Found our Wine Time

Frequently, Madam and I visit a winery that we wish was closer to our backyard. Such was the case with Lincoln Way Vineyards in Wooster, Ohio. Upon arrival we followed the path through the outdoor patio area to the tasting room, located on the lower level.

We were warmly greeted by the tasting room attendant and treated to a tour of the building by Alex Borton, the son of the owners and vineyard/production assistant. The vineyards, the first of which were planted in 2006, produced about 60,000 pounds of grapes in 2020. Although Jim and Sherri Borton have been growing grapes on the property since then, the winery did not become a reality until October 2018.

They spent about 2 years turning a nearby abandoned warehouse into an upper level large enough for groups and the grape crushing pad and equipment. The tasting room is cozy and you can view the production area from it.

An initial look at the wine line-up showed whites, rose', and reds but all with a time. We learned that each time represents the dryness of the wine and the time was chosen to coincide with it. So, the One Fifty-Five wines are the dryest, the Four O'Fours are semi-sweet, and the Six Sixteens are sweets. The Twelve forty-five Silver is a sparkling and, since they tried something different, the two hard ciders are Sidetrack Cider. Each set of hands on the label is a right angle L.

We chose to start our tastings with the 2 Sidetrack Ciders. Although Madam is not a beer drinker, she loved the Dry Apple Hard Cider and would choose it in a beer settings. The Sweet Apple Hard Cider delivered more of the apple taste.

Unfortunately, the only dry wine available was the 1:55 White. This wine, made from estate-grown Vidal Blanc, delivered a nice fruity nose and was slightly sweet. Next up were the 4:04 White, Rose' and Red. The red, a blend of Frontenac, Corot Noir, Noiret and Marquette, had a very fruity/jammy nose but a nice dry fruit-forward taste. A jammy, cherry nose came through on the Rose', a blend of Frontenanc, Frontenance Gris and Frontenanc Blanc and the wine delivered the promised sour cherry flavor. Madam definitely noticed the apricot in the nose of the 4:04 white, made solely with Traminette grapes.

Madam and I sometimes cringe when trying the wines designated as Sweet but that was definitely not the case here. All 3 had a delightful sweetness that was not overpowering. The White had a clean apple nose while Madam chose the Rose', a blend of Catawba, Regent and Corot Noir, as her porch-sipping pick. The 6:16 Red, totally Frontenac grapes, had a deep grape nose and delivered that very jammy taste without the excessive sweetness.

The gem at the end was the 12:45 Silver, a delightful Vidal Blanc sparkling wine. It was not too sparkling (which we don't like) and was easy to drink.

Of course, since the 1:55 Rose' and 1:55 Red weren't currently available it just means another visit to this wonderful winery.

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