Vincent William Guest Favorites
The six wineries our guests come back and tell us about most. The loop starts and ends at Vincent William in Madison, so dinner or a room is waiting when you get back.
- Stops
- 8
- Distance
- 27.6 mi
- Drive time
- 65 min
Stops
Vincent William Wine
Start at Vincent William, on the lake in Madison.
M Cellars
Guests talk about the estate wines here: a Meritage, Pinot Noir and a traditional-method sparkling rosé. The staff know the vineyard well, so ask questions.
Hundley Cellars
A family winery in an old ranch house on what used to be an orchard. Guests mention sitting out by the pond.
Harpersfield Vineyard
Estate vines since 1979 and a big wood-burning fireplace, which is what guests remember on a cold day.
Baci Winery
Where guests tell us they had lunch: Italian plates at St. Joseph Vineyard, with a bar out on the patio.
Cask 307
Wine, beer and a deli counter, if the afternoon needs a snack.
Laurentia Vineyard and Winery
The last stop before the lake: dry estate wines and flatbreads, from a family that came to wine through geology.
Return to Vincent William Wine
Back to the lake for dinner, or a room upstairs if you are staying.
How We Chose These Stops
Guests ask us where to go, and when they come back from the valley they tell us which wineries they loved. These six come up again and again. The loop stays in the Madison and Harpersfield stretch of the valley, so the day is spent at wineries rather than in the car.
More Day Trips
For the Red Wine Lover
Most of the valley pours sweet and fruit wines. These wineries make serious dry reds: Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Dornfelder and a Meritage blend. The day ends with our own estate Cabernet Franc on the lake.
See the Day TripFor the White Wine Lover
Start with Riesling on the lake, then Riesling by a creek, Chardonnay and Grüner Veltliner from vines planted in 1979, a Sémillon poured in an old church, and the vineyard that planted European grapes by Lake Erie in 1968.
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For the Ambiance
Five wineries people remember for where they sat as much as what they drank, and our own stone house on the lake to finish: a horse barn with a fireplace, a patio in the woods above the Grand River, a pond, and a church moved here from another town.
See the Day TripBeer, Wine and Spirits
For the friend who does not drink much wine. Every stop also pours beer, cider, cocktails, mead or bourbon.
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Ohio Fall Foliage Map: Things to Do near the Winery
Three covered bridges, a boardwalk above the Grand River, an observation tower over Lake Erie and a state park on the shore, all within 15 miles of Vincent William Wine, where the day ends.
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The Wine and Foliage Day Trip
The fall day we would plan for a friend: a boardwalk over the Grand River in the morning, estate wine among the vines, an 1868 covered bridge, lunch by a wood fire, a last glass on a patio above the river, and dinner on the lake.
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Wineries in Fall Color
Six wineries at their best in October: vineyards to walk, a trail down to the river, a patio in the woods and a fire for when it gets cold. The day ends on the lake at Vincent William.
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Off the Beaten Path
Five wineries 13 to 30 miles from the Madison and Geneva cluster, each worth the drive: a meadery, a 1930s racehorse stable, a frozen wine dessert, a vineyard with rooms, and one of Ohio's first European-grape vineyards.
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The Underrated Valley
Five wineries rated 4.6 or higher on Google that most people drive past. None has more than 135 reviews.
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