Why Ohio's Grand River Valley Is the Next Wine Region to Watch

Barrels stack floor to ceiling in the small aging room at Kosicek Vineyards. Emma Kosicek clambers up one of the racks and contorts herself between barrels to get to the one she really wants: a Merlot aged in French oak. She extracts a taste via a wine thief and dribbles it into my glass. I take a sniff. Plum. Black cherry. And is that coffee? My taste buds confirm what my nose has picked up. It’s well-balanced between red and black fruit, smooth and soft as I swish, and layered with rich coffee notes imparted by oak. I’m impressed—but by this point, I shouldn’t be surprised. 

Kosicek is the seventh winery I’ve visited over the last two days in Ohio’s Grand River Valley, an hour northeast of Cleveland. My whirlwind trip has led to stops (both planned and unplanned) at wineries with near-century-old vines; wineries perched at the edge of Lake Erie; wineries owned by Eastern Europeans with a penchant for polka. I’ve followed oenophiles into underground cellars to snatch Chardonnay out of barrels, sipped Georgian whites aged in egg-shape ceramic vessels and admired delicate buds on newly awoken vines. And every step of the way, I’ve repeated, I’m in Ohio? 

Let’s get one thing out of the way: This is not the Midwest wine you’re thinking of. Sure, there are still plenty of wineries in the area that serve syrupy sweet, it’s-not-wine-it’s-boozy-fruit-juice. But there’s a reputable wine scene here, and I was off to find it.

The seeds were sown many, many years ago, when farmers realized that this pocket of Ohio, near the shores of Lake Erie and edging up to Pennsylvania, was a pretty good region for grape growing. Formed by glacial activity, the fertile landscape along the Grand River—soil rich in a mix of silt, clay and sand—is ideal for vineyards. The lake acts as a moderating force the way the Pacific Ocean does for Napa Valley, cooling the vineyards on hot summer days and warming them in winter. It also extends the growing season, preventing early warm spells in spring and delaying fall frost. 

So in the early 1900s, farmers stuck some vines in the ground and soon had plentiful, succulent grapes, typically of the sweet American variety (Concord, Catawba, Niagara). Others caught on, and by the ’80s and ’90s, Ashtabula County had become Ohio’s largest growing region for Welch’s.

Over the last 20 years, though, that production has shriveled, due to decreasing Concord grape prices, an increased demand for vinifera (Old World grape varieties) and new methods imposed by Welch’s that would be costly upgrades for farmers. Since the conditions were still ripe, people started nurturing other grapes—Riesling, Chardonnay, Grüner Veltliner, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc—and in the ’80s, the area was designated an American Viticultural Area. In fact, the Grand River Valley sits within the global Pinot Belt, a latitude band that runs through Oregon and Burgundy, France, two other prominent Pinot Noir growing areas. 

Nick Ferrante, whose family’s business has been making wine since 1937, was one of the area’s original advocates for vinifera. When I meet Nick, he’s in what looks like a lab, hunched over a notebook. He startles when I softly knock, but warms as he begins talking about the winemaking process at Ferrante Winery. While strolling past towering steel fermentation tanks, Nick speaks about the science of winemaking, lesser-known Italian grapes and the influence of the land.

After our tour, I join a Behind the Barrel tasting, where we sample an oak-aged Reserve Chardonnay with notes of green apple, citrus and a hint of pastry from a process called aging on the lees; a delicately floral Gewürztraminer; and a tongue-coating ice wine, a specialty of the region. Ferrante Winery straddles the two worlds that Ohio wine country is caught between: longtime staples that cater to a sweeter palate, and newcomers that offer something drier, bolder, more mature.

Over the past several decades, Americans’ tastes have shifted and broadened with a growing awareness of wine, as well as a more health-conscious lifestyle. (Sweet wines come with a hefty dose of sugar and carbs.) As the taste for sweet wine soured, a new guild emerged in the Grand River Valley, firmly rooted in pursuing dry estate wines (those made from grapes grown on the property).

At Laurentia Vineyard and Winery, owner Gary Blackie and I sit down to dinner as a live band plays soft jazz. He pours a tasting of their flagships: a Riesling with zero percent residual sugar, oaked and unoaked Chardonnays, a Cabernet Franc, and a Cabernet Sauvignon. All of the wines are grown and made on-site, a priority for Gary, who grew up in the region.

