5 Fantastic Wineries To Visit In Ohio’s Amish Country

Ohio is house to the second-largest Amish settlement on the earth. Whereas Amish Nation holds its personal charms — horse-drawn carriages traversing via cities, haystacks dotting the inexperienced countryside, selfmade scrumptious meals, and handcrafted gadgets — this countryside can be house to a large number of wineries. 

The Buckeye State is the sixth-largest producer of wine within the nation and residential to over 300 wineries throughout your complete state. If you mix the sights of Amish Nation with the enchantment of its wineries, you could have a visit that’s positive to be not solely memorable however scrumptious as effectively. 

That mentioned, with over 19 wineries in Ohio’s Amish Nation, it may be a bit of overwhelming attempting to determine the place you need to go to. The sheer dimension of Amish Nation makes it troublesome as effectively — it spreads out over 3,300 sq. miles within the east-central a part of the state.

To make it simpler to plan my route, I selected to maintain my tastings shut collectively and close to different Amish Nation vacationer sights. A lot of the wineries I visited had been positioned both on or near State Route 39, which winds its approach via three communities which are well-liked vacationer stops when touring the world: Berlin, Walnut Creek, and Sugarcreek. 

Professional Tip: Understand that most companies in Amish Nation are closed on Sunday.

1. Winetagous

Sugarcreek

You already know once you hear a vineyard with the title Winetagous, it’s going to toss out all of the assumed identities of a conventional vineyard. And this vineyard does certainly do this, beginning with its location: a bit of brick strip mall positioned within the coronary heart of certainly one of Ohio’s most visited Amish areas, Sugarcreek. Don’t let the outside idiot you, although. You possibly can really feel the laid-back, welcoming vibe as quickly as you pull open the entrance door. 

Began by two married {couples} (Tammy and Mick, and Heide and Steve) who loved wine-making as a pastime, this intimate, stylish vineyard is open on Fridays and Saturdays year-round with dwell music each Saturday. You possibly can benefit from the leisure on their surprisingly giant out of doors patio when the climate is sweet and indoors when the climate is just not so form. Whereas I used to be there, I sat on the patio in certainly one of their outsized rocking chairs near a hearth pit and listened to the clip-clop of the horse-drawn buggies as they drove by. 

Their wine choice is well navigable since it’s simply the 4 house owners who make the wine. There are 5 wines in whole, and all of them had been wonderful. I particularly loved their dry purple wine referred to as Redemption in addition to a candy harmony grape wine referred to as Grapeful. A pattern style of their peach wine slushie proved scrumptious as effectively. 

Professional Tip: If you happen to want a craft beer, ask about their present beer picks. They brew their very own beer in small batches and rotate their choices.

2. Breitenbach Wine Cellars

Dover

This family-owned, family-run wine cellar dubs itself the “authentic Amish Nation vineyard.” Perched on the aspect of a hill, Breitenbach consists of a handful of buildings painted in royal purple and purple. Steepled rooftops, ornate constructing particulars, gold accents, and a testing laboratory within the form of a citadel turret make this vineyard really feel extra just like the setting of a magical fairy story than a winery. 

Their wines, nonetheless, are the actual magic. They produce about 40 wines that vary from candy to dry and even embody a tawny port. I sampled a number of varieties and located it troublesome to decide on a single wine I favored probably the most as a result of they had been all tasty. The Roadhouse Crimson is a can’t-fail selection for a semi-sweet purple wine. Their cabernet sauvignon is a superb go-to for a dry wine. Whereas within the sampling room, I attempted their candy Crimson Raspberry wine and loved it as effectively. 

The close by Amish group offers them with an uncommon ingredient for certainly one of their wines — dandelions. That is the one place I do know in Ohio that produces dandelion wine — a candy, pale yellow wine that’s delicately scrumptious. The primary weekend in Could is their annual Dandelion Could fest which options dandelion wine (in addition to their different wines), dandelion meals, cooking demonstrations, and dandelion arts and crafts. Along with their once-a-year competition, they provide common options like an indoor cafe, an outside barbeque shed for eating on their patio, and dwell music.

