There is no better way to spend a crisp sunny Saturday than on one of the Lake Erie islands. And if you happen to spend it with three good friends in Put In Bay (on South Bass Island) at Island Wine Fest, all the better. This is exactly how I spent last Saturday, courtesy of the Miller Boat Line and Island Bike and Cart Rental.
I will admit though, that the day started off a bit, well, choppy. This had nothing to do with the ferry itself or the company I was in and had everything to do with Mother Nature, who decided that the buzzword for the day should be “windy”… really windy. In fact, we made quite a few new friends sliding around in our seats on the way over to Put In Bay. It’s amazing how quickly you can start up a conversation when you slide into someone’s lap. Anyway, we disembarked safely, picked up our golf cart, and headed on over to the festival which was being held at the Put In Bay Winery.
There were over 400 wines available to sip this year, so we did a little dividing and conquering at the tables. And after all was said and done, what were some of the wines that stuck out in our minds?
The first group that made an impression on us was the line of wines made by Train’s Save Me San Francisco Wine Co. Yes, as in Train the rock band. I had tried “Drops of Jupiter ” red wine blend a while ago, and remembered liking it. In addition to “Drops of Jupiter”, though, we were also able to try Sauvignon Blanc Bulletproof (in honor of their new album) and Cab California 37. We loved Cab California 37 (2012, 13.5%, CA) even better than Drops of Jupiter. The wine is inspired by Highway 37, which, in California, leads you to wine country. A nose of licorice and cherry, followed by flavors of ripe cherries and dark berries with a long lasting rich finish. This was so good that all four of us went home with a bottle.
Moving on we entered the sports side of wine, stopping at the Greg Norman Estate wines. To be quite honest, these wines caught my eye because the Winey Son is a big golf fan, and had asked me to recommend some red wines to him. So these 
bottles with the obligatory Greg Norman shark were a no-brainer to sample. The winner from this line was Greg Norman’s Shark Red (2011, 13.9%, CA). Shark Red is a blend of Syrah, Petite Sirah, Mourvèdre, Grenache, Merlot and Malbec. As with many of my favorite red blends, this dominant taste is of dark fruits – think plums. It ends with some vanilla oak and is soft and smooth in the mouth. A winey hole in one.
Shortly after that, another red blend made my “to buy” list: Layer Cake Wine’s
“Red Blend Sea of Stones”(2012, 14.5%, Argentina). This is a blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petit Verdot that begins with a nose of mocha followed by tastes of dark chocolate and cherries and a smooth, long lasting finish. Yum.
There were a number of Ohio wineries represented at the wine festival this year. I enjoyed Raven’s Glenn Winery’s Autumn Interlude Vidal Blanc, which was a sweeter white wine. Raven’s Glenn is an easy drive from Northeast Ohio, just 10 minutes off of I – 77, near Coshocton. It will take you about 90 minutes to get there, but since they have a winery, a tasting bar and a huge gift shop, you can easily make it a day.
As you might imagine, a day at a wine fest with good friends on a stunning island in the middle of Lake Erie makes for one amazingly fun day. You can count on lots of good wine, good food, great conversation and laughing so hard that you actually get a very effective abdominal workout. All in all, Island Wine Fast 2014 was a sipping success. I totally recommend that you make plans to attend the 2015 version. I’ll let you know when it is and hope to see you there.
Cheers!
Read my other reviews on The Winey Mom.
Miller Boat Line and Island Bike and Cart Rental sponsored our trip to Island Wine Fest. We are very, very happy they did. The opinions expressed are all my own.