Rockside Winery and Vineyards

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A little slice of Wine Country in Central Ohio's Backyard! That's the way we like to think of our place. Where else can you go that is 45 minutes from much of Columbus and enjoy rolling vineyards, great wine, fun events, and a relaxing wine experience? Ron and Lynn Rutter started RockSide Winery in 2007. They found a beautiful 17 acre spot among the rolling hills of Fairfield County near Lancaster and planted the first vines. Four years later in 2011 the winery and tasting room were built and the new winery was on its way! In October of 2014 Robin and Valerie Coolidge purchased the winery and vineyards. Along with their son Ryan, the couple had owned Wyandotte Winery in Columbus for several years. Wyandotte, an urban winery located in a neighborhood setting, is land locked, and has no space for vineyards, just a few vines planted on the property. RockSide was the perfect way for the family to branch out and expand their winery business. Ohio can be a challenging place to have a vineyard. Our winters are cold, our summers are relatively short and are humid enough to cause grape vines diseases to take hold easier here than in other grape growing regions. There are four and a half acres of Vinifera, French-American Hybrids, and Native American vines surrounding the RockSide Winery and tasting room. Varieties such as Cabernet Franc, Vidal Blanc, Chambourcin, Niagara, Corot Noir, among others, were chosen because of their ability to thrive in a climate that can be challenging to growing vines. We keep our crop loads low, which means the vines have plenty of resources to develop healthy, intense, flavorful grapes that reflect the unique environment where they are grown. The family spends many hours in the vineyards caring for the vines, and in the fall harvests the grapes and begins the winemaking process. RockSide also brings in some fruit from California to make wines from grapes that just cannot be grown well in Ohio's climate. Winemaking at RockSide follows traditional methods that have been used for thousands of years. Wine is made in small, hand crafted batches, and only bottled when it is ready. The result are great wines made mostly from Ohio fruit. Rockside's beautiful tasting room is a comfortable space to relax and enjoy our wines. The adjacent patio overlooks the vineyards and the rolling hills of Fairfield County. The facility is available to rent for parties and other celebrations, and in 2015 we will begin work on an outside facility in the midst of the vineyards for weddings and concerts. We invite you to stroll the vineyard when you visit and ask our helpful staff any questions you have about our vineyards and how we care for our grapes. Kick back and relax on our covered patio or in our tasting room where you can take in our entire process - from seed to bottle.