By Donniella Winchell, ohiowines.org

The History of Ohio Wine

The history of wine making can be traced back to the early 1800s. Nicholas Longworth, a lawyer from the Cincinnati area, saw the potential of the Ohio River Valley to become a major producer of wine. In 1820 he planted the first Catawba grapes. This domestic variety was hearty enough to withstand Ohio winters and the wine produced from it won quick consumer acceptance. The light, semi-sweet wine was different from the other strong American wines of the day. Soon there were many acres of vines growing in the greater Cincinnati area and by 1845 the annual production was over 300,000 gallons. By 1860, Ohio led the nation in the production of wine. As crop diseases, such as black rot and mildew, began to plague the grapes, the Civil war left the grape growers with little manpower. This led to the demise of wine making in southern Ohio.

As the southern vineyards wilted, a new Ohio growing area emerged in the Lake Erie Islands. The islands had a unique climate; the waters surrounding them provided a long growing season and insulated the vines from spreading disease. German immigrants who brought the traditions of wine making with them settled the islands. By the turn of the century, thousands of gallons of wine were being produced by dozens of wineries on and near the islands. Vineyards were soon planted along the entire southern shore of Lake Erie. This narrow strip of shoreline soon became nicknamed the "Lake Erie Grape Belt."

Then Prohibition struck the United States and brought disaster to the Ohio wine making traditions. Some family businesses turned to making wine for sacramental purposes, others produced juice, and still the majority of land was turned into industrial land and housing developments. The general grape-oriented economy of the area collapsed.

When prohibition was repealed in 1933, a few wineries reemerged, but they had a lot against them: the majority of vineyards were in a state of disrepair, government restrictions hindered their wine making traditions, and the few lasting vines had been converted to produce juice grapes. Ohio's one-time status as the top wine producer was gone, and with it a long road to recovery.

The turning point for Ohio's wine industry came in the early 1960s with the planting of French-American varieties in southern Ohio, encouraged largely by The Ohio State University's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster. The hardy, disease-resistant grapes produced wines similar to the older European vinifera varieties. Their success in the south encouraged plantings in the Lake Erie Grape Belt. Since 1965, more than 40 new wineries have been established across the state and each spring wine makers continue to plant French-American Hybrids and vinifera varieties.

In 1975, a group of innovative wine makers formed the Ohio Wine Producers Association. Their purpose was and still is to bring together the grape growers and the wine makers. Through the efforts of the O\VPA, individual members stay better informed on governmental action, technical advances and research and development programs effecting the grape/wine industry.

The Ohio General Assembly and Governors, James Rhodes and Richard Celeste, established another vital program in 1981. In cooperation with wine makers and grape growers, the Ohio Grape Industries Program was created and charged with the development of marketing and research programs to encourage the continuing revitalization of the fresh grape and grape wine industries.

In the Nineties, one of the significant threats facing the industry was a lack of quality Ohio grown wine grapes. A major effort to increase acreage was initiated under the leadership of Governor George Voinovich. Tax credits, vineyard planting grants, arid the hiring of a state extension viticulturist are having a positive impact on the total number of wine grape acres being planted.

The results can be seen through the continued success of Ohio wines in national competitions. In the early 1990s an Ohio Riesling won Best of Show at the prestigious Sari Francisco State Fair Wine Competition. That award was a tremendous boost for the Ohio Wine Industry and a new era of respect emerged. Other gold medals in Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles and across the nation have reinforced Ohio's position as one of the major wine regions of the world.

Appellations of Origin

Appellation on wine labels denotes the geographic origin of the grapes used to produce the wine. Appellation was originally created to help educate the consumer and encourage the continued development of quality standards in a certain producing area. Grape growing regions are known by their political subdivision or by a specifically designated viticultural region named because of unique climate, soil, topographical, and historical conditions.

In the United States, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms of the United States Government (BATF) regulate appellations. This government agency has jurisdiction over all the wineries in the U.S. Accepted appellations for American wine include the United States, a specific state, up to three contiguous states, a county, and up to three contiguous counties in the same state. A specific viticultural area based on geographical history and unique growing conditions was first recognized by the BATF in 1978.

In order for a winery to use a specific American viticultural area on a label, 85% of the wine must be produced from grapes grown within the confines of the viticultural area. In contrast, a single county or state appellation requires that 75% of the grapes be grown in the viticultural area.

The strictest guidelines apply to wine that denotes "Estate Bottled" on the label. For estate bottling, the winery must be located in the viticultural area, all of the grapes must be from the same viticultural area from vineyards that the winery owns, and the wine must be bottled in the same viticultural area.

Vintage wine is wine labeled with the year of harvest of the grapes. In order to use a vintage label, at least 95% of the wine must have been derived from grapes harvested in the labeled calendar year and the wine must be labeled with an appellation of origin other than a country.

The French appellation system was designed to safeguard the reputation and the quality of the best wines in France. In comparison, appellation in the United States is not a government endorsement of quality. Rather, it provides objective standards to qualify wine to a make a representation of geographic origin. Today, 25 of the 50 states participate in presenting an appellation of origin.

In Ohio, there are five recognized viticultural appellations. The Lake Erie Appellation includes grapes grown near the shores of Lake Erie in Ohio, New York, and Pennsylvania. Two appellations within the Lake Erie Appellation include Isle St. George and Grand River Valley. The next is the Ohio River Valley Appellation, which borders the Ohio River from Wheeling, WV to Cincinnati and continues on to Evansville, IN. The fifth is the Loramie Creek Appellation in Shelby County, bordered by Loramie and Tuttle Creeks and State Route 47. Unfortunately, the Loramie Creek appellation currently has no operating winery in its jurisdiction.

There is a move currently to denote the Great Lakes Region as an appellation. Some agricultural representatives feel this region is unique because of its cool climate and other similar growing conditions. They feel that wine makers forced to call their products "American" for the mere fact that they used wines produced from two non-contiguous states with the same climate conditions are at a disadvantage over regions which happen to fall within the same state or contiguous states. For most consumers, "American" means California wines blended with wines from another lesser locality. For the Great Lakes Region, it is precisely that assumption that they wish to abolish. They would profit greatly from the establishment of their own regional identity.

For more information, contact Doniella Winchell at dwinchell@ohiowines.org.