Our Ninth and Final Stop of the Day: Buccia Vineyard

I was spent after leaving Firehouse, so the Bear and I decided to head out to the winery/bed and breakfast we were staying at, our ninth stop and final stop of the day, Buccia Vineyard in Conneaut, Ohio.

Note the nifty Chick-Fil-A shirt the Bear got me for my birthday!

I'll get straight to the point: this place is AWESOME. I've been looking forward to writing it up since the minute we arrived. Simply stated, this is the kind of place to go to have a good time whether you care about wine or not. 

The Bear had stayed here before but this was my first time, so my expectations for the next two nights were based solely on stories he had told me and a few pictures I saw on their website. I knew that a couple named Fred and Joanna Bucci owned and operated it and they're really good people. 

I also knew that I would have to go up a ladder to get to the bed. A waterbed. Yes, you read that right.

This place was mind-blowing for a number of reasons. Here are the top four:

1. Wine tasting is done completely on the honor system. If you're tasting, there's a table outside with bottles of each of Buccia's wines, measured pourers, a sign with the price per tasting, and a jar where you drop your money. If you're staying, Fred will direct you to where the wine is, tell you to help yourself, and that you'll settle the tab when you check out. 

I had never experienced this at a winery before. Relinquishing control and responsibility to guests sounds daring from a business standpoint but establishing this kind of trust between seller and buyer is a total winner. This is one of the things that now has me hooked as a repeat customer. It's easy and relaxed. There was no obligation to try a set amount of wines like the "3/$1.00"-type rates create, which allowed me to try exactly what I wanted; nothing more, nothing less. No one was hounding us for a credit card to start a tab and no one was vigilantly tallying each individual tasting for us, just in case we recently learned how to count without using our fingers. 

This trust made me feel like Fred thought of us as friends, not just as customers. We certainly appreciated being treated like the honest, hardworking adults that we are. It was easy to give more than our fair share to support a friend. 

2. It immediately feels like a home away from home. At some wineries, I've had the same cold, sterile feeling (and experience) I used to have when I went to model homes with my parents years ago: a nicely dressed person is only interested in talking to you because they want to sell you something and everything is nice to look at but don't you dare touch anything. 

Buccia is the total opposite in every way. No run-of-the-mill sales pitches, no hurrying to get to the next customer, no need to "look the part" of being at a hoity-toity winery, no pressure at all to do anything besides have a good time. This is a relaxed environment that anyone will feel welcome in and everyone will leave feeling like they have a new friend. The first night we were there, we sat outside in some folding chairs like we were at a friend's house for a picnic and shot the breeze with Fred and some other customers while we tasted wine. Fred is the kind of guy you will feel like you've know for years upon meeting him for the first time and wow, does he have the stories. I could have stayed out there all night just listening to all of the fun, sometimes hilarious experiences he's had. 

3. You might pick your own grapes. Sounds kind of crazy but really cool, right? Right. 

No, you're not picking some grapes off a vine and drinking them as wine the same day; Fred is a pretty spectacular guy but even he can't pull that off. However, one Saturday during the harvesting season, anyone and everyone is welcome at Buccia to help pick the grapes. Known as the harvest picnic, this event is held annually at the end of September, and anyone who attends will be paid handsomely in food and fond memories. If you go back in the next few years, you may be able to taste the fruits of your labor- a unique concept I have yet to find elsewhere. 

4. No other bed and breakfast has rooms like this. That's a pretty strong statement. But, I dare you to find another B&B with a hot tub with a partial privacy fence IN the room, a conversation pit, and a lofted waterbed with a ladder. I wanted to save the best for last. We stayed in room number one (of four) and it is incredible because you will not find anything like it anywhere else.

I can't make this stuff up. 

In addition to having sweet accommodations, breakfast was great each morning. We had mini blueberry muffins, bananas and creme, and orange juice on Friday morning and cinnamon rolls in place of the muffins on Saturday. Another nice feature about the rooms is that each has a private patio that overlooks the vineyard and is covered in grape vines, which is where we ate breakfast. 

Saturday's breakfast

As for the wine, it's okay. It's mostly on the sweet side, but that's to be expected since grapes that produce the sweeter wines generally grow well in the area. Buccia's Chambourcin was good with the traditional bite and a burst of almost Zinfandel-like pepper flavor. The Reflections of Lake Erie ended up impressing us both. It reminds me of a Gewurtztraminer-style Riesling. Buccia's Reflections is a well done blend of white grapes with a slightly sweet taste than a semi-dry Riesling and smooth finish. It is very similar to the Piesporter my mom likes to drink, so we got two bottles to take home.

