Saturday, March 8, 2014

The Grapes of Tusc

Working with the Tuscarawas County Convention and Visitors Bureau over the past several months has truly been an exciting and rewarding experience.  One of the best aspects of the job is that I get to visit some great local establishments.
Since this morning the weather was a lot better then it's been for a long time on a Saturday, my wife and I headed out to the gateway of Amish country and stopped at Breitenbach Wine Cellars.  Located just off of Rt. 39 west of Dover, the family owned and operated winery has been making award-winning wines since 1980.  From the moment you walk in the door, you're greeted by the welcoming staff and you can pick up the pride that they have in the products that they make.  We were there in time to join the tour of the winery and if you are there on a Friday or Saturday, I highly recommend on do it too.  
Last year when we were in St. Louis, we took the Budweiser tour and I remember that it kind of left me wanting more.  It was neat to see where my favorite beer was made, but it just seemed too scripted.  Today, our tour guide, Scott, took us thoroughly through the wine making process and was open to any questions that we had.  What stuck out most about our tour today was the deep passion the family has on making a quality and enjoyable product.   He described what goes into making wine and it is a very labor intensive and exacting journey. As with all my travels throughout Tuscarawas County, passion has been the key element that I have experienced with all of the places we visit.  The owners want to provide a great product, they enjoy what they are doing and they want to share it with you.  Passion is no stranger at Breitenbach.
So if you are ever heading down I-77 and are about to pass through our county, be sure to exit at Rt. 39 in Dover, head west a couple of miles and stop by the winery.  I think you will find it to be a very welcoming experience.  They are open Monday-Saturday.  See their website for more details.