I have never been more upset to leave a place than I was to leave wine country in California. Never before have I taken a vacation purely for myself, on my own, and for my own benefit. Never before have I just traveled around, met new people and not been afraid of what comes next. I did it this time; and it has been one of the best experiences of my life.

I found the most incredible network of friends in Sonoma County, CA. Specifically, my dear friend, Jim Morris. He introduced me to some great people, great wine, and most importantly took me under his wing and gave me VIP treatment among these vineyards I had never seen before.

Sure, I drove through Napa, I saw all the big wine makers like Gallo and Mondavi, but the Dry Creek Valley really captured my heart. I fit in so well there, sharing stories with people who impart upon my passion for wine. I felt like I fit in there more than I fit in here in Ohio. I fell in love with wine country and its people; so much so that I cried on my drive to the airport.

The first winery I went to was Bella. Bella started in 1995, and is primarily run by Scott and Lynn Adams. Who, like me fell in love with Dry Creek and purchased land to begin wine making. The winery is made up of four vineyards:, Big River Ranch, Lily Hill Estate, Bell Canyon Vineyard, and Two Patch which is made up of what else? Two patches of vineyard. As we arrived we walked through the courtyard, replete with hula hoops and picnic mats, past the safari truck that takes guests to the top of the vineyards and into their wine caves. Bella has their tasting room inside their wine caves, which really adds to the aesthetics of the whole experience. As you taste you can see the barrels and candelabras beyond their doors while you escape the heat of a summer’s day. We then took a ride up to the top of the vineyards and tasted some Bella Petit Sirah that hadn’t been released to the public yet. The view also wasn’t too shabby. I wouldn’t mind spending my days here.

From Bella, we went to Jim’s current, and my future place of employment: Michel-Schlumberger. Schlumberger is an organic winery, and is also extremely beautiful. It brings to mind a Spanish mission as you wander around the property. There are flowers, vegetables, and even a lake to check out as you sip your wine. I spent several days here, even helping to re-vamp their wine club flier and suggesting the Coteaux to visitors who thought I already worked there. The winemaker, Mike Brunson seems to be a very knowledgeable, approachable guy; however, I didn’t get to know him that well during my time at the winery. Hopefully I can talk more in depth with him upon future visits. I have so much to say about this winery; I’ll post on it specifically soon.

I then went to Healdsburg’s square, bought an extremely expensive dress, and went wine tasting. More on this later…..

Raven’s Glenn winery is only about an hour from my house, but I had never been there. I began noticing their bottles every where from wine shops to restaurants to gas stations around SE Ohio, and I wanted to check them out. I set up a meeting/interview with the owner, Bob Guilliams and had a fantastic time. Talking to him for an hour is like taking a wine class: fantastic.

“Our aim at The Second Glass is to demystify wine.” I proudly proclaimed to Raven’s Glenn owner, Bob Guilliams. “I’m so glad you said that!” he replied and then happily told me that this was the same goal he and his wife had in mind when they began this amazing winery 6 years ago.

Bob and his wife Renee wanted to make wine more approachable, especially to Midwesterners. The idea for the winery and restaurant came to them after several ski trips to California that ended up in Napa and Sonoma California. “We know that only about 20% of people who enjoy wine really know a lot about it, and we wanted to make wine more accessible to the other 80%.”

The Guilliams’ make sure to put the customer first, and stay true to their comfortable and accessible atmosphere. The on-site restaurant makes you feel like you’ve walked into Napa, without ever leaving Ohio. The vineyard is seated on the Tuscarawas River across from a golf course. Bob says he loves this because he never has to worry about the neighbors forgetting to mow their grass.

I was lucky enough to schedule our interview on not only a bottling, but also a vine planting day. As we walked into the winery I was immediately hit in the face by the smell of wine, “ahhh heaven”, I thought as we made our way past the bottling machines, a quick hello to Bob’s son, and on to his office. I felt like I was taking a wine class listening to him, he had really done his research, and learned all he could about wine and which wines grow best in our varied climate here in Ohio; reiterating that he had to learn the hard way. He checked out many books and films, but knows that wine is more of a science than an art and their resident oenologist, Tony, really helped him when the winery first opened.

He bases all he does at the winery around Robert Mondavi’s theory that people who taste the fruit will enjoy the wine. “When we started, we understood from research that about 80% of consumers prefer a modest amount of sweetness to their wines so it was only practical that we address that element of the market.” Bob tells me.

He has seen a modest shift in what sells over the years and attributes this to the changing palates of their customers. According to statistical nationwide surveys, wine consumption has been growing between 4 and 6 % yearly. This is evident when he tells me that Raven’s Glenn has gone from producing 1500 gallons 6 years ago to 60,000 gallons yearly today. They come out with between 19-21 wines each year and will gladly change a wine or stop producing one to meet their customer’s needs. “This year, we are removing the white zinfandel and replacing it with a white merlot.”

