If you’re looking for an excuse to visit a winery, here it is – June is Ohio Wine Month.
The month was created in 2012 by then-Gov. John Kasich to celebrate Ohio wines and winemakers, according to Drink Up Columbus.
“Ohio’s bustling wine and grape industries provide more than just great products,” said Tracy Intihar, Ohio Department of Agriculture Interim Director, according to the Ohio Grape Industries Committee. “They create thousands of jobs and bring in billions of dollars to the state, in addition to providing local tasting rooms, beautiful vineyards and top-notch food options to make memories with friends and family at Ohio’s wineries.”
Here are a few ways you can celebrate Ohio Wine Month 2026.
Try award-winning Ohio wines
The Ohio Department of Agriculture and Ohio Grape Industries Committee got a head start on the festivities in May by awarding five of the state’s top wines. Winners were chosen through a blind tasting for the 2026 Director’s Choice Awards, and include:
Visit wineries with deep roots in Ohio
The state’s tourism bureau highlighted Ohio wineries with decades of history in 2023. And that list includes what may be the oldest winery in the state that’s still in operation.
Heineman’s Winery was founded in 1888 by Gustav Heineman on South Bass Island because good soil and a long growing season make Ohio’s Lake Erie islands ideal for growing grapes, according to Ohio.org, the Ohio’s tourism website. Now, the fifth generation of the family still operates the business.
“We’re the oldest family-owned and operated winery in Ohio and one of the oldest in the nation,” business manager Dustin Heineman told Ohio.org.
Other wineries highlighted for their longevity include:
Visit Ohio’s five recognized regions for growing wine grapes
The term “appellation” on a wine label denotes the geographic origin of the grapes used to produce it, according to the Ohio Grape Industries Committee. To use the term on a label, 85% of that wine must be produced from grapes grown in that area.
In the United States, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau regulates viticulture (the study of grape cultivation for wine making) appellations. And Ohio has five of them, according to the committee. They include:
Explore Ohio’s seven wine trails
The Ohio Wine Producers Association lists seven wine trails, each covering a certain region of the state. They are:
Visit a wine festival
June also has plenty of wine festivals and other events that include the fruit of the vine around the state, according to the event calendar at Ohio.org, including the Columbiana Wine Festival on June 6 and Ohio’s Island Wine Festival on June 20.
Find an Ohio winery near you
The state has 320 wineries and 21 grape juice, jam, and jelly producers, according to the Ohio tourism association. If you’re looking for one near you, the Ohio Grape Industries Committee offers a search engine by address or ZIP code.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: June is Ohio Wine Month, and the state has 7 wine trails
Reporting by Chad Murphy, USA TODAY NETWORK / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