Buccia is a must-go for anyone, regardless of their taste or interest in wine. In addition to the harvest picnic, they host a lot of different evens through the summer and fall like a steak fry and a pig roast. A bread and cheese basket can be ordered on a daily basis if you get hungry during your visit. They also ship wine within the state of Ohio if you're looking to try something before making the trip, just call (440) 593-5976. If you're looking to stay overnight like we did, book your stay as soon as possible because they fill up quickly. With three of the rooms at $80/night and the honeymoon suite at $120, the price is right. All in all, the wine is decent, the company is great, and there will always be some sort of fun whether there's a formal event or not. 

I won't give any spoilers to Fred's stories. I highly encourage you to go hear them yourself. It will be a memorable visit to say the least.

One final note on Buccia- no matter which winery we went to on our trip, if we had the opportunity to speak to an owner or winemaker, we quickly found out that they all know Fred Bucci and have wonderful things to say about him. The experience alone of meeting Fred is worth the drive- he truly is a good person and a grand lover of life. At the very least, you'll leave Buccia with a new friend, and maybe some wine, too.

Go out of your way to come here, you won't be disappointed. 

Up next, we head to Pennsylvania to test some wineries that were new to both of us, starting with Mazza. Check back soon for an update, and remember to enjoy your grapes responsibly! Cheers!

Number Eight: Old Firehouse Winery

After the first attempt at Old Mill Winery, we moved on to Old Firehouse Winery in Geneva-on-the-Lake, OH.

Sorry for the less than stellar picture of the sign. We'll be back to correct that.

If you're looking for a low-key setting to sip wine and relax, Old Firehouse Winery is the place for you.    Located on a beautiful lot on the Lake Erie shore, Firehouse has a tasting room, shop, restaurant, indoor and outdoor seating, and frequently hosts events and live entertainment.

The Bear had taken me here before in the winter, so it was nice to be able to enjoy more of the lovely scenic view Firehouse offers on a warm, late summer day this time. The outdoor setting is gorgeous. The property overlooks Lake Erie and rests on the former grounds of the Erieview Park amusement park, which are now full of enough tables, tents, benches, and green space to comfortably host the entire town of Geneva, their guests, and their guests' guests.

Immediately upon arriving, guests will notice that one of the most iconic rides from Erieview Park still stands- the ferris wheel. Originally built in 1956, it has been relocated, restored, and is now fully operational for nightly rides. Keeping the ferris wheel is a brilliant way to tie in part of Geneva-on-the-Lake's history with what it has become today; the throwback park ride retains and exudes the charm that characterizes the decade which is arguably America's greatest, the 1950's.

Disclaimer: We visited in the afternoon before it started running and (I'm pretty sure) it was undergoing maintenance at the time, so the picture doesn't do it justice. In fact, in the condition it was in at the time- note the three missing cars- no amount of wine would be enough to get me to ride it. But, it's still really cool that they have one, so check it out, even if you're just admiring from a distance.

At this point in the day, I was so hungry I thought my stomach was going to start eating me from inside, so we came here for a late lunch since we couldn't at our previous stop. We sat outside in the gazebo and had it all to ourselves for the most part. The service was fantastic, too. Our waitress was attentive without being overbearing and very helpful. The Bear ordered the fish tacos which were out of this world, and I had a burger with smoked cheddar and bacon on a pretzel bun.

Even if I wasn't as hungry as I was, that burger would have disappeared just as quickly. It was SO good that I've craved it since then. My waistline is thankful that we don't live closer.

We didn't do a lot of wine tasting this time, but we ordered a bottle of Chardonnay with our meals. It was perfectly chilled and very crisp which allowed it to pair well with our foods, even my burger. It had a pretty strong oaked taste with a buttery nose and finish so I would recommend pairing this with very flavorful foods, like the smoked cheddar on my burger. We couldn't finish it while we were there so we had it recorked.

We should have finished the remainder of the bottle it sooner than we did. We were at Firehouse on a Thursday, dragged it around in the car until we came home on Saturday, and drank it a few days later. The second opening of this bottle didn't resemble the first at all because the wine had gone bad. Another lesson learned.

As a heads up, we tried the Chambourcin the previous time we were at Firehouse and there was some concord grape blended in. It tasted like dry Welch's grape juice. It may be different now since it's been almost a year, but beware if you're a Chambourcin lover that you may get a little surprise.

