LANCASTER − What was just a dream five years ago is now a successful Fairfield County winery and restaurant.
So much so that Midwest Living recently named Rhonemus Cellars as one of the 13 hottest restaurants in the country in its 2026 Best of the Midwest awards.
“We always used the term culinary winery,” Barry Rhonemus, who owns the business with his wife, Jennifer, said. “Initially, we thought we’d be kind of wine-food first, or food that complemented the wine. Over the few years of developing the concept, we really became more and more and more of a restaurant as well.”
The business is located at The View Golf Club at 1151 George Road NE. Barry and Jennifer Rhonemus bought the golf course in August 2021 and opened the restaurant in December 2024. They were at a vineyard in Virginia when they decided to open their own restaurant.
There are now 2,600 vines and the business is a full-production winery.
The food menu features items like imported scallops and more.
“We fly those in from Hokkaido, Japan, which is one of the most northern islands in the Japanese chain,” Barry Rhonemus said of the scallops. “The water’s really, really cold, so you get that great, great density.”
Pizza from the wood-fired oven is another popular item. The pizza is made from scratch, including the pig and pickle pizza. That item features pork belly with pickles on it.
Walleye from Lake Erie is another favorite, along with an 11-ricotta ravioli with shrimp prawns on it. Other favorites include pork tenderloin and steak.
“Steak is really, really popular out here,” Barry Rhonemus said. “It’s always one of our No. 1 sellers.”
And, of course, the wine.
“It’s an exciting year for us,” Barry Rhonemus said. “We were asked to submit four of our wines to the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper wine competition, the largest wine competition in North America. So 9,000 entries this year and we were just honored to be asked. All four of our wines medaled, so got three silvers and a bronze.”
Two years ago, the winery made almost all white wines, but it made mostly red wines this past harvest.
“So we’ll roll into this season with six whites, six reds, a rosé and a sparkling wine,” Barry Rhonemus said. “It’s really a nice portfolio for us.”
Rhonemus Cellars also has a full bar with beer and spirits available.
Rhonemus Cellars is open all year.
It is open from 4 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
jbarron@gannett.com
740-681-4340
Twitter/X: @jeffrey_ba7142
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Barry and Jennifer Rhonemus turned dream into successful wine business
Reporting by Jeff Barron, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette / Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jeff Barron, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette | USA TODAY Network
