Guide to Wine Tasting and Tours in Northern Ohio

Ashtabula County in northern Ohio near Lake Erie is a prime location for growing wine grapes in the state and over the past one hundred years, the wine industry has been booming. Wine tasting events and tours of Ohio wineries have become increasing popular and there is no shortage of opportunities in Ashtabula County to participate in wine tasting and wine tours. This brief guide will give you a sample of what is available in the area for wine tourism and wine tasting and might provide with you with a future itinerary for your visit to Ashtabula Ohio’s wine country. Geneva, Ohio and Conneaut, Ohio are two of the finest places in Ashtabula County (where most of Ohio wine comes from) for wine tasting and tourism events and since these two small towns are so close to one another, hopping around northern Ohio for wine tasting and wine tourism will be easy and quick. Buccia Vineyard in Conneaut, Ohio: Wine Tourism, Bed & Breakfast, and Wine Tasting If you’re planning an overnight stay for your wine tasting and wine tourism visit to Ashtabula County, Ohio, your best bet for lodging would be at the Buccia Vineyard. They have a very large, comfortable, and luxurious bed and breakfast where guests can stay before or after a long day of wine tasting or tours. Every room has its own hot tub and guests have several wine tasting opportunities during their stay. They only have four rooms available, but for less than $80, guess can enjoy a unique experience away from the chain hotels that lie outside these small Ohio towns. The Buccia Vineyard produces some of the finest wine in the state and they have one of the larger vineyards in the region. Also, Buccia Vineyard has one of the most spacious wine tasting facilities in the region and offer several wine tasting events close to their four-acre vineyard accompanied by fine cheeses. Buccia Vineyard uses hybrid grapes in all their wines which not only produces a striking variety, but a pleasantly unusual taste and after wine tasting at several Ashtabula County wineries, Buccia is at the top of our list for the best Ohio wine. With their large wine tasting room and friendly owners as well as the elaborate bed and breakfast, the Buccia Vineyard should be at the top of anyone’s list wishing to take tours of Ohio wine country. So for your sample wine tour and wine tasting trip, I would suggest unpacking your bags at the Buccia Vineyards lovely bed and breakfast, meeting the very kind and hip owners, as well as tasting a few introductory wines to get you in the spirit of your Ohio wine tour. For dinner, though, I suggest hopping in the car and heading over to a nearby winery and restaurant to have some dinner and taste another Ohio winery’s offerings. The Ferrante Winery and Ristorante The Ferrante Winery and Ristorante is within minutes of Buccia’s Bed and Breakfast and they offer not only some great wine tasting events at their vineyards and wine tasting rooms, but some of the best food you’ll find in Ashtabula County. The Ferrante Ristorante specializes in gourmet Italian and despite the quality of the food, they are not as expensive as we had expected. The employees, mostly belonging to the Ferrante family, are very knowledgeable about their wines and will direct you to the best Ohio wine to compliment your meal. While some have argued that the best Ohio wine is always white—Riesling in particular, I couldn’t’ disagree more. The reds we had from the Ferrante Winery were striking and rich and put some California wines to shame. While you should follow their suggestions at the Ferrante Ristorante on the wine for your meal, I suggest that you engage in as much wine tasting as possible to judge for yourself the light but potent red wines available from Ohio’s Ashtabula County. You might be surprised. Aside from the fine restaurant at the Ferrante Winery, they also have a modern and chic wine tasting bar as well as a massive wine cellar and gift shop that is stocked with everything a discerning wine lover could desire. While there, we were informed that a fire had, at one point, destroyed the original restaurant, by luck, the cellar had been spared and the bottles from the late 1930s when the Ferrante family got their start remained unscathed. While the Buccia Vineyard’s wine tasting and tours are a little more “down-home” in the sense that welcome children and have a country craft store, the Ferrante Winery has a more upscale feeling. The Buccia Vineyard is a great place to stay and feel at home and the Ferrante Vineyard is the best place for a fancy and romantic evening out for wine tasting, tours, and of course, romance. The Harpersfield Vineyards in Geneva, Ohio: Fine Wine Tasting and Live Music After an early dinner at the Ferrante Ristorante, I suggest cruising over to Geneva, Ohio (only a short drive from the Ferrante Vineyards) to enjoy wine tasting and excellent live music at the Harpersfield Vineyards. This is a great romantic fun spot to end a day of wine tasting and tours before you head back to the bed and breakfast and you can expect a hip and gorgeous atmosphere, fun people, and some one of the best live music venues in Ashtabula County. Harpersfield Vineyards offers fine wine tasting and one of the best selections of wines on hand. Also, they have a giant warm fireplace for winter guests as well as a huge woof-fired oven, which they use to prepare their own snacks for guests who come to their wine tasting events. Every Friday night for the past several years, the Harpersfield Vineyards has a steak-fry, which, for about $20 per person, guests can enjoy a home-cooked steak dinner with a host of their native red wines to compliment the meal. While this may seem a bit pricey to some, especially young wine tasting adventurers, the live music and great company is well worth it and you’ll find yourself spending the whole evening and late into the night with the friendly and hip Harpersfield Vineyard owners. Enjoying Wine Tasting Events and Tours in OhioWhile children are usually welcome, you’ll generally find that wine tasting happenings are mostly an adult activity. During our visit to Ashtabula wine country for wine tasting, we only saw a few families with children, but everyone in the Ashtabula County area is friendly and welcoming to all guests, young and old. Some people may think that taking a wine tour or going to a wine tasting event is reserved only for those who are knowledgeable about wine. This is not at all true and while it may help to know some of the lingo and finer points while wine tasting, going to wine tasting events will help you learn about wine. Taking a wine tour or going to a wine tasting event is educational and fun and you are always likely to meet some interesting people that will be glad to share information with you. In the past, we have met some wonderful people by going to wine tasting parties in the area and it is an overlooking tourist activity in Ohio.