Madam and I have always found unique stops along Ohio's byways, whether we're looking for restaurants, shops or wineries. Such a place is located right along State Route 39 in Big Prairie, Ohio, in Holmes County.
Opened in 1927 as a general store, Sunny Slope Winery and General Store is in a perfect location right between Berlin and Mohican. The General Store still offers Walnut Creek Foods' deli meats and cheeses, by the pound or as the ingredients in their deli menu.
It's history as a store is evident in the plate glass windows that let natural light into the large tasting room. A large tasting bar runs down one side of the room, providing a nice location to sit, taste and partake of one of the picnic boxes. Madam and I enjoyed the Hummus Box and the Deli Box during our tasting.
With COVID, many wineries are serving tastings in the small souffle-style plastic cups and such was the case at Sunny Slope. Unfortunately, that made it difficult to detect a nose on most the wines we tried.
Many of the offerings here fall into the sweet category. Sunny Slope is known for it's Elderberry wine, a sweet tart wine that Madam named good for porch-sipping. Petals, a blend of chardonnay and strawberry, had a nice, dry taste with hints of grapefruit and strawberry. Slap, made from Concord grapes, definitely delivered the full grape taste associated with this grape but was not too sweet. On opposite ends of the spectrum were Plum and Coal Bank Hill. Plum is a great winter wine, full of fall fruits, while Coal Bank Hill reminds one of summer with its sweet blackberry notes.
Various fruits are also present in many of the other offerings. White Mike 2020 is a slightly dry white riesling with a full apple taste; Big Prairie White is a sweet white moscato and Squall Valley Lovers blends blackberry and sweet white niagara grapes for a clean, fruity taste. Madam's second pick for porch-sipping wine is Pickle's Daughter, a sweet white pear wine that really delivered on flavor. Mango and Meade round out the fruit offerings.
There are 2 dry reds and a dry white on the menu, also. The Cabernet Franc, which had notes of tobacco, paired very well with the dark chocolate we carry with us. Kister Red, a red cabernet blend, had a full body jammy taste and Monroe is a dry white chardonnay.
When you visit, take home a bottle and a good cheese to pair with it!
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