Experience area wines from an agricultural point of view by joining members of the Ohio Farm Bureau for the entity’s Lake County Wine Tour, a tasting tour and dinner on May 18. The event begins at 12:30 p.m. at Grand River Cellars, where a bus awaits to take tasters to four other wineries in the Grand River Valley. Tastes served at each winery will be accompanied by a talk about its history, how its grapes are grown and the wines it produces. The wineries to be visited are Debonne Vineyards, South River Vineyard, Stonegait Winery and Silver Crest Cellars, with a return to Grand River Cellars for dinner at about 5 p.m. Farm Bureau board member Eric Cotton will talk about how the area’s geography plays into the production of his Silver Crest Cellars wines. That winery, at 4511 Bates Road in Madison, was established in 2018 by partners John Bohinc and Cotton and specializes in dry red wines. “We’ll tell how the last advance of the glacier formed the Grand River Valley growing region about 12,000 years ago and how we manage the vineyards to take advantage of that,” says Cotton. “We’ll do a chocolate-and-wine tasting.” Silver Crest grapes grow on land owned by the two families since the 1930s, that land including some warmer vineyard sites, he says. “That allows us a couple extra weeks of ripening in the fall to coax just a little more color and flavor out of our red varieties.” One of those varieties is Dornfelder, a dark-and-fruity German wine that’s not yet common in this area, he says. Dornfelder grapes are among the dry red wine grapes being grown by Silver Crest Cellars in Madison. (Courtesy of Silver Crest Cellars) “It’s related to Pinot Noir, Lemberger/Blaufränkisch, and Chardonnay but has lower tannins than Cabernet Sauvignon,” he says. It only became popular in Germany 20 years ago but is now one of the most common grapes planted in that country. “It’s as winter-hardy as the other European varieties we grow here, and it is one of the earliest ripening varieties we grow,” he says. “I think it is a great grape for our area.” After tasting visits to the wineries, the Farm Bureau tour will return to Grand River Cellars for a chicken-and-ribs dinner. Those attending may wish to stay for the live entertainment that will follow. The cost is $120 per person for those not members of the Farm Bureau. Members get a discounted rate. Attendees must be 21 or older. Payment is required by May 12 to hold seats, which are limited. To register, call the Farm Bureau at 440-426-2195 or visit bit.ly/2024LakeWineTour.