3. Silver Moon Vineyard

Dover

Initially began as an academic vineyard to show individuals the best way to make their very own wine, Silver Moon Vineyard is now a wine vacation spot that focuses on producing over 40 completely different wine types. This cozy vineyard makes you’re feeling proper at house with pleasant workers who enable you with wine tasting and nonetheless take the time to coach you.

Their picks vary from fruit-infused wines to white and purple wines to dessert wines that sport tantalizing names like Chocolate Cherry Dream and Pumpkin Spice Dream. I talked with the vineyard’s supervisor Melissa Wigfield about one of the best ways to go about choosing a wine, and she or he really helpful their best-selling wine, Starry White. “Whereas it’s a candy wine, it has a crispness to it that appears to enchantment to simply about everybody,” she mentioned. She additionally talked about their wine slushies are one other constant buyer favourite. 

You possibly can uncork and sip your newly found favourite wine contained in the vineyard at certainly one of a number of small tables, sink into the deep chocolate brown leather-based chairs like I did, or get pleasure from your wine exterior on the entrance patio. 

4. Sunny Slope Vineyard

Large Prairie 

Whereas the constructing that homes Sunny Slope Vineyard has been in the identical household since 1927, the vineyard that takes up this house is certainly not your auntie’s wine store. A former outdated nation market, deli, and fuel station, Sunny Slope Vineyard’s perspective is one that’s barely rebellious towards the pompousness related to winemaking — and it additionally yields a wistful nod to its grocery retailer previous.

The skin of the vineyard is rustic within the lonely freeway sense of the phrase, however as soon as inside, you’re surrounded by an eclecticness and heat that may come solely from household satisfaction and love of craft. The inside, as soon as stuffed with aisles of grocery cabinets, now’s stuffed with a vibrant wine bar whose counter stretches out to finish at an vintage chest of drawers. Crimson steel chairs and tables with thick, picket tops fill the center space, leaving sufficient room close to the entrance door for a dwell performer to sing to the group.

And naturally, you possibly can’t miss the deli counter. Stocked with the anticipated meats and cheeses, plus ready-to-go sandwiches, cake slices, and veggie trays, you possibly can’t assist however surprise what number of prospects are available in for a fast grocery run and sit down for a glass of wine as an alternative. 

House owners Tom and Tara Shiny preserve a regular menu of candy and dry purple and white wines, a candy blush wine, and an elderberry wine that is likely one of the buyer’s constant favorites. Slap, a candy purple wine, can be a favourite amongst prospects. Its namesake originated from a neighbor’s blunt however enthusiastic evaluation after sampling it. “It’s so good it makes you wanna slap your mama”, he reportedly mentioned.

Seasonal wines akin to Strawberry Wine, Watermelon Crawl, and a blueberry wine referred to as Holmes County Blues can be found all year long. My private favourite is River Rat, a candy purple wine that leaves an ever-so-slight aftertaste of cotton sweet. 

Professional Tip: If you happen to would moderately watch the sport than drink wine, then seize your self a snack and sit down in one of many leather-based chairs or stretch out on the grey sofa that faces the 75-inch wall-mounted TV above the hearth. They’ll flip the sport on for you. Or you possibly can play one of many board video games they’ve stacked subsequent to the TV.

5. Ugly Bunny Vineyard

Loudonville

Named after a pet rabbit that was, effectively, on the unattractive aspect of cute, Ugly Bunny Vineyard opened in 2017 and is a favourite gathering spot for each locals and out of towners. On the western fringe of Amish Nation, it sits amid rolling hills with its winery in full view of the entrance door. Its giant sampling room and adjoining smaller TV room provide a number of choices for indoor seating. Out of doors seating is on their spacious aspect deck at umbrella-covered picnic tables and below strings of out of doors lights. They repeatedly characteristic a gentle calendar of dwell music from April via December. 

The whole lot is finished onsite: cultivation and rising of the grapes in addition to the processing of the grapes into the reds and white they serve. I sampled their rosé named Tickled Pink, their dry purple wine referred to as 1814, and their best-selling candy purple wine referred to as Down the Rabbit Gap. All of them had been tasty and fairly drinkable with my favourite being a toss-up between 1814 and Down the Rabbit Gap.

Editor’s Be aware: Info and figures talked about within the first paragraph of this text are sourced from this Younger Middle for Anabaptist and Pietist Research at Elizabethtown School useful resource.

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