What is a winery? Ohio has 103 of them, many clustered in the best grape-growing spots along Lake Erie and the Ohio River, others tucked into downtown strips with nary a grapevine in sight. In fact, according to the Ohio Wine Producers Association, at any given point, you’re never more than an hour’s drive from a glass of locally produced wine.

Some wineries, such as Firelands in Sandusky and Kinkead Ridge in Ripley, grow acres of vineyards and spend countless hours pruning and picking before hauling the fruit to be processed, fermented and bottled on site. Others, such as Henke in Cincinnati, buy fruit from local growers and turn it into award-winning vintages. In some cases, Ohio wineries buy the juice pressed from grapes such as cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay that were grown in vineyards as far away as California — then ferment that juice into the wine you’ll enjoy on your next visit.

As a consumer, it might not matter to you how what’s in your glass got there. But to Ohio winemakers, our state’s vineyards are the backbone of the industry. Christy Eckstein, the executive director of the Ohio Grape Industries Committee, says the current supply from the 2,200 acres of grapes planted in Ohio soil isn’t enough to meet the demand of local winemakers, forcing many of them to source grapes and juice from across state lines. Eckstein says her office is working to establish government incentives and small-business loans to help local growers get more grapes in the ground. It’s a step in the right direction, and one that has bolstered wine industries in states such as Michigan and Tennessee.

Still, growing grapes is an expensive, fickle and above all, labor-intensive process.

Which is why this year, we’re celebrating Ohio’s great grapes, and spotlighting three new wineries whose owners forfeit weekends off, family vacations and the possibility of a 40-hour workweek to grow their own grapes and transform them into an Ohio-made product that we all enjoy. To these hard-working individuals, we say, “Cheers!”

Soine Vineyards

Given its status as one of the fastest-growing counties in Ohio (and the United States) you wouldn’t think Delaware County would offer much in the way of green space, let alone “grape space.” But don’t tell that to the Sainey family.

Eric Sainey, his wife, Cherie, and his parents, Tim and Sandy, have transformed six rural acres of land in this increasingly suburban part of the state into Soine Vineyards (pronounced SOY-knee, a Finnish derivation of the family name), an estate winery that opened in April. And while central Ohio might seem a surprising locale for a winery (just ask some of Eric and Cherie’s neighbors, who thought they were starting a Christmas tree farm when the first vines were planted in 2004), the Saineys are determined to show that grapes grown in the region’s seemingly inconsistent climate, when chosen properly, can produce some nice vintages.

“We had a very good idea right away of what we could do and what we couldn’t do,” says Tim, who, along with Eric, has a separate full-time job and a background in geology, the latter of which came in handy when surveying the lay of the land. “A lot of people want the California-type grape — the merlot, the shiraz — and we can’t grow that here. There’s no point in even trying it; our conditions here are much too harsh. We are in a continental climate versus a marine climate, which is what you have on the coast.”

What you will find on the Saineys’ six acres are nine cultivars of grapes that fall into three different categories: Vitis vinifera, Vitis labrusca and French-American hybrids.

“My dad oversaw the research of what we could grow, and I determined what wine style would be best for what we planned on growing,” Eric says. “We selected mostly French-American hybrids. Those are crosses between your classic European grape (chardonnay, merlot) and American varietals such as Catawba and Concord. You end up with a hybrid grape that can withstand the cold winters and hot summers.”

The Saineys have designated about 70 percent of their vineyards to hybrid grapes, which have produced such wines as Cayuga White, an off-dry white wine with strong citrus and floral flavors, and Chambourcin, a medium-bodied wine with juicy fruit flavors.

Although the actual vineyards were planted four years ago, the seeds for the winery were planted five years before that.

“We went to a winery in Michigan about nine years ago, and ... the weekend after we got back, we kind of reflected on [starting our own winery],” Eric says. “We thought it would be something fun to do. [From there], the four of us visited a few dozen wineries and vineyards throughout central, northeast and southern Ohio to see the differences between the wineries and what they had to offer, what size operation they had, what kind of clientele. It helped us get a feel for what our niche might be.”

Tim says trips to the other wineries also helped them know what wines were best sellers with customers. Knowing what had been a success at other wineries made it easier for the Saineys to determine what they would produce at Soine.

Currently, the Soine Vineyards wine list boasts six varieties (bottled with a So-Vi on the label): three whites, two reds and a blush. The wines are available to purchase and sample in their tasting room, which is part of the 3,200-square-foot building where the wine is produced and stored.

While all of the Saineys will tell you that the winery has been a labor of love for them, it’s hard to say whether they’d place the emphasis on “love” or “labor.”

“We didn’t know how labor intensive it really was,” Sandy says. “We made a lot of mistakes, and there’s a lot of advice I’d have for anyone wanting to start this,” says Tim. “But it’s worked out well, and there’s quite a sense of accomplishment. Now our challenge is educating people about what can be grown in Ohio.”

Currently, the tasting room is open only on Fridays, 3–7 p.m., and Saturdays, 1–7 p.m., or by appointment. The Saineys hope to gradually add special events to the calendar, including wine education sessions and fall harvest tours through the vineyard.

“We want to encourage people to take a glass of wine into the vineyards, and show them what it looks like and tell them about the process,” Tim says. In the meantime, the Saineys simply want their customers to have as much fun spending time at the winery as they do. “We just want it to be a place where people can come and visit,” Sandy says. “You can look at the vineyards and enjoy.”