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Ohio winefest: hit or miss?
Did anyone else attend the National City Ohio WineFest? What was your experience? The feedback I’ve gotten has been mixed.
I made it down to the Second Street Market Saturday afternoon, just as the rain was subsiding. The crowds were relatively thin, which made for easy access to the booths and the wines. Some of the winery reps and pourers were in a talkative mood, and many reported that they had been quite pleased with the crowd — and the number of bottles they sold — the previous night, on Friday.
It’s hard to make sweeping conclusions about Ohio wines based on a festival such as this one, at which 13 wineries poured samples. Some of the state’s most interesting wines are made in relatively small quantities and never make it to venues such as this. But I found plenty of dry, off-dry and dessert whites that pleased the palate, including the 2006 Ferrante Grand River Valley Riesling ($16), the 2007 Firelands Pinot Grigio ($10.75), and a pair of Vidal Blanc-based ice wines: the ‘06 Ferrante ($30), and the botrytis-scented 2005 St. Joseph ($25).
At the time I was there, the wines were poured at the right temperature, and there was a pleasant vibe about the place. But one couple who attended Friday night did not have the same experience. They shared theirs with me via email:
As many years as the Ohio Wine Festival has been happening at Second St. market you would think they would learn of the unpredictablilty of Dayton’s weather!!!! We went last night and there were no tents at the check-in making the wine glasses hot before we even started our tasting. ALL of the wines were warm, even those that were “chilled”. There were no “resting tents”, no place to sit in the shade, and the heat was brutal. We left before we even went through our tickets (let alone purchasing anything that we liked) … it’s doubtful that we will return next year under these conditions. Can you please pass the word along to the folks who plan this event?
The email was signed, “Far from Wine Snobs in Dayton”
I do know high winds wreaked havoc with the setup of the festival, and forced a last-minute change in configuration, with all of the winery booths being moved to the south side of Second Street up against the market’s building. That may have changed the logistics. No doubt the heat was stifling on Friday night — moreso than usual for the first weekend in June. Seems there would be no good excuse for festival-savvy wineries to be pouring warm wines, but again, I didn’t encounter that problem on Saturday afternoon. Was it a Friday-only phenomenon?
What was YOUR experience at the Ohio winefest?
Mark
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Comments
By Wanda
June 16, 2008 10:04 AM | Link to this
Mark: You are correct - high wind gusts forced exclusion of tenting at the admission gate and seating areas. Numerous tents were blown away and completely destroyed leaving organizers with few choices. Unfortunately, weather is the one element at an outdoor event that cannot be purchased. Thanks to everyone who withstood the heat - and rain - to sample some of Ohio’s finest wines. See you in 2009!By Linda
June 12, 2008 8:51 AM | Link to this
Mark, There were some newbies at the festival this year, so all the wineries were not “festival savy”. Additionally, there was a wreck on the interstate which made some of the participants late for set-up. They would not have had time to cool their bottles.By Jim T.
June 10, 2008 8:30 AM | Link to this
Was there on Saturday morning in the rain and had a couple of nice discussions with some of the folks. My wine of the day was the 2006 Meranda Nixon Cabernet Sauvignon. Light and pleasant and a good drink for $18. Also liked the Ferrante Riesling and the Syrah from the Cincinnati winery who’s name escapes me at the moment.