OHIO WINE MONTH

From the foothills of Appalachia to the islands of Lake Erie, Ohio produces a wide selection of wines. Here are seven stops to make this summer. By Gracie Wilson

CASK 307, MADISON

Cask 307 | Madison

This A-frame structure tucked just off Interstate 90 in Lake County makes a dozen small-batch wines and serves six varieties of Double Wing Brewing Co. craft beer. Beth and Tony Debevc opened Cask 307 in June 2019, and the winery’s unique offerings include a bourbon chardonnay that delivers smoky peach, apple and caramel flavors, as well as a robust Marigold wine that is orange in color.

“By leaving the skins on, it gives the wine an orange color but not flavor,” explains Donna List, Cask 307’s tasting room manager. “Ours is a chardonnay grape that we use and has floral notes to it.”

For the beer fans, there are also six varieties of craft brews from Tony Debevc’s Double Wing Brewing Co., which operates on the property of Debonne Vineyards. Cask 307 is part of the Grand River Valley appellation — a viticultural area along Ohio’s northeastern Lake Erie shore — and grapes for the wines are grown on 200 acres across the region. Outside Cask 307’s tast- ing room, a patio with Adirondack chairs invites visitors to kick back and enjoy the live music on summer weekends.

Although the winery does not have a full kitchen on-site, a small food menu spans sandwiches, flatbreads and charcuterie boards. 7259 Warner Rd., Madison 44507, 440/307-9586, cask307.com

Monarch Winery | Kelleys Island

This small Kelleys Island spot down the road from the Lake Erie island’s state park serves a lineup of four fruit wines. Owner Abbey Rosado and her husband, Rodney, first opened a gift shop in 2020 before adding the winery a year later. They both had experience in the industry, with Abbey’s parents owning Kelleys Island Wine Co.

“My husband and I were looking to start our own business on [the island], and we decided that we wanted to experiment with fruit wines,” says Rosado.

While working for Kelleys Island Wine Co., the couple had made fruit wines that proved popular with customers, so they de- cided to continue in that vein when opening Monarch Winery. For a treat fit for summer on the water, try Rosado’s favorite, Pearl Crescent Pear, an off-dry white wine with fresh pear undertones.

When the summer heat comes in full force, order a wine slushie to enjoy outside on the winery’s patio, which hosts live music on Saturdays, or in the wine garden. The quaint, open-air greenhouse garden features a pond as well as plenty of plants to wander among while sipping sweet fruit wines such as peach and blueberry. 604 Division St., Kelleys Island 43438, 419/7462899, monarchki.com

Olde Schoolhouse Vineyard and Winery | Eaton

School is always in session at this 1800s red brick schoolhouse along state Route 726 in Preble County that has Tuscan-style interior decor and outdoor space for summer visitors. Since opening in June 2016, Mark Zdobinski, his wife and their business partners have drawn wine lovers to this rural spot for a diverse collection of around 30 wines, ranging from a dry rose and chardonnay to sweet varieties.

Sweet wines on the menu include the top-selling Bad Ass Berry, which blends flavors of blueberry and red raspberry into a sip that pairs well with an afternoon on the winery’s patio overlooking the small on-site vineyard.

Zdobinski has been making wine since 1979 and focuses on locally grown grapes for the varieties he crafts for Olde Schoolhouse Vineyard and Winery.

“We have just shy of 2 acres of grapes,” he says, “so that obviously produces a small portion of what we do.”

The grapes for the vidal come from Urbana in Champaign County, while those for the cabernet come from Washington Court House in Fayette County. Summer brings a rotating lineup of food trucks and music on Friday and Saturday nights. 152 St. Rte. 726, Eaton 45320, 937/472-9463, oshwinery.com

Shamrock Vineyard | Waldo

Four generations of the Creasap family have ties to this vineyard that opened in the Marion County village of Waldo in 1984. Located at the end of a half-mile-long driveway off County Road 25, Shamrock Vine-