If your palate's getting a little burned out on the IPAs, it can only mean one thing: wine time.
And good thing Cleveland's no stranger to some delicious vino. In fact, you can head over to wine country - without having to defer your student loans (again) to save for that West Coast vacay.
Vintage Ohio Wine Festival, put on by the Ohio Wine Producers Association, is the annual food and wine event held in Kirkland, Ohio, one of the eastern-most corners of Northeast Ohio. It just so happens that this area is packed to the gills with vineyards and wineries - thanks in large part to the unique soil and microclimate that rests along Lake Erie's perches.
Sniff, swish and sip (or just pretend like you know what you're doing to) more than 150 varieties from 20 area wineries alongside thousands of your newest drinking buds.
What To Do:
- There'll be copious amounts of reds, whites, rosés and bubbles from Cleveland's best wineries, as well as fun-to-drink varieties made from local fruit.
- Unless you relish brain-searing hangovers, heed our advice: "If ye drink wine, ye better eat." Good thing Vintage Ohio features an incredible menu thanks to a large number of food trucks and on-site vendors. After all, this is considered a culinary fest, as well.
What Else To Do:
- Vintage Ohio takes place at Lake Metropark Farmpark's, featuring 325 acres of tall oaks and rolling hills. Farmpark also is home to an agricultural park. So, take a T.O. to sit back and enjoy the nature ... or milk a cow. Anything goes.
- Like all good festivals, there'll be music - and lots of it. Three stages to be exact. Festivalgoers can partake in a little retail therapy and cooking lessons, too.
Tips For Attending:
- If you're not ride sharing or cabbing it back to your downtown hotel, spend the night at a nearby cottage or B&B to enjoy the full Lake Erie experience. And, while there, post-game another glass of joy juice. Because, wine.