The building that was once known was Geneva's first fire station houses Firehouse's tasting room and shop which, unlike other businesses in the immediate area, are open year round. The store offers some unique gifts for wine lovers, like Old Firehouse Winery shirts, screw pulls, and coasters, among other things.

The tasting room is simple with a historic feel and is very warm and welcoming- this is not a lavish, extravagant setting like you may find in some of the newer wineries. But, one thing that is really cool about the tasting room is that the beams overhead have TONS of patches from different fire stations all across the country brought there by firemen when they visited. A very original, thematic, and well implemented idea.

I would highly recommend Old Firehouse Winery to anyone who loves wine and wants to take in the beautiful scenery. The wine is good, the food is great, and the people are fantastic. If you're looking for some live entertainment, their website has a list of performers that are scheduled in the upcoming months. There are also special events like clam bakes and a Celtic festival held at Firehouse that are worth looking into. Firehouse also is linked to dinner theater presentations at The Landing in Geneva, which is just a short walk away from the winery!

But, if you can't make the trip (which I hope you can), you can order wine from their online store. Firehouse wines are also available at some retail locations if you're looking to go that route.

Firehouse is a must-go for anyone traveling to Geneva-on-the-Lake. Up next will be our review of the lovely Buccia Vineyard, so check back soon for an update!

Enjoy your pours responsibly! Cheers!

Stop Number Seven: Old Mill Winery

Our seventh stop was Old Mill Winery in Geneva, Ohio.

I really don't want to start a post off negatively, so let's discuss the positives about this visit:
1. Their menu looks good.
2. The interior has an old-time, rustic, homey feel.  Very charming.

Sadly, that's it.  This is a hard one to write about.  In (my short career in) blogging and in life, I always try to focus on the best parts of a situation and downplay the bad to the point where whatever it was that left a sour taste in my mouth, no pun intended, is forgivable and my lasting opinion is, at worst, fair, neutral, or indifferent.

That being said, it will be a very cold day for all those people who went to hell for stealing their wine glasses at South River Vineyard before I go back to Old Mill.

This is the only place where we had to stop twice during our trip.  The first time was nothing short of a total disaster and the second wasn't significantly different.  In fact, the only notable difference between the two was that we actually got to taste wine the second visit.

We planned to stop here for a late lunch on the first day of our vacation.  The Bear had eaten here before and he liked it, and he recommended it to friends of ours who said the food was fantastic, so I wanted in on the excitement.  We learned, or at least were reminded of, a few crucial lessons here:
1. The Geneva area has fairly poor cell coverage for mobile internet access.
2. Always, always, ALWAYS check a winery's website before leaving home.
3. The kitchen at a restaurant/winery combo doesn't always share the same hours as the winery.

The slow web access wasn't totally unexpected since the town is one cornfield short of full-blown rural status and I have been in the area before, but I forgot how slow it really is and ended up giving up on my attempt to check them out on the drive there.  I should have stuck with it so that we knew the food service hours differ from their general business hours.  It's not surprising that the kitchen has shorter hours but normally when this happens, it's because it closes prior to the bar closing, not because it opens after the bar; in this case, it's both more days than not.  This practice isn't unheard of, but it is somewhat uncommon, at least in our area.  Be aware of this if you plan to visit for a meal.

This information is clearly stated on Old Mill's homepage and we didn't think to look before we left home, so this was definitely our faux-pas, not theirs.  We will never make this mistake again.

FYI, the hours of operation are:
Monday-Thursday: 3-9, dinner hours: 4-8
Friday: 3-midnight, dinner hours: 4-10
Saturday: noon-midnight, dinner hours: noon-10
Sunday: noon-9, dinner hours: noon-8

Lesson learned.

This was a bummer because I had saved my hunger for this meal, but it isn't the reason the first go-round was less than satisfactory.  The service is what completely annihilated any chance I had of having a good time.

We walked in about twenty minutes after opening and there were no other patrons.  None.  At all.  We saw a girl behind the bar getting things ready and organized to start her shift so we stood there and waited to be greeted.  And waited.  And waited.  There were also two guys who looked like they needed a shower were cooks buzzing around getting the outdoor grill ready and helping this girl move some boxes.  I know they saw us- they walked right by us- but neither of them paid us any attention.  So finally, we said "hi!" and got the girl's attention.  Okay, fine.  She was busy, maybe she didn't hear us, and it's not a cook's job to be a host or waiter, so I let it go.

