Did you know that the father of the American wine industry was a Cincinnatian? Nicholas Longworth grew 3,000 acres of grapes from Mt. Adams to Ripley, which made the Cincinnati area the nation's leading wine producer in the 1850s. Continuing this wine making tradition, although on a much smaller scale, is Harmony Hill Vineyards & Estate Winery in Bethel, Ohio.
After years of making their own amateur wine, owners Bill and Patti Skvarla decided to turn their passion into a new career. In 2003, with 1,200 vines, the winery was bonded and opened for business. Now six years later with 3,000 vines planted on 3 1/2 acres, the Skvarlas produce 1,000 cases of wine per year. In 2007, as consumer demand grew, the Skvarlas needed to expand the winery's storage capacity. Instead of building an above ground structure for barrel storage, Bill and Patti decided to construct a unique wine cave. With only four similar style wine caves located in the entire United States (the nearest one being in Virginia), the Skvarlas have a distinct marketing advantage over other area wineries. The cave is made of four 30,000 pound pre-constructed concrete archways (typically seen in highway overpass construction) joined together to make the roof of the cave. By being underground, the cave maintains a constant temperature, which helps the wine age properly, as well as allowing the handmade barrels to be gravity fed from the winery above.
For the second consecutive year, Harmony Hill Vineyards has participated in the U.S. Local Business Association's "Best of Local Business" awards program. Harmony Hill Vineyards won the Best of Bethel award in the wineries category. Nationwide, only 1 in 70 of the 2008 award recipients qualified as 2009 award winners. Congratulations on this achievement!
To learn more about Harmony Hill Vineyards & Estate Winery, the products they offer, and upcoming events, visit its web site here.
In This Issue
Sign Up Now!
Want to subscribe to this newsletter? Send us an email at biz@co.clermont.oh.us.