After all the wonderful regional presentations last week, I felt compelled to speak up for an underrepresented area: the great state of Ohio. I really enjoyed the “Midwest USA” group’s presentation, but there was a bit too much focus on Michigan for my tastes. (For those of you who don’t follow American football, Ohio and Michigan have a long and intense rivalry that extends well beyond sports.) Though Michigan and Ohio share many strengths & opportunities in their wine industries, I want to take a moment to put Ohio squarely in the spotlight.
Varietals: Ohio’s climate is most appropriate for whites (especially Riesling, Gewuertztraminer, & similar), sparkling wines, and ice wines. There’s a burgeoning pinot noir focus which will likely grow in quality if the region’s temperatures continue to increase (more on this later). A few notable vineyards & wines:
- Meranda-Nixon: A winery outside of Cincinnati that takes advantage of the micro-climate in the Ohio River Valley to grow both reds and whites. Known for their Traminette, which is a grape related to the Gewuertztraminer.
- Ferrante Golden Bunches: This Cleveland area winery is known for its award winning dry riesling. The family has been making wines since 1937.
- Ravenhurst: This central Ohio winery is known for its sparkling wines made with the traditional méthode champenoise. It is situated near the highest elevation point in Ohio which moderates rainfall in the area and creates a microclimate appropriate for high quality grapes.
Another wonderful thing about these wines is their price:quality ratio. Most of these top-rated bottles go for $15 or less.
History: Ohio used to be on top of the American wine industry! The first Ohioan vineyard was planted in 1823 and through the mid-19th century, Ohio was the top wine-producing state in the union. At this stage, most wines were growing in the south of the state in the Ohio River Valley. The Civil War created a little blip in wine production, but it was during the late 19th century that the southern shore of Lake Erie (on the same latitude as Burgundy & Willamette Valley) was developed as an important grape-growing region. Prohibition largely obliterated wine-making in Ohio, but both Lake Erie and Ohio River Valley are being redeveloped with more and better wine-making methods. Today, there are over 200 wineries in Ohio and it is still a top-ten wine producing state.
Climate trends: This is where Ohio really shines. While some might consider the state “boring,” a relative lack of natural disasters and an abundance of fresh water make it a safe bet for future wine production. Increasing global temperatures are likely to make southern Ohio appropriate for a wider variety of grapes. Since California (today the source of 85%+ of US wine production) is tragically likely to continue to struggle with drought and wildfire, regions like Ohio are well positioned to grow into larger stakes of national wine production.
All that, and the people are really nice too. Go visit Ohio and try some wines!
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