Ohio Wine Month: 5 Wineries to Visit for Food and Fun This Summer

Ferrante Winery & Ristorante | Geneva
Winemaking has been a tradition for the Ferrante family since 1937, when Peter and Nicholas Ferrante opened their winery in Cleveland’s Collinwood neighborhood. They used grapes grown at their vineyard in Harpersfield Township, located outside of Geneva, and that is where the Ferrante legacy continues today. 

Now in its third generation of family ownership, the vineyard opened its winery to visitors in 1979 and added its Italian restaurant in 1983.  

“Being Italian, we’re always about wine and food,” says Carmel Ferrante, who co-owns the winery with four of her seven siblings. “So that was the marriage for Ferrante Winery.”

Nicholas Ferrante is the winemaker and creates the winery’s French oak and unoaked varieties of chardonnay (the latter is fermented in stainless-steel vats) from grapes grown in the vineyard. The Jester’s Blush, which lovers of white zinfandel will enjoy, as well as the semisweet Bianco, made using Niagara grapes, have been menu favorites for more than 30 years. 

Because Ferrante Winery & Ristorante is so deeply rooted in family, the winery prides itself on being a place everyone is welcome, with a kids menu and outdoor space for all ages to enjoy. The dinner menu spans pizzas and fried mozzarella, traditional Italian dishes like lasagna and spaghetti, as well as steaks, salads and seafood. 5585 N. River Rd. W., Geneva 44041, 440/466-8466, ferrantewinery.com

Rhonemus Cellars | Lancaster 
Inspired by travels to Virginia’s Monticello Valley, Barry and Jennifer Rhonemus opened Rhonemus Cellars in 2024 at The View Golf Club in Lancaster. The family bought the golf club in 2021 and began making space for Rhonemus Cellars on the redesigned golf course. 

Opened in November 2024, the winery used grapes from New York’s Finger Lakes Region, California’s Napa Valley and Ohio’s Grand River Valley during its first year. The Rhonemus family planted their own vines once they acquired the property, and their first estate press is expected this fall. 

“We’re going to have to see what Mother Nature gives us this year,” says Barry, who used to go to The View Golf Club with his dad. “The cabernet franc, of course, we will definitely keep as a single varietal wine, [but] we may also bleed some of that off for our cab franc rosé.”

Inside, the dining room menu features prime meat cuts and Lake Erie walleye, while the tasting room offers more casual fare such as pizza and smash burger sliders. Outside, visitors will find two dining decks, a terrace and lawn seating as well as a menu that offers burgers, wraps and sandwiches. 

“For us, it’s all about the experience,” Rhonemus says. “The very first line of the business plan I wrote now almost five years ago was really to turn The View Golf Club at Rhonemus Cellars into a multi-experiential destination.” 1511 George Rd. NE, Lancaster 43130, 740/785-9900, rhonemuscellars.com

Vinoklet Winery | Cincinnati 
Kreso Mikulic grew up in Croatia, where he began working in vineyards with his father at age 5. His later work as an electrical engineer brought him to North America in 1968, and he purchased the land for the winery in 1980. Opening its doors in 1991, Vinoklet Winery has become part of the fabric of Hamilton County, offering delicious food paired with wines made using grapes from the vineyard on the 30-acre property. 

Dry wine drinkers will enjoy the Cincinnatus red or the Tears of Joy white wine. The winery’s La Dolce Vita red is a bestselling sweet variety, while semisweet options include the Dreamer white wine and Sunset Blush. 

The food here draws visitors as well, especially on Fridays and Saturdays with the Grilled to Perfection Dinner, which allows guests to enjoy a tasting of six wines and grill their own choice of meat. 

“We get a lot of return visitors that love to grill, they love the wine, and they love the view,” says Kim Lang, one of the managers at Vinoklet Winery. “The view is beautiful. I hear all the time, ‘Oh my gosh, this reminds me of California.’”

The restaurant features a loft overlooking the vineyard from a picture window as well as a glass-walled cellarium. Outside, the gazebo seats 72 and was built by Mikulik himself, who is now 90 years old. 

“He has done all this on his own,” Lang says. “He did the gazebo, the beautiful gardens, the grape vines; everything was his idea and his vision.” 11069 Colerain Ave., Cincinnati 45252, 513/385-9309, vinokletwines.com

Gideon Owen Wine Co. | Port Clinton 
Although its interior has been updated with elegant and inviting touches, the exterior of Gideon Owen Wine Co. is made of sturdy limestone mined right from Catawba Island. Quintin and Donna Smith (who also own Twin Oast Brewing) purchased the building, which previously housed Mon Ami Restaurant & Historic Winery, in 2019 and made it over as a thoroughly modern winery destination.  

Named after one of Catawba Island’s original grape growers and winemakers in the mid 1800s, Gideon Owen Wine Co. offers wines made on its historic property with 100% local Lake Erie AVA grown grapes 

“When [the Smiths] were trying to rebrand the name and what to call this property, they discovered this forgotten pioneer who grew the grapes,” explains winemaker Brad Indoe. “Part of their property, where Twin Oast Brewing is, is part of [Gideon Owen’s] original vineyard estate.”

Indoe is helping to bring grape growing back on-site, with the first harvest from 4-year-old vines expected this year. Currently, the harvest comes from several local grape growers. They are used to craft wines like the rosé, made with pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon grapes. The cabernet franc is popular as well, while the gold-medal-winning pinot grigio goes well with dishes like the Lake Erie walleye bites. 3845 E. Wine Cellar Rd., Port Clinton 43452, 419/797-4445, gideonowenwine.com

Pleasant Hill Vineyards | Athens 
Located on the outskirts of Athens, Pleasant Hill Vineyards is a family endeavor. Ross and Sandra Corder co-own the winery with their son Nick and his wife, Anne, whose own son and daughter lend a hand as well.

“They help when we prune, they help when we do the landscaping. June made her first wine when she was four years old,” says Sandra. “She helped her grandpa punch the grapes down. … Now, on pizza nights she’s one of the pizza runners.”

Pleasant Hill Vineyards’ tasting room is built around an original 1832 cabin, featuring rustic decor inspired by the structure’s history. The winery produces 16 varieties using grapes from the vineyard, with the Corders using Concord grapes to produce their Stella sweet red and a blend of white grapes for their Luna Reserve. 

The food is also crafted with care, with Sandra and Anne preparing most everything from scratch. Wood-fired pizza offerings rotate weekly, and the appetizer menu includes popular dishes like flatbreads and blue cheese chips with mozzarella and balsamic vinegar, all of which can be enjoyed on the patio this summer. 

“We have about a 14-mile western view,” Sandra says. “The sunsets are magnificent, and we just knew when we looked at it the first time that it was going to be the perfect place for our winery.” 5015 Pleasant Hill Rd., Athens 45701, 740/502-3525, pleasanthillvineyardsllc.com

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