Ohio Wine Explorers

Greetings, fellow wine explorers!

I’m a little late getting this penned, but, well, you know – life! A couple weekends back, a couple different configurations of our Ohio Wine Explorers crew set off into familiar territory – the Grand River Valley. Yes, it is the time of year for the GRV Tannenbaum Trail! While we didn’t add any new wineries to our list, it’s always fun to go back and visit some of our favorites!

Let’s talk about Day 1, Saturday, November 25th!

Sara & Mike, Jody & Brian, and Jen & Scott, started at one of our all time faves, South River Vineyards. This wonderful little winery, located in an old church, can be found at 6062 S River Rd W, Geneva. We picked up our Trail Christmas Trees and our first ornaments. 

We always enjoy the clever names of the wines, and I appreciate how good some of their dry wines are. I do miss the life size cardboard nun standing at the door, pleading with visitors to not steal their glasses!

Our next stop was right next door, at the Red Eagle Distillery. Owned by the same folks as South River, this custom distiller of wine infused spirits is one of the few spirits places I really look forward to. 

Man cannot live on wine alone, and Red Eagle Distillery, located at 6202 S River Rd W, Geneva, OH 44041, has some outstanding spirits. Thier offering for the trail was a Sea Breeze made with their vodka.

I may have purchased a Christmas gift while there……A very yummy maple bourbon.

Our next stop for the day was Virant Family Winery, located at 541 Atkins Rd, Geneva, OH 44041. This was our first time as a group to Virant, and it really is a nice place. While it’s one of the smaller locations, it’s really homey and fun. I mean, they have a snowmobile hanging on the wall!

Virant has a nice mix of wines, and I’m always excited by someone offering a Chambourcin. And, a Cab Franc to boot! We don’t see a lot of Cab Francs that are not part of blends, so it’s a go to when I see one. Mike says their ice wine is the best he’s ever had! A sip or two of really sweet wines is good enough for me, but I have to admit, the flavor was really good. I did try a sip of the Raspberry and Blackberry wines, and they are both worth a glass.

Stop four for the day is one of the more well know spots, DeBonne’ Vineyards, 7840 Doty Rd, Madison, OH 44057. What can we say? Debonne is one of the OGs of Ohio wines. Few places can compete with the grounds. We used to come here for the balloon launches way back in the day, right out of college. You know, before kids and responsibilities :). We hope they get back to hosting them again!

Some of the bigger places, like Debonne’, will give you a specific choice for the trails, but usually enough to get a flavor for their wines.

Think I tried the Chambourcin, right? Nope! Not sure why, but I went with the River Rogue and Holiday Rogue, a couple of semi-sweets. What can I say? I do like to mix it up on these trail days. They were both just the right amount of subtle sweetness, not like drinking Kool-aid at all. And frankly, they went well with the moon-pie cookie they paired it with!

Stop five is definitely one of our favorites in this region, Stable Winery. It’s a bit far out there, located at 5961 OH-7, Andover, OH 44003, but WELL worth the trip. Despite the fact that we have yet to go there during nice warm weather when we could enjoy is, the grounds here are so scenic.

Not only does Stable have fantastic wines, but some tasty edibles. It was a good spot in the day to put a little something besides wine in our bellies! Wanting to try something different, I tried their Raspberry Blush, and it was fantastic. Again, just a very subtle semi-sweet that lets the fruit forward flavor come out without causing diabetes! It’s not an all day drinker, for me, but would go well with food (which it did!). The Rogue Rabbit, a more traditional dry red blend is a favorite of mine. I have brought home more than a bottle or two!

Stop six, yes I said six….. was a little place that has just recently reopened after about a ten year sabbatical, Tarsitano Winery. This is a small winery, located at 4871 Hatches Corners Rd, Conneaut, OH 44030, that is so charming, so nice, and with the best assistant manager, ever!

Another very strong Cab Franc, for me, recommended by Bear, the flanneled assistant manager. The Bear Creek Red (named after whom, I wonder???), was a very respectable dry blend. Based on the aromas, they also have a really strong menu. Not huge, but the place smelled soooo good.  And they must have liked us, too, because they posted our mugs on their Facebook page!

The seventh, and final winery for the day is another one we always really enjoy, Rosabella Winery. Not one of the huge places, but with excellent wines, and they offer a cheesecake flight! I repeat, a CHEESECAKE FLIGHT. Rosabella is located at 3951 OH-307, Austinburg, OH 44010, not far from the heart of the Grand River Valley.

Jack Frost welcomed us at the door….or was that Jack Snip???

I thoroughly enjoyed the Cab Sav and the Everything Family Blend. Solid dry reds, but Jen’s Peach and Blackberry were also good. Sweet, but with good flavor.

We ended our day with a proper dinner. Wow……Black Door Tavern, located right next door to South River Vineyards and Red Eagle Distillery, at 6202 S River Rd W, Geneva, OH 44041, is simply a one of a kind, amazing restaurant.

I started with a nice, Boozey Coffee. Oh, so good. After such a trying, tiring, and exhausting day, a good cup of joe……fortified with happy juice!

The food…..I don’t remember having a meal like this. The smoked potatoes? Probably the best starchy dish that has every graced the inside of my mouth!

I had the chicken pot pie…….wow. Creamy, with a light, fluffy crust, and perfect ratio of chicken to veggies!

We will definitely go back. Oh, and check out the second floor bar!

Well, that was it for Day 1!

As a side note, Jen & I, along with Sara and Mike, decided we did not feel like driving all the way home. I cashed in a few Marriott points, and we stayed at the fairly new Farifield Inn & Suites, Ashtabula. Those who know me, know I’m a Marriott guy, thru and thru. Lifetime Platinum, and trust me, thanks to work, I spend a LOT of nights each year in their rooms. This location is very clean, the rooms are spacious and well appointed, and the desk staff was extremely nice. The breakfast pretty typical fare for a budget property, but had warm options and enough to get us fueled for the day!