Donniella Winchell

Brilliant blue skies, red and golden trees, puffy white clouds, crunchy leaves, high school football games, tall corn stalks, orange pumpkins, cool evenings and sunny days. When fall rolls around, residents of northern Ohio have one additional pleasure to explore: harvest time in wine country.

Ohio Wineries are being encouraged to participate in a national celebration of wine as a part of activities for friends, family, community socialization and fun.

The last weekend in September every year, the city of Geneva turns purple. From kids chewing grape gum, and entering coloring contests, to purple-garb of all sorts, shapes and sizes, to ‘merch’ in local shops and purple cow sundaes in restaurants, a whole community celebrates the Concord grape. There are marching bands, grape stomping, classic bands on stages, church dinners, two parades that stretch for miles, 5K runs, car shows, art shows, wine tasting, baby picture contests, queens, princesses and tiny little girls in glitzy gowns plus baskets of juicy purple grapes, tasty grape jelly, fresh pressed juice, and hundreds of yummy grape pies made by the local Catholic church ladies. It is called the Geneva Grape Jamboree.

The wineries are in the final stages of the Crush. The season was early this year, but tourism traffic will remain heavy for the beautiful days ahead as spectacular fall foliage drives visitors to Ohio Wine Country.

We live in “Wine Country,” so a visit to a local tasting room with talented staff and tasting opportunities make choosing a perfect vintage for dinner is quite simple.

This fall, Mother Nature has surely provided a season to remember. The beautiful autumn weather, the puffy white clouds, spectacular foliage and

Lake and Ashtabula counties, person for person have, per capita, one of the most sophisticated wine audiences in the state — and perhaps except for

It appears that the cold and blustery days of winter are finally here. We will soon be enduring blowing snow drifts, clogged roads, with offices are closed.

There are just a few days before Christmas, and if you still have a couple of gifts yet to purchase for your friends and family who love wine, here are some suggestions.

Unlike some other years when the grapes left to hang for ice wine never were picked, or when the harvest was delayed to January or when one year