“Our main goal was to showcase the Grand River Valley and the potential with this wine,” Gary says. Since the wines never leave the property between vineyard and bottle, the producers know what’s happening from the very start. “Part of the beauty of the estate process is we already know the quality of the grapes,” says Emmett Reed, Laurentia’s winemaker. “We can prepare our best efforts in crafting wines that reflect both the vintage and the vineyard.” 

The standout is the Cabernet Franc, the first of many I’ll taste over the next few days. A black grape that thrives in Ohio’s cool climate, it’s become a sort of regional signature. “Cabernet Franc is something that the Grand River Valley has really just grabbed ahold of and perfected,” Gary says. “It was originally grown as a blending wine, but the quality here enables it to become a stand-alone varietal.” He explains it has a lighter note than a big, bold Cabernet Sauvignon, which is better suited to a warm climate like Napa’s. (Quick wine lesson: The Cabernet Sauvignon grape is the child of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc grapes.) 

A few miles away, Matt Meineke at M Cellars has also carved out his own niche. A former vehicle technician, Matt points to the Riesling and Pinot Noir vines he first planted by hand. “Don’t look too closely,” he laughs. “They’re crooked.” But that doesn’t reflect the quality; Matt’s producing some of the best—and most unique—wines in the area. Inspired by the success of well-regarded nearby regions in Canada and upstate New York, Matt recognized the thirst for wines that were different— and the potential to re-create that in Ohio. 

“We started this business with the realization that local people would drive right past our region to visit Niagara-on-the-Lake or the Finger Lakes for the type of wines and experience we now offer at M Cellars,” Matt says. “There was so much opportunity right here in producing these styles of wines.” 

The result is his large portfolio of estate offerings, including two ancient Georgian grapes, Rkatsiteli and Saperavi; lesser-known white varietals like Traminette and Bianca; and his popular Meritage wine, which mimics a Bordeaux blend. (Overall, Ohio’s style leans more toward Europe than California.) “My initial goal was to bring flavors you didn’t find locally here,” Matt says of his decision to focus on dry wines. “We’re still doing that, and making the best wines we can, making really reliable products.” 

And it was immediately clear that’s what people wanted. M Cellars has a successful wine club, with more than 1,500 members. They’ve seen steady, incremental growth in revenue over the past five years. “I believe our success with dry wines is because they are grown and produced with intent,” Matt says.

Curiosity and enthusiasm can only get you so far, though. A big part of why Ashtabula County accounts for 58 percent of Ohio’s grape production is that growers have made the most of available resources. When Tony Kosicek—owner of Kosicek Vineyards— wanted to turn his family’s then 80-year-old Concord farm into a reputable vineyard 13 years ago, he relied on the help of oenologists and viticulturists at The Ohio State University. “There’s a lot of history behind the Grand River Valley,” says Tony, who’s also a member of the Ohio Grape Industries Committee. “Yes, people have been growing here a long time, but there are people out there who are studying and doing research to make it even better.” 

Kent State University has the state’s first wine degree program, fostering a new generation of winemakers. Lauren Fiala, an adjunct professor in Kent State’s viticulture program, brings expertise from a 20-plus-year career to her role as winemaker at Baci Winery. She’s always experimenting, testing Chardonnays in Hungarian versus American oak; working with barrels in the aging room; sampling Syrahs and Sangioveses.

Lauren bounces ideas off her colleagues and confidantes in a winemaker tasting group, which also includes Emma Kosicek, Tony’s daughter. At 23, Emma is the assistant winemaker at Kosicek. She holds a certificate from Cornell University’s wine program and uses that knowledge to stay true to her father’s vision, while also introducing wine to a new generation.

“We try to eliminate the stigma surrounding wine,” Emma says. “I think that’s the way to keep wine in business for the next generation. If you make it so exclusive that people can’t learn about the passion behind it, or even just learn what they enjoy, they won’t drink it. At the end of the day, we’re all farmers, and all that matters is if you like the wine or not.” 

Something about that approach is what makes Ohio’s wine country so successful, a Midwestern sensibility that removes barriers and remains humble despite the accomplishments. Like a fine wine, it’s all about balance. “My vision as a winemaker is to do more stuff like this,” Emma says as she holds up a bottle of sparkling white Merlot, made by whole-cluster pressing. “More fun, more funky, while still respecting tradition and making wines that are true to Ohio.” 

She twists her way out of the racks of barrels. “Now, should we go try some more wines?” she says. You don’t have to ask me twice.