Sapphire Creek Winery, Chagrin Falls

In 2016, husband and wife Kathleen and Andy Dangelo decided to transform the 15 acres of land they had owned since 2004 into a welcoming winery. Inspired by the seamless indoor and outdoor spaces of wineries they loved in Napa Valley, the Dangelos wanted to bring that same ambiance to Ohio. By March of 2018, those early plans were a fully built-out reality.

Located in the Cleveland suburb of Chagrin Falls, Sapphire Creek Winery offers a menu of 10 standard wines as well as three reserve wines and has plans to offer sparkling brut and sparkling rose as summer arrives. (It also has a lineup of seasonal cocktails that rotate quarterly. Late-spring selections included white sangria and elderflower lemonade.)

“All of our wines are made for us by our vintner in Napa, so they’re all Napa-appellation wines,” Kathleen Dangelo says. “We range from pinot grigio all the way to a cabernet sauvignon.”

The winery also offers an expansive food menu with dishes appropriate for pairing with a favorite glass. Customers gravitate toward the seared salmon, short rib lettuce wraps, lobster tater tots and beet salad from the daily menu. On Sunday mornings, the winery offers its grand brunch, featuring a raw bar, a carving station, pierogi and kielbasa, an omelet and eggs Benedict station, lobster macaroni and cheese and a fresh waffle station, plus other offerings.

Rick Bennett, executive chef and general manager, plans to set up a new outdoor grilling area that will serve fresh grilled lobster, whole fish and upscale burgers on select days of the week. The winery encourages customers to enjoy the stone terrace, creek-side overlook, main lawn and screened patio spaces, which make for great places to linger.

“We designed the outdoors to make it so you could finish your dinner, grab another glass of wine and kind of stroll through the gardens,” Dangelo says.  

16965 Park Circle Dr., Chagrin Falls 44023, 440/543-7777, sapphire-creek.com