Vintage Ohio Wine Festival Returns August 6 and 7

It's been named one of the nation's top wine and food events and is the most acclaimed summer wine festival between the Appalachians and Rockies. Vintage Ohio Wine Festival will be celebrating its 16th anniversary August 6 and 7, when more than 30,000 wine and food lovers will travel to the beautiful grounds of the Lake Metroparks Farmpark in Kirtland, Ohio. The event will feature more than 150 vintages of exceptional regional wines, three stages of entertainment, demonstrations by the Loretta Paganini School of Cooking and Friday night fireworks.

Entertainment will range from jazz, reggae, oldies and light rock from the time the doors open through the last hour. Sixteen different restaurants and caterers offer food ranging from bison burgers to baklava. There will also be a locavore food sampling.

The wine education tent will feature various topics including Ohio ice wine, Zinfandel and the state's wine appelations. There will also be plenty of games, crafts and exhibits.

Participating wineries are:

• Breitenback Wine Cellars
• Buccia Vineyard
• Candlelight Winery
• Debonne Vineyards
• Emerine Estates
• Ferrante Winery
• Grand River Cellars
• Grape and Granary
• It's Your Winery
• Klingshirn Winery
• Maize Valley Winery
• Marietta Wine Cellars
• Old Firehouse Winery
• Old Mill Winery
• St. Joseph Vineyard
• The Winery at Spring Hill
• Valley Vineyards
• Wyandotte Winery

The adult sampler ticket is $27 ($25 in advance) and designated driver ticket $10. Presale tickets are available at participating wineries, online at http://www.ohiowines.org/, by calling (800) 227-6972 or at participating Giant Eagle Stores. You can save $2 with a Giant Eagle Advantage card.

No backpacks, coolers, carried-in food or pets allowed.

Photo by Jesie Hart