Name drew us in; wine made us stay

When you're looking at a listing of wineries that are near each other and see one called Ugly Bunny Winery, you have to add it to the list! The location, right on State Route 39 in Loudonville, Ohio, is conveniently located to the Mohican River recreation area and just a short drive from Ohio Amish Country.

Chad and Sandy Marsh purchased the established vineyard property in 2015, when the previous owners put it on the market, and called it Marsh Vineyards. They have about 7 acres under vine and grow Niagara, Catawba, Leon Millot, Elvira, Moore's Diamond, Aramello, St. Croix and Concord grapes.

And now the name. When the Marsh's decided to open a winery in 2017, they did not want to name it after the vineyard. So, after many suggestions, the winery was actually named after a family pet, a Lionhead rabbit. The Marsh's had acquired the scraggly runt of the litter from Chad's sister and immortalized him in the winery's name.

Madam and I started with the whites, going from driest to sweetest. First up was Vidal, a pleasing dry white with a grapefruit nose and delightful tropical fruit taste on the palate. Southern Belle, an apple riesling, really delivered fresh apple on the nose and taste, without being too sweet. Catawba, from a grape widely grown in Ohio, had a peach nose that followed through as grape and peach washed across our palates.

Hearts on Fire is a nice white wine flavored with juice from estate-grown peaches, making it Madam's pick for "porch-sipping wine." Close behind were Bling, a sweet wine with an apple nose and a slight zing on the back end, and Cottontail, a moscato-style wine with an apricot nose.

Moving on to the reds, Madam and I were blown away by the 1814 Founders Reserve. This full-bodied blend of Leon Millot and Chambourcin is aged for 6 months in bourbon barrels, delivering a jammy nose and a slight tobacco finish. It will definitely hold its own with a nice steak, salmon or spicier foods. Leon Millot also had a jammy nose but with more cherry notes and will also pair well with meats. FLXI-Red, a blend, had a nose of dark fruit but delivered a nice, mild dry red taste that enhances your pizza dinner. Red Ryder, made from Cabernet, offered a full grape flavor with hints of blackberry. Down the Rabbit Hole, a blend of Niagara and Concord, was the sweetest of the reds, which is to be expected given the grapes in it.

Ugly Bunny also offers 2 hard ciders, made from locally grown apples. Fresh Apple was mild with a delightful apple and cinnamon taste and the multitude of berry fruits came through in the taste of Berry Patch.

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