Sarah's Vineyard Goes Green!

Sarah’s Vineyard, part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park’s Countryside Initiative program, has struggled both philosophically and practically with the practice of bottling wine since opening in May of 2007. In the summer of 2009, we launched an experiment to deliver “wine on tap” to customers in the tasting room, straight from a barrel in the cellar. The result has been a huge success, and Sarah’s Vineyard now delivers all of its labels to the customer “On Tap”. It is a Win, Win, Win Situation:

1. The environment wins with less pollution generated by the manufacturing, shipping, and disposal of packaging materials. The Countryside Initiative farms are charged with the task of bringing small scale sustainable agriculture back to the Cuyahoga Valley in an “environmentally friendly” way. Sarah’s Vineyard is farmed using low chemical inputs and organic techniques. However, the wine was bottled using “not so environmentally friendly” packaging that required the manufacturing and shipping of bottles, labels, corks, and capsules, along with the subsequent disposal of each. Sarah’s Vineyard wine is made and sold only at the winery, and ninety percent is consumed on premises. With the installation of a compressed nitrogen tap system, we are proud to serve the bulk of our wine by the glass and carafe. Only wine “to go” is bottled, and the environmental impact of producing and selling our wines is greatly reduced.
   
   
2. The customer wins with a better value and healthier product. Winemaker Michael Lytz got the idea for putting wine on tap in Italy in 1998. While touring Venice, he and his wife Margaret stopped in a wine shop, the only thing there was a counter with one tap coming out of the wall behind it. The store had one wine, it was red (vino rosso), and the customers had to supply their own container for bottling. Mike had a bottle of water which he quickly dumped out in the street - it was then filled by the Italian merchant with some of the best wine the Lytzes had ever had. The wine was low in sulfites, and it tasted fresh and clean. Just like the wine Michael now makes at Sarah’s Vineyard, the wine had been aged in the cellar, and now was being enjoyed free of the heavy sulfite preservatives many winemakers add just prior to bottling. As an added customer benefit, Sarah’s Vineyard passes on it savings on packaging to the customer who gets 33% more wine in a carafe (1000 ml) for the same price as a bottle (750 ml). Wine “to go” is bottled at the tap and contains a head of inert nitrogen for protection. The bottled wine will stay fresh in a cool place for a few weeks, but is meant to be enjoyed sooner than later.
   
   
3. Sarah’s Vineyard wins with less packaging and labor costs. These savings are passed on to the customer.

Our Wine List:

		Golden Solstice Golden Solstice: A fragrant sweet Ohio white wine made from Niagara grapes grown in Ohio near Lake Erie. $4.50 glass $12.00 bottle Style: Sweet Ohio Table Wine
		Sarah’s Secret A dry red Ohio table wine made from Chambourcin grapes. The wine is blended with American Merlot, and a secret grape grown at Sarah’s Vineyard. $5.50 glass $16.00 bottle Style: Ohio Red Table Wine
		Blue Heron Blush An estate blend of Vidal, Seyval, Cayuga, and Rubiana grapes all grown at Sarah’s Vineyard. A delightful and refreshing semi-sweet wine unlike any other you have tasted. $5.50 glass $16.00 bottle Style: Blush, Ohio Table Wine
		Brandywine Falls Blueberry A full bodied and mellow semi-sweet wine handcrafted with fresh picked fruit from Michigan. $5.50 glass $16.00 bottle Style: American Blueberry Wine
		Painted Lady A dry Ohio Riesling made from grapes grown near Lake Erie. $5.00 glass $14.00 bottle Style: Riesling, Ohio White Table Wine
		Miserabile A Tuscan Blend of Merlot, Sangiovese, and Rubiana grapes - handcrafted for those who like a smooth, lightly oaked, dry red table wine. $5.50 glass $18.00 bottle Style: American Red Table Wine
		Cuyahoga Valley Reserve A rich and mellow Red Zinfandel aged in Oak. $5.50 glass $18.00 bottle Style: American Red Table Wine
		Hampton Hills Chardonnay A dry and mellow white with hints of apple and citrus. $5.50 glass $16.00 bottle
		Sweet Elisa A not-too-sweet blend of Ohio Concord and Niagara that is fragrant and refreshing. $4.50 glass $12.00 bottle Style: Sweet Ohio Table Wine

Important Notice to Our Customers
When was the last time you took your own beer, wine or mixed drinks to a restaurant or bar? As a reminder, it is against The Ohio Revised code to bring alcoholic beverages of any type onto our property. Please do not jeopardize our license by bringing your alcohol onto our premise.

We reserve the right to inspect all beverage and cooler containers and have violators leave our premise immediately. For those that do not bring beverages onto the premise, thank you for understanding our need to post this notice.

Wine Tasting: 50 cents per sample

We also serve food and snacks in the gallery and wine bar. See our menu.