Birthday Wine Trip - A Preview

My birthday was last week and to celebrate, my Bear and I took a trip to the northeast part of Ohio for a two night stay at Buccia Vineyard, planned to visit wineries along the Ohio Vines and Wines trail, and ventured into the Pennsylvania wine country, just east of Erie.  What a FUN time we had!  We met some great people, drank some good (and some not-so-good) wine, and most importantly, spent a lot of relaxing quality time together.

A trip to this extent was a first for both of us so it not only gave us the opportunity to try new things together but also the ability to strengthen our relationship through strengthening our bond.  And, while it may not have been able to be wrapped in a beautiful purple package like the rest of my presents, the further deepening of the connection we share was far and away the greatest birthday gift I received.  I could not be more grateful.

Sorry Mom, I really do like the totally awesome, amazing vacuum cleaner you got me, but even it cannot top this.  You're the best mom in the world though, so I am sure you understand.

We started on Thursday, August 22nd, returned home on Saturday, August 24th, and ended up hitting 18 different wineries in three days.  I want to give each winery the attention it deserves, so more detailed posts will be coming this week.  As a preview though, here is a list of the wineries we visited as well as links to their websites.

1. Grand River Cellars - Madison, OH
2. Chalet Debonné Vineyards - Madison, OH
3. Virant Family Winery - Geneva, OH
4. M Cellars - Geneva, OH
5. South River Vineyard - Geneva, OH
6. Deer's Leap Winery - Geneva, OH
7. The Old Mill Winery - Geneva, OH
8. Old Firehouse Winery - Geneva-on-the-Lake, OH
9. Buccia Vineyard - Conneaut, OH
10. Mazza Vineyards - North East, PA
11. South Shore Wine Company - North East, PA
12. Courtyard Wineries - North East, PA
13. Presque Isle Wine Cellars - North East, PA
14. Markko Vineyard - Conneaut, OH
15. Biscotti's Family Winery - Conneaut, OH
16. The Lakehouse Inn & Winery - Geneva-on-the-Lake, OH
17. The Winery at Spring Hill - Geneva, OH
18. Harpersfield Vineyard - Geneva, OH

It looks like a lot, but in most cases, these wineries are an extremely short drive from one to the next.  We split the tasting trays instead of getting our own so neither of us consumed an overwhelming amount.  This was mainly for safety purposes but we also wanted to make sure we could still taste the wines. 

During the trip's initial planning stages, there were even more wineries on our list.  Due to some having limited hours of operation, we decided that these would make the final cut and the rest would be covered by another trip at a later date.  That "later date" came sooner than I had expected and that's where we will be spending rest of this afternoon!

As always, please remember to consume alcohol in any form responsibly.  Have a safe and happy holiday weekend!  Cheers, all!