I noticed that their ice wine was only sold in 375 ML bottles and cost more than the larger bottles of wine; I asked him why this was. “Because many of the grapes end up on the ground.” This is because to qualify for “Ice Wine” the grapes must be harvested during December or January to qualify for this unique dessert wine that is distinctive to this region of the United States.” “Oh! So is that why some wines are more expensive? They have fewer grapes to make it with?” I asked. “This is certainly the case with Ice Wine but can also be the case to a slightly different degree with other wines. It makes since that the lower the tonnage per acre of grapes you let the vines produce from a given field, the better the quality if growing conditions are uniform. Most times, when you want to make a better quality wine you need to have less tonnage of grapes, and that also translates into a higher price.”

“So, which wine is your favorite?” “I try not to drink all that much of our own wine.” Bob said as he smiled back at me. I was astonished! “You don’t drink your own wine?! Why?!” He then explained he didn’t want to get what was called ‘cellar palate’. This happens when a vintner exclusively drinks his or her own wine; they begin to think that theirs is the best. “I didn’t want to close my world to other wines. The way I know is by entering our wines into as many international wine competitions as we can afford. If we win something, then I know it’s a good wine.” Obviously, they have a lot of good wines. Looking over their wine list, there are less than 5 that haven’t won an award at least once. Mr. Guilliams is a modest man.

To conclude our wine class, I mean, interview I asked about the front page of their web site touting the title “Ohio’s Crown Jewel of Wineries.” “It came from a customer!” Guilliams said this man had come in one weekend and explained that he had been to many other wineries around Ohio, and that Raven’s Glenn was unique. A crown jewel of wineries, and the name stuck. Very fitting, I say. I have never felt more comfortable around wine than when I was here.

Mondavi says good wine is made better with good food, so after our interview I decided to stay for some lunch and a wine tasting. I’m so glad I did, I got the VIP treatment if there ever was one! It wasn’t just me though, I watched the employees interact the same way with all of their customers from my prime real estate table looking out onto the Tuscarawas River.

I had a wonderful lunch of wedding soup (secret recipe of the chef, he came out to tell me so), a lovely 3 meat lasagna, a glass of their two time gold medal winning chardonal, and just when I thought I could eat no more, my waitress came out and talked me into a chocolate chip canoli! I then tasted their dry wine “Flight” and was very impressed. It is a classic “wine tasting bar” style atmosphere, the employees stand in front of you and explain what you’re drinking. Bob explained the reason for this sort of tasting: “We don’t want to be in your face. We talk across to you, not down to you. Most importantly we want you to take your knowledge home.”

If you’d like to check out their wine list, complete with my personal favorite, White October Chardonnel, click here http://www.ravensglenn.com/wine_list

Their restaurant also has a cool feature pairing both a sweet and a dry wine with each meal to accomadate every palate.

Being from Ohio, it only made sense to research Ohio wines. I thought I would find a few, but there are many a winery in Ohio. This brief article of mine was published at The Second Glass a little while ago.

“For the richest and best,
Is the wine of the West,
That grows by the Beautiful River,
Whose sweet perfume
Fills all the room,
With a benison on the giver.”

That was an excerpt from an early 1800’s poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow called “An Ode to Catawba Wine”. Think he’s referring to Cali? No. Washington? Uh uh. That poem is all about Ohio wine. That’s right, Ohio. It was considered “the West” at the time the poem was written, and the Buckeye state boasted the best wine in the US during the days of western expansion. Ohio means ‘beautiful river’ in the Catawba Indian language. The grape is actually thought to have originated in the Catawba River valley in North Carolina. That river named the grape, and the grape, in turn named the wine. Fun little progression there, huh?

The Ohio wine industry began booming when Nicholas Longworth of Cincinnati realized the Ohio River valley would be a great place for wine making. He planted a huge crop of Catawba grapes in 1820. These grapes are very hearty and able to withstand the cold climate and rough winters the state normally has. By 1840, Ohio was producing 300,000 gallons of wine annually, and in 1860 the state led the nation producing 1/3 of all wine. However, it all went downhill from there. Crop diseases such as black rot and mildew wilted the vineyards, and with the Civil War going on, wineries lost a lot of man power. I know what you’re thinking: “yeah, because the slaves were gone.” Nope! Ohio was a free state remember! Stop thinking so negatively.

All was not lost for Ohio wines, even when prohibition forced wineries still in operation to switch to juice making, or sacramental wines—sure, sure— Lake Erie wines began to flourish. A long growing season, coupled with a fluctuation of German immigrants skilled at wine making allowed the area to once again become a contender in wine. Ohio Riesling even won Best Of Show at the San Francisco State Fair Wine Competition!

Today, there are five documented wine regions, along with countless other areas not officially named where wine is made in Ohio. There are 109 licensed wineries that produce 750,000 gallons of wine valued at $75 million.

They have come a long way from the early 1800’s and Catawba grape wine. The regions, output, types of wine, and of course, prices have changed. One thing remains the same: wonderful wine is still grown by the “beautiful river.”