Winery Weekends: Visit Four Landmark Spots

Ohio’s winemaking tradition stretches back to the grapes Nicholas Longworth planted along the Ohio River Valley in the early 1800s. Today, there are hundreds of winemakers across the state — many of them estate wineries that grow the grapes they turn into wine. Whether you’re looking for ice wines like those being crafted by Ferrante Winery & Ristorante along the Lake Erie shore or fruit-based varieties like those Heineman Winery has been making at Put-in-Bay for generations, our state’s winemakers are part of a long tradition. These four landmark spots each have a rich history and offer inviting spaces to hang out and enjoy the fruits of Ohios vines. For more coverage of Ohio wineries, visit our wineries page.


Valley Vineyards, Morrow: An honest mistake made decades ago has helped the Schuchter family’s winery in Warren County grow into the second-largest estate vineyard in Ohio.


Firelands Winery, Sandusky: Claudio Salvador grew up in Italy before coming to the U.S. in 1980. Today, he oversees making varieties for five different labels at one of Ohio’s oldest wineries.


Ferrante Winery & Ristorante, Geneva: This winery started out on the near east side of Cleveland before becoming an Ashtabula County destination with a pedigree of winning wines.


Heineman Winery, Put-in-Bay: The Heineman family has been operating its Put-in-Bay winery since 1888 and now makes more than two dozen wines with grapes grown on the Lake Erie islands.