By Brandon

June 9, 2006 9:35 PM | Link to this

For my wife and I, the Dayton wine fest is a great deal.. the wine snobbery is kept to a minimum, for my wife she loves the fact that the wines are more toward the sweet varieties since she can’t drink red wines, and the price is very reasonable. It’s a great festival to bring newbies to wine to get an idea of the wide varieties of wine available (not just dry reds and drier whites). One con: One of my favorite wineries, Breitenbach, ran out by Saturday afternoon (I was there about 3pm) and I was really hoping to buy a couple bottles from them. I hope the wineries enjoy this as much as we do— unlike the Fleur de Fete, the wineries I hope at least make a little money on tastings.

By Wini

June 9, 2006 9:09 AM | Link to this

We thought the Kinkead Ridge Riesling was best in show.

By Kathy

June 6, 2006 12:09 PM | Link to this

My husband and I came with our 2 kids on Saturday, and we all had a great time. It was nice seeing children’s activities part of this festival. We are relatively new to Ohio, and it was a pleasure discovering local wines. In particular, we enjoyed a couple of wines from St. Joseph Vineyards (near Lake Erie) and also one from Henke in Cincinnati. A lot of sweet stuff but some nice dry wines, too.

By Brian

June 6, 2006 9:24 AM | Link to this

This yea’rs Wine Fest had the largest turnout both Friday evening and Saturday. I found wines from Kinkead Ridge, Ripley Ohio, and from Firelands, from Bass Island, to be very enjoyable wines. Wines from these Ohio wine producers will be availble at the Second Street Market.

By Mike

June 5, 2006 1:56 PM | Link to this

My wife and I are no doubt novices and tend to be on the lower end of the wine spectrum in terms of knowledge and spending (Trader Joe’s is our normal supplier). We just enjoy trying. This festival was very down-to-earth, informative, and did not intimidate or force big prices. It’s small size was nice. We did buy two bottles from Kinkead. A great evening - looking foward to bigger and better things

By Mike Widner

June 5, 2006 12:15 PM | Link to this

Okay, I’m biased. But I think that National City Bank and the 2nd Street Market should be congratulated for bringing Ohio wines to Dayton in such a terrific format. The Ohio wine industry is a diverse one with vinifera, hybrid and Heritage wines. Ohio fruit wines are some of the very best in the country and have the medals to prove it. To get the very best selection from any winery it’s a good idea to visit. Ohio wineries rarely bring their premium wines to festivals like the Dayton event due to small production and costs. But you can find them at the winery. I’m glad the event continues to grow and be successful. See you again next year. Mike Widner, OGIC

By patty

June 5, 2006 11:05 AM | Link to this

I would have to agree with Mike. I try to keep an open mind about Ohio wines but Kinkead Ridge would be the wines I would consider purchasing. I did hear positive comments about other wines from those who prefer a sweeter style. And the weather was beautiful.

By Linda

June 5, 2006 10:57 AM | Link to this

I poured wine for Debonne Winery both Friday and Saturday. We had a nice crowd both days. Friday night there was a minimal charge in which you received a glass and tickets. It seemed this crowd was interested in learning about the wines. The music was great both days - maybe a little loud when trying to explain a wine to someone. The crowd Saturday was more of novice tasters but still a nice group of people. Two of the wineries ran out of wine before the event was over which caused the rest of us to be slammed Saturday night. As with any region there were some good wines and some bad wines. Debonne had a Pinot Noir/Shiraz blend which was nice and their dry Reisling with a hint of raspberry was a hit. It would have been nice to have DLM with Killer Brownies next to us to pair with that wine. As for the food, that left a lot to be desired. They need to step it up at notch with the food. The inside regular food vendors were very happy with the crowd and some ran out of food. I understand the Ohio Wine Festival at the Market in Columbus the weekend after July 4 draws about 10 times the people. If you didn’t get to this one, you might come to Columbus, I think you might be pleasantly surprised to see how far Ohio Wineries have come.

By Mike

June 5, 2006 10:32 AM | Link to this

I thought the winefest was great. Seems like a work-in-progress, but judging by the Saturday attendance, there is a lot of interest. I liked not paying the $15 cover, rather paying as you go to taste. Most impressed with Kinkead Ridge. Agree that most Ohio wines are sweeter…but enjoyed finding out Cleveland to Cincinnati had small vineyards. Highly recommend this for next year.

By John

June 5, 2006 10:07 AM | Link to this

Pros: Temperature was much better than last year. Music wasn’t too loud. Well-organized - no waiting for tasting tickets! Some nice approaches to winemaking - Niagara-based tawny port, Syrah/Pinot Noir blend, sur lie Viognier. Cons: Too much sweet stuff!