In hindsight, I'm baffled as to why this prep work wasn't done before they opened for business. Sure, no one else was there besides us, so I can understand doing a little housekeeping if there aren't any/many customers to attend to, but this was pretty involved work and clearly required enough focus and attention that she was oblivious to the fact that someone came in.  Things like this should be done before customers could arrive but, if that cannot be done and it absolutely cannot wait, employees should be a little more discreet and alert.

Also, even though it's not technically a cook's job to greet customers, I have a hard time believing that any member of a crew who takes pride in their work and is proud of the business they work for would think twice about being hospitable toward guests regardless of their designated function.

But, I digress.  Once we had the waitress' attention, we told her we wanted to split a wine tasting.  She showed us to our table outside, gave us a sheet of paper with Old Mill's wines on it, and told us to mark what we wanted.  I think we annoyed her because we asked for a pen or pencil to mark our selections and asked to look at food menus.  She got us a menu, bluntly told us we could taste now but couldn't order food for another forty minutes while she begrudgingly dug up a pen for us, then promptly disappeared.

Just as we did when we first arrived, we waited.  And waited.  And waited.

A good ten minutes had passed with no sign of our waitress and I was starting to turn into a hungry monster.  I had some pretzel sticks in the car so my Bear went inside to ask if he could grab them to hold me over, probably out of fear that I was about to start gnawing my own arm (or his).  She came back with him to the table and said she couldn't allow that, but she could bring some chips and salsa.  I understand that she has to follow company policy and I appreciate the fact that there's a snack option prior to the kitchen opening.  My dissatisfaction doesn't stem from what she said but rather how she said it.

I declined.

I am almost certain the "I really cannot believe the request we made merited the tone you're using" look I gave her scared her away because that was the last time we saw her.  After waiting another fifteen minutes, she didn't come back, so we said forget it before we could even place our order for tastings and moved on.

I didn't want to give up totally on Old Mill because of one bad apple, so on our way home, we gave it another try.  We sat at the bar this time and were greeted fairly quickly. There was a different girl helping us and she had a much better personality, mainly just because she had one.

Unfortunately, we weren't looking to eat this time so I cannot speak to the quality of the food but the menu does look good.  The wines were so-so.  I tried the Chardonnay and it was satisfactory.  It was dry and crisp with a bright, citrus nose that was contrasted by a hint of oak in the taste which nicely darkened the overall flavor.  The wine stopped there, though- the finish was the same as a glass of water.  The Riesling was overly sweet for me and was more similar to a sweet Piesporter than a Riesling.

The Bear had the Cabernet Sauvignon and it was average.  It had a thin taste, didn't have much going on in the finish, lacked the bold flavor of the grape.  The Chambourcin was a winner, though.  This is another Chambourcin with a delicate cherry flavor and a hint of sweetness in the overall dry body.  It goes down easy so it's definitely a silly wine.  This is the one that came home with us.

Our second visit to Old Mill was clearly much better than the first but, when we were ready to pay our bill and purchase our bottle, we again had to wait.  And wait.  And wait.  It turns out that when you sit at the bar, you apparently have to walk to the corner of the counter to be able to get your check and pay because once you're done with your wine, everyone disappears and you will no longer receive service.

I truly apologize that this hasn't been a ringing endorsement.  If anyone is looking to pair live entertainment with their wine, Old Mill has a schedule online as well as a list of special events.  There is a nice outdoor seating area and the interior has a rustic appeal.  This may attract people who aren't visiting to focus on the wine itself.

I don't think I need to write an overall summary of this experience, it's pretty clear how it went.  I was so disappointed that this is how the Old Mill played out.  My expectations were high because of the impressive buzz from our friends but ultimately, I was let down.  This may sound bizarre, but if you haven't been there and you'll be in the area, try it.  It's important to support local business and I would love to be proven wrong.  In fact, I challenge you to change my mind.  If you have a story about a great time at Old Mill, please share it.  If you haven't been there, go and make your best effort to have a completely opposite experience than ours.

Next up will be The Old Firehouse Winery, which is where we ended up eating that day.  Remember to enjoy what you pour, but enjoy responsibly!  Cheers, all!

Number Six: Deer's Leap Winery

The sixth stop on our trip was Deer's Leap Winery and Restaurant in Geneva, Ohio. 

This is truly one of a kind.  It looks like a large, old warehouse and, as you can see in the second picture, there are large piles of some sort of material outside.  We almost passed it!  We were so thrown by the setting and the fact that we almost drove right by that we forgot the get a picture of the sign the first time around, so we stopped a few weeks later for these pictures.

