Ohio wine country a great destination

Just learned that only 20 tickets remain for Wine N Bloom, the wine tasting self drive tour taking place the first two Fridays and Saturdays in May.  Anything in Ohio’s close by Wine Country sells out almost immediately  – it’s become that popular. Donnie Winchell of the Ohio Wine Producers tells me that as many as 20,000 people visit Ohio wineries every weekend!

And it’s really no wonder considering that many of the wineries are within a 10 minute drive of each other and you can get to Route 528 in about 15 to 20 minutes on Interstate 90 from the heart of Mentor. Two of the wineries are a five minute or so cruise south on 528.
What’s more, the addition of  Cellar Rats Brewery at Chalet Debonne and Red Eagle bourbon distillery almost next door at South River make this a no-brainer for couples who aren’t mutually happy drinking wine.

Trees are in gorgeous bloom now and even if an occasional April shower wets things down, there’s hardly a better place to be than Ohio Wine Country.   If you call and discover Wine-N-Bloom tickets are gone, never fear. You can still visit various wineries for tasting what they do best. Many of them have entertainment on weekends and satisfying munchies to take the edge off a wine induced hunger.  Full meals are available at Ferrante and Grand River and if you are really hungry head into Madison Village for a steak at Vault, which is really something special.