Do you need an excuse to visit a winery? Not really. But the Ohio Department of Tourism has one ready, just in case.

June is Ohio Wine Month, and the state tourism department compiled a list of things to do in 2024 for Ohio Wine Month (more on that below).

Here’s what to know about Ohio Wine Month and how to celebrate it.

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What is Ohio Wine Month?

Gov. John Kasich established Ohio Wine Month in 2012 to celebrate Ohio wines and winemakers, according to Drink Up Columbus.

“Ohio’s bustling wine and grape industries provide more than just great products,” said Tracy Intihar, Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) Interim Director, according to the Ohio Grape Industries Committee. “They create thousands of jobs and bring in billions of dollars to the state, in addition to providing local tasting rooms, beautiful vineyards, and top-notch food options to make memories with friends and family at Ohio’s wineries.”

Ohio’s wine industry brought in $6.6 billion in economic activity, created 40,399 jobs and generated $1.9 billion in wages, according to a study conducted by John Dunham & Associates and funded by the OGIC. In 2022, the data set used for this study, Ohio winemakers produced about 1.2 million gallons of wine in a 12-month period and ranked seventh in the country for wine economic output.

What to do during Ohio Wine Month

Ohio tourism’s list of 24 things to do for Ohio Wine Month has suggestions big and small, from traveling the state’s seven wine trails to supporting your local winery, as well as setting up a wine and cheese night at home. Here’s a look at some things to do:

Visit Ohio’s five recognized regions for growing wine grapes

The term “appellation” on a wine label denotes the geographic origin of the grapes used to produce it, according to the Ohio Grape Industries Committee. To use the term on a label, 85% of that wine must be produced from grapes grown in that area.

In the United States, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau regulates viticulture (the study of grape cultivation for wine making) appellations. And Ohio has five of them, according to the committee. They include:

• Lake Erie: The Lake Erie AVA is an American Viticultural Area that includes 2,236,800 acres of land on the south shore of Lake Erie in Ohio, New York, and Pennsylvania.
• Isle St. George: The Isle St. George AVA is located on North Bass Island in Lake Erie. Over half of the island is planted for grapevines.
• Grand River Valley: The Grand River Valley AVA includes portions of the Lake, Geauga, and Ashtabula counties of northeastern Ohio. 
• Ohio River Valley: Wine has been produced in this AVA since 1823. It is the second-largest wine appellation of origin in the United States with 16,640,000 acres in portions of the states of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia. It is second only to the Upper Mississippi Valley.
• Loramie Creek: The Loramie Creek AVA is bordered by Loramie and Tuttle Creeks as well as state Route 47 in Shelby County. 

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Explore Ohio’s seven wine trails

The Ohio Wine Producers Association lists seven wine trails, each covering a certain region of the state. They are:

• Appalachian Wine Trail: According to the wine producers group, the region’s deep unglaciated soils create “very favorable microclimates to ripen grapes,” which are then made into distinctive wines in the tradition of the artists who made the pottery, glasswork, basketry and furniture “for which the foothills of eastern Ohio continue to be known.”
• Canal Country Wine Trail: Dotted throughout the region opened to settlement by the Ohio and Erie Canal are some of the state’s “most charming” wineries, according to the wine producers. “Remnants of the Canal are preserved in an area rich in history, beautiful scenery, unique cultures, natural resources and leisure activity options.”
• Capital City Wine Trail: With each winery located a short drive from Columbus, the wine producers association says it is possible to visit two or three in a day and explore the unique communities that surround them.
• Ohio River Valley Wine Trail: This trail celebrates Ohio wines’ rise to prominence, not once but twice. In the 1800s, Nicholas Longworth planted vines imported from Europe on hundreds of acres overlooking the Ohio River, and discovered a native variety that produced an excellent sparkling wine. By the mid-1800s, his wines were celebrated across the country and Europe, but vine disease and the Civil War ended his run. In the 1970s, the region made a comeback with the support of research from Ohio State University.
• Lake Erie Shores & Islands Wine Trail: Throughout this ‘cool climate’ growing district, historic vineyards and wine families who have farmed them for generations are complemented by new plantings of Rieslings and chardonnays established by entrepreneurs. Numerous soil types, deposited by years of glacial movements, provide fertile ground for great viticulture, new and old.
• Vines & Wines Wine Trail: Along the south shore of Lake Erie, through the valley created by the Grand River, this tiny parcel of land in Northeast Ohio is home to well over half of the wine grape acreage in the state. It boasts more wineries per square mile than in any other region.
• V.I.N.O. Wine Trail: The “Vintners in Northwest Ohio” represents an eclectic group of family wineries. They are just a short drive from Toledo and neighboring communities in Michigan and Indiana.

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Visit a wine festival

The Vintage Ohio Wine Festival in Kirtland on Aug. 2 and 3 bills itself as the “premier food and wine event of the year.” It offers a wide selection of Ohio wines, as well as entertainment, artisans and shopping.

But it is far from the only festival happening around the state. Others include the Island Wine Festival in June and the V.I.N.O Wine Festival in October. For a full list, visit the Ohio Wine Producers Association events page.

Sample a new Ohio wine, or attend a tasting at a new winery

Expand your horizons by sampling a new wine, or your favorite style from a new winery in Ohio.

For past Ohio Wine Months, Ohio Magazine has offered a selection of new wines to try, including 7 Ohio wineries to visit in 2023 and 6 Ohio wines to try in 2022.

Try an award-winning wine

The Ohio Grape Industries Committee has a long list of Ohio wineries that took home medals from the 2024 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, which it calls “the most prestigious in North America.” More than 50 judges, representing various North American wine regions, evaluated over 5,500 wines from nearly 1,000 wineries for the competition.

The 2023 Ohio Wine Competition, held in May, was the largest one yet with 432 entries, the group says. Hanover Winery’s Marquette won Overall Best of Show and Best of Ohio. For the full list of winners, click here.

Find an Ohio winery near you

The state has 320 wineries and 21 grape juice, jam, and jelly producers, according to the Ohio tourism association. If you’re looking for one near you, the Ohio Grape Industries Committee offers a search engine by address or ZIP code.