The state with the capital Columbus is located between Lake Erie in the north and the Ohio River in the south in the central northeast of the USA. It is of particular historical importance for American viticulture. In 1825, the surveyor John Adlum (1759-1836) left some Catawba cuttings to the lawyer Nicholas Longworth (1783-1863), who planted them on a large scale on his lands near Cincinnati on the Ohio River. He produced from them the first American sparkling wine "Sparkling Catawba" and became the first major commercial wine producer in America. Catawba wine was even exported to Europe at this time and was well received there. The Ohio River was called the "Rhine of America". In 1859, shortly before the American Civil War (1861-1865), one third of America's vineyards were located along the Ohio River and twice as much wine was produced as in California. After the Civil War, the movement of the Temperenzlers (alcohol opponents) severely restricted the wine boom.
Many French hybrids are still cultivated, which were made popular from the early 1940s onwards by the viticultural pioneer Philip Wagner (1904-1996). The picture shows vineyards with the complex French new breed Landot Noir based on several American species and a European Vitis vinifera. In addition to American vines and hybrids, European varieties are increasingly being cultivated. The first farm was Markko Vineyard in 1968. The six areas classified as AVA areas are Grand River Valley, Isle St. George, Kanawha River Valley, Lake Erie, Loramie Creek and the Ohio River Valley, which Ohio shares with the three states of Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia. The vineyards cover about 1,000 hectares.
Most of the approximately 100 production plants are located in the north of the state near Lake Erie and in the south around the city of Cincinnati near the Ohio River. There is a larger production of sparkling wine and also fruit wine made from various types of fruit and berries. Well-known wine producers are Al-Bi, Anderson, Brandeberry, Breitenbach, Coffee Cake, Colonial Vineyards, Cortland, Eldchrist, Debonné, Farinacci, Firelands, Flint Ridge, Heinemann, Jilbert, Markko, Meier's Wine Cellars (oldest farm 1856), Metrillo, Moyer, Old Firehouse, Rainbow Hills, Shawnee Springs, Valley, Willow Hill, Woodstock Creek and Wyandotte.
Picture: By 5chw4r7z - Flickr: Vinkolet Arts & Wine Festival, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link
