The Winery at Spring Hill makes Ohio wines and handcrafted hard ciders on a 200-acre former orchard in Harpersfield Township, where the Swank family opened the winery in 2009. Its wine program draws on Grand River Valley and Lake Erie fruit, including 100% fruit wines and traditional ice wines, while the on-site cider works began production in 2016. The family-run winery also pairs its tasting room with made-to-order food, live music, events and a dog park.
Harpersfield VineyardSince 1979, family-owned Harpersfield Vineyard has grown grapes and made estate-bottled wines on its working farm in Ohio’s Grand River Valley. Its Geneva tasting room pairs those hand-picked-fruit wines with seasonal kitchen fare, vineyard views, live weekend music, and a fireside setting in colder months.GENEVA, OH
Dutch Creek Winery & TaphouseA husband-and-wife team runs Dutch Creek Winery & Taphouse in the Athens countryside, making small-batch meads, fruit wines, Baron’s Reserve hard ciders and honey sodas on the same farm where they keep bees and grow an apple-peach-pear orchard. The winery’s honey wines use honey from its own hives, while the Baron’s Reserve name honors Swiss settler Baron Johann Rudolf de Steiguer, whose historic land includes the winery site. Its tasting room pairs the house-made drinks with food and a distinctly rural Ohio setting.ATHENS, OH
Benfield WinesWhat began as Rob Benfield’s home winemaking project for his wife and friends has grown into a family winery in Swanton, Ohio, producing distinctive wines from grapes sourced from California. Benfield Wines now makes its wines in the restored 1896 Pilliod Opera House, a 9,000-square-foot landmark that also houses its tasting room and event space. The family’s hands-on approach shows in its playful fruit wines as well as its traditional varietal bottlings.SWANTON, OH
Buckeye Lake WineryAfter more than 20 years in Corporate America, proprietors Tracy and Laura Higginbotham turned their love of food and wine into a family legacy at Buckeye Lake Winery. The Thornville winery brings a hands-on California winemaking approach to Ohio, while supporting local growers when possible. Set beside Buckeye Lake, it is also a restaurant and gathering place built around relaxed dining, guided tastings, and lake views.THORNVILLE, OH