Time to Hit the Wine Trails!

It's Time to Hit the Wineries Trails!

On the Wines and Vines trail along Lake Erie east of Cleveland, you're in a historic wine district along the shores of the lake in New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. What makes the Lake Erie Appellation unique is the temperate climate that allows viticulturists to grow vinifera Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio, Riesling, and Chardonnay grapes, as well as Vignoles, Baco Noir, and Lemberger varieties. Notable wineries that make bottle estate-grown wines are Klingshirn, Vermilion Valley, Quarry Hill, Tarsitano, and Markko. The experience of tasting wine ranges from standing in bottle storage room, sitting by a cozy fire by with a view of Lake Erie, or eating a sausage and cheese plate at a picnic table. The Lake Erie Islands are known to have the longest growing season in the Eastern United States. Half of Isle Saint George, also known as North Bass Island, is covered by grapes. Gewurtztraminer, Riesling, and many other grapes grow hardy on the island. Catawba and Delaware grapes have been cultivated on the low, flat island since its settlement in the first half of the nineteenth century. Firelands Winery, one of Ohio’s largest, and Heineman’s, Ohio’s longest continuously-operating winery, use Isle St. George grapes. No wineries exist on North Bass Island. The Finger Lakes region lies south of the Lake Erie region, but the great lakes from New York and into Indiana.

Too long since I posted, way . . .

Too Long. But in the last couple of years I produced a new book--Ohio's Canal Country Wineries, another Arcadia book. Find out more about that book at my website: . Over 40 wineries follow a trail from Cuyahoga Falls to Coshocton and out towards Youngstown, the Western Reserve farmlands. This is not wine country, but it is farm country, and they're growing grapes today. The new book acts as a guidebook, taking people along on weekend journeys or weekday escapes. I hope you like that book as well as you liked the first one. And if you want to learn more about Ohio wines, check out Pairings -- Ohio's Wine & Culinary Experience, in Geneva. Learn how to properly use knives or the nuances of tasting wine, or attend one of their dinners where food is professional paired with wines. Their job is to provide you with experiences that enhance your appreciation of Ohio wines, which is why they are unveiling a new Wine Club. Find out more at . I hope to meet you on the wine trails!

Check out Chancellor Wine at Kosicek Winery in Geneva

The first time I had Chancellor Wine, a deep red, usually made dry, wine from French hybrid grapes, I was in the New York Finger Lakes, on Cayuga Lake, about 20 years ago. Now I've found an excellent rendition of the wine at Kosicek Winery in Harpersfield. Find out more about this great winery, which grew out of a long vineyard tradition, at http://www.kosicekvineyards.com/. I'm looking forward to buying more Chancellor and enjoying their warm and cozy dining room.