturday."

The location of the festival is 8800 Chardon Rd., Kirtland, OH 44094 and festivities are from 1 - 10 p.m. with wine sampling ending at 9:30 p.m. There will also be a fireworks display at dusk on Friday.

Ticket can be purchased in advance for $18 at selected Tops and Key Bank locations, online at www.ohiowines.org, by calling 1-800-227-6972 or for $20 at the gate. Those purchasing taster tickets must be over 21 and tickets for designated drivers/non-tasters can be purchased for $8. Child admission (17 and under) is $3 and children three and under are free.