On the side of the building there is a nice, covered area for outdoor seating, which is more reminiscent of wineries we've seen so far.  We walked inside and immediately the atmosphere shouted blue collar.  There is seating for the restaurant inside and all of the tables and chairs looked like they were temporary, like everything there needs to be easily moved or rearranged.  We sat at the bar and looked at the menu, which was an array of average Americanized dishes.  Above the bar, there is a long shelf with popular, brand name beer bottles from end to end.  Past the bar, there's a room in the back where there are bottles of wine available for purchase, a small display of rhinestone wine shirts that most wineries now sell, and birds.  Big, beautiful, exotic birds.

So...Is this supposed to be a hall that can be cleared and rented for events?  Is this a diner?  Is this a beer bar?  Is this actually a winery?  Animal sanctuary?

Deer's Leap frequently hosts live entertainment so I am assuming that is the reason for the makeshift interior.  The bar area was decent and the girl that helped us was nice but didn't offer a whole lot of information on the wines.  The display of beer bottles threw me off a bit.  They aren't a brewery in addition to being a winery so none of the beers were theirs; it looked like the beer selection at Heinen's.  I was under the impression that we were in a bar that happened to make and sell wine and not a winery.

If you're going to Deer's Leap for a meal, you can comfortably bring the whole family.  There's an appetizer menu that, for the most part, reminded me of the menu board at a bowling alley.  The regular menu is meant to appeal to a true cross-section of the country, offering burgers, a reuben, wraps, chicken parmesan, meatloaf, linguini with marinara and meatballs or alfredo and chicken, and $.75 tacos with the purchase of a beverage on Mexi Mondays.  Deer's Leap also has a senior menu for guests 65+, which is an abbreviated version of the lunch menu.

I didn't particularly care for the fact that there was a kids menu because I don't particularly care for kids, especially at wineries, but this may help bring in business if the restaurant is what keeps the winery afloat so I can't fault them.

There wasn't a signature dish of note and the lunch choices seemed more like a collage of the Stouffer's frozen entree case at your local grocery store.  These options are fine because anyone who visits can find something they'll like, but I would have expected those meals to be in addition to foods that follow the winery theme.  Instead, the menu seemed a little out of place at a winery.

Perhaps it is more appropriate to say the winery is the element that is out of place.

The wine wasn't overwhelmingly good.  The Bear had the Cabernet Sauvignon and we both thought it was a little flat tasting and plain.  It was dry like Cab should be, but that was about it.  I ordered the Chardonnay and that was a little better.  It was dry, crisp, and would pair well with most foods.  It didn't have the robust Chardonnay taste that this wine usually has, but it wasn't too mild either.  We ended up taking a bottle home with us.

We opened this bottle recently and I was shocked because wine tasted nothing like what we had on our visit.  This Chardonnay wasn't good on it's own and needed to be paired with strong cheese and crackers to bring it to life.  We ended up having some smoked cheddar and smoked swiss on sesame crackers with this and the smoked cheeses were this wine's saving grace.  The nose smelled like caramels melting on the stove but it had a very abrasive, astringent taste.

My guess is that it had bottle shock from the car ride and didn't have enough time to return to its normal state before we opened it.

Overall, the jury is still out on Deer's Leap.  The atmosphere was interesting to say the least, and the menu fit in better with the bar aspect of the winery than the winery itself.  For some people, that may actually be a big draw- the food prices are great and the restaurant part of the winery seemed more like a place to bring the family for dinner than a winery.  There's also an online store if you're interested in buying some wines but don't want to make the drive to Geneva.  There were a lot of fruit wines that we didn't try when we were there, so if those sound good but you live far away, give online ordering a shot.

But, don't order online today.  The online store is down as of 9/10/2013 at 9:30 AM.  You can call 440.466.1248 during normal business hours: Sunday-Thursday, 12-8, Friday and Saturday, 12-10.

I don't think our experience was a true representation of the winery and it would be better if we could get more information from the tasting servers.  Deer's Leap's website shows a more formal, cozy tasting room.  It might not have been open when we were there but we had no clue it existed until visiting the website to obtain links for this post.  Even if it was closed, it would have been nice to hear about it.  We will definitely go back for a more complete tasting experience and hopefully we'll be able to access to this portion of the winery.

Deer's Leap is, again, one of a kind.  It is so unique that I cannot simply dismiss it even though our first try was less than spectacular and the wine wasn't that good.  It has the same appeal as your favorite local dive bar- the place you want to go back to but can't quite put your finger on why.  It may not be soon, but check back for a second look at Deer's Leap!

Next up on our list is the Old Mill Winery!  Remember to enjoy your wine safely and responsibly!  Cheers, all!