Toast of Ohio
0 comments
Entering its fourth year, the "Toast of Ohio Wine Festival" is on the move.
Having outgrown its previous downtown Sandusky location (on Columbus Avenue between Market and Water Streets), the popular vino-fest, which takes place from 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Aug. 18, is moving to the spacious Sandusky Bay Pavilion.
"It's definitely grown," said Jill Bauer, Lake Erie Shores and Islands Welcome Center Marketing Coordinator. "It was just a tent downtown, and it still has 12 wineries and quite a bit of food, but it's getting more people every year. So by moving it to the pavilion, it gives it a more open feel, more comfortable, more of a festival type atmosphere rather than just the tent."
Ohio wineries that will be showcased include Sandusky's own Firelands Winery and Hermes Vineyards, as well as Quarry Hill Winery in Berlin Heights, Port Clinton's Mon Ami and Meier's Wine Cellars of Silverton.
Also in attendance will be Stoney Ridge of Bryan, Chalet Debonne of Madison, It's Your Winery of Fairlawn, Ferrante Winery of Geneva, Breitenbach Wine Cellars of Dover, Viking Vineyard of Kent and St. Joseph Winery of Thompson.
"The event started with some of the local wineries who wanted to celebrate the heritage," Bauer said. "At one time before Prohibition, this area was the biggest wine-making region in the country. And when Prohibition came along, a lot of the wineries shut down. So ëToast of Ohio Wine Festival' is all Ohio wines and local restaurants."
As far as the food is concerned, this discriminating outdoor festival requires, well, gourmet culinary dishes that enhance the wine experience. The list of samples offered includes sauerkraut balls, hot crab dip, shrimp shooters, lamb with pastina salad, flatbread pizzas, scallops, BBQ ribs, beef kabobs, seafood chowder, clam chowder and various desserts.
Local restaurants that will be showcasing their fare include the Zinc Brasserie, Sandusky Yacht Club, Catering By Design, Red Gables, Great Wolf Lodge and Baci Nite Club & Fine Dining.
There also will be entertainment provided by featured acts Vinyl Equinox (11 a.m.-2 p.m.) and the Bear Bones Jazz Quartet (3-7 p.m.).
Kids events are scheduled at the Sandusky Maritime Museum ("Pirate Day") and the Merry-Go-Round Museum ("Carousel Carnival").
Even though the City of Sandusky has scheduled numerous outdoor festivals all summer long, Bauer said the "Toast of Ohio Wine Festival" is something unique and different.
"A lot of the events put on at the Sandusky Bay Pavilion are definitely cultural events, but they're, I think, more geared toward local residents who want to celebrate their own heritages," Bauer said. "With the wine festival, it's more of a tourist draw because it's one of the few places where you can taste a bunch of different wines but all be in one place instead of driving all over the state."
She added, "It's a unique event and a very classy event. It's good food, good wine, good music and just a good atmosphere."
'Toast of Ohio'
WHEN: 11 a.m.-8 a.m., Aug. 18
WHERE: Sandusky Bay Pavilion
COST: $1, with 50 cent and $1 tickets available for wine and food purchases
INFO: 419-625-2984
Beef kabobs and "Pirate Day." For some reason, those are the things that stick out to me after reading this article. That's weird. E-mail John Benson at jbenson@funcoast.com.
