As part of the Harvest Hosts program we overnighted at Firelands Winery in our RV. We arrived late in the afternoon of a busy Saturday and were promptly treated to an excellent and reasonably-priced wine tasting. The Reisling was a standout favorite, and we also liked the Vin Rose and the Pinot Noir well enough to buy bottles of them as well. Prices were very reasonable.The tasting room was comfortable and well laid out. There were also tables and gazebo seating outside. Heck, they even had wifi that reached all the away to the gazebo.Our experience with the staff just fine! Two delightful people took care of us with warmth and humor in spite of the busy-ness of the day. If you like local wines this is a fine stop.
The employees were very friendly. They had a very good selection of wine to choose from and they allowed you to taste up to 6. At this winery you need to pay for sampling.
Linda, I am thrilled that you enjoyed our wines and found our server to be knowledgeable that really is our goal! Your profile says your from Hanover Park Illinois which if I am not mistaken is a suburb of Chicago. While we cannot ship to Chicago we do have a distributor in Chicago. I know that Whole Foods and Pastoral Wine & Cheese are big supporters of the Firelands wines in Chicago, but if you can't find it there call me at 419.625.5474 and I will help you find the wine you are looking for. Thank you again for your kind words!
We visited the winery last Saturday. My husband and I both did wine tasting and was impressed with the tase and pricing of the wine. There were several kinds on sale and we ended up buying 7 bottles. I agree that you should not be charged for the tastings if you buy at least 6 or more bottles of wine. The wood decor was beautiful, however the winery itself is rather small. They have "sipping rooms" off to the side that are nice and one even has a fireplace. The area itself is run down in as it is in the middle of a residential area. My only other negative experience was when the employee asked us where we were from. We happen to live about 25-30 minutes from the winery and she responded "aren't there enough wineries in your area?" She may have thought she was joking, but we took it seriously. As a matter of fact, there are two wineries in our area and we certainly did not have to stop there! Clearly, the staff need more professional training!
Arguably Firelands is the most significant winery in Ohio; certainly in terms of heritage; they even managed to maintain covert production on their North Bass island during Prohibition apparently; and hence their right to describe their sparking dry wines as "champagne", being pre-Versailles grandfathered. Good to see that is made on the premises and hand-riddlered too. I also admired their nod to tradition in terms of keeping production of the traditional sweeter hybrid and native varietals - under the Lonz brand - but distinct from the more serious efforts with vinifera varieties under their own brand and actually both the locally-sourced dry Riesling and Pinot Gris were decent efforts. A bit disappointed that our server was disinterested in answering basic questions, and it wasn't really that busy on the day. A worthy stop on a wine tour of Ohio.
Kellie, we are so very glad that you had a great time with our tasting room staff. We try hard to produce the right atmosphere and that starts with our great staff. We are excited that you will be coming back again, see you soon!
This is my second visit to Firelands Winery and both times I was very impressed with the winery itself. It is very quaint and well decorated. Much nicer than most Ohio wineries. The wine itself is average, although I am not a fan of Ohio wines and don't like sweet wines. However, it is still worth a visit if you are in the area. Tastings are reasonably priced, $3 for 7 different wines. They give a "bonus" at the end. The servers were attentive and made me laugh.
I am so glad to hear that you had a great time at our winery! We really strive to create an atmosphere where everyone can enjoy great wine and learn a thing or two. I passed on this review to Hannah and you made her day! Thank you again for visiting, we hope to see you again!
Great service and the tasting menu provided a nice variety. While not Napa or Sonoma, it's probably one of the best small wineries in the Midwest.
We stopped in here and had a wonderful time meeting the staff, tasting wines, learning about the winery, browsing the items for sale, and learning about wines. The staff was fantastic, and even helped me with unusual requests. I was able to purchase wine bottle stoppers with a hole in them which I want/need for wine bottle crafts that I make. The staff was attentive and we never felt rushed or ignored. We bought wine to enjoy later, and were glad we stopped. We look forward to going there again and recommend it to anyone in the area or passing through.