Tag Archives: cheese plate

Wishmaker House Bed and Breakfast

Passing through the picturesque town of Bellville, I noticed a pristine, gorgeous white bed and breakfast built along the charming main throughway, Wishmaker House Bed and Breakfast.  A full moon gave additional light to the brightly lit home advertised as a winery and wine bar.  Catching my attention, I decided to stop for a glass of wine before continuing my drive home from visiting Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens in Akron.

The wine bar was open on this Saturday night and I immediately made the acquaintance of the guests sitting to my left, Tammy and Bill, who were staying at the bed and breakfast for the weekend.  They had recently learned that the B&B won the Best of Ohio award and although they lived close by, they wanted to investigate it for themselves.

With the list of beers written on the chalkboard behind the bar, the server explained that there were additional twelve house wines available as she handed me a menu.  I placed my order for the Artisan cheese plate and requested to sample a few of the wines before making my decision on which bottle to purchase.

I started out with an ounce pour of Harvest Moon but favored my next sample of Midnight Rendezvous which was a Niagara/Concord blend sweet wine.  Having learned that the Moscato had won Double Gold at the 2015 Ohio Wine Competition, I requested to try this one and agreed it was a great wine.  My last two samples were Star Bright and Pear (very light and crisp) before I decided that I would order the Midnight Rendezvous.

Brad and Karen Smith opened this beautiful 10,000 square foot bed and breakfast in 2013. With eight guestrooms, decorated with Amish-made furniture, several have fireplaces and balcony access with charming town view.  One room is handicap accessible and the 1200 square foot suite is also available for booking.  Guests are provided a full breakfast using local ingredients and the winery and wine bar are a welcome addition opened over the weekends. Vic and Carrie Swisher (Carrie is Brad and Karen’s daughter) produce the wines in the basement of this elegant 1890’s home, bottling about 1000 gallons of wine per year.

My Artisan Cheese tray arrived and the serving size could have fed a family of four.  I offered to share with my new friends, but ended up having to take half of it home (super exited about that!), only to save it for the next day with my remaining wine (yes, I actually had some wine left over…).  The tray included a variety of local cheeses, served with crackers, olives and meat, worth the $!3.  The next time I will have to try their Buffalo Shrimp Po Boy or the Cuban Pizza Flat Bread (yum!).

Have you had the opportunity to visit Wishmaker House Bed and Breakfast?  Did you stay the night or have dinner?  I would love to hear about your visit if you would kindly leave a message in the comments section below.  Many thanks for reading about my visit to Wishmaker House Bed and Breakfast.  Wishing you many Happy Travels!

What to See and What to Do:

Wishmaker House Bed and Breakfast
116 Main Street
Bellville, Ohio  44813
Telephone:  419 886 9463

Where to Stay: 

Wishmaker House Bed and Breakfast
116 Main Street
Bellville, Ohio  44813
Telephone:  419 886 9463

Where to Eat: 

Wishmaker House Bed and Breakfast
116 Main Street
Bellville, Ohio  44813
Telephone:  419 886 9463

I had ordered the artisan cheese and meat board, but there were several exceptional menu items I would have loved to have tried.

Ohio Winery: Powell Village Craft Winery

Taking a seat at the beautiful rustic bar at Powell Village Craft Winery, I couldn’t help but notice the young lady sitting next to me talking into her phone.   Overhearing her conversation, she was trying to set a date to move to Colorado.  Working out the logistics, she sat in front of her computer enjoying a glass of wine.

I ordered a wine flight and soon thereafter, Katie had wrapped up her plans and made a phone call to her boyfriend to pick her up.  She explained that lately she has been down on her luck and it seemed that her car wouldn’t start.  Waiting at the winery, she had managed to schedule her move out of state all while enjoying a glass of Merlot.  I guess her luck was starting to change.

Conveniently located in a charming suburb of Columbus, the winery, owned by Jeff and Gina Kirby, has been open for six years.  Currently, they are in the process of opening another winery in Tucson, which is similar in design and construction to Powell Village and are looking to franchise the winery.

I hardly waited  five minutes when the server offered to pour me a paddle wine flight or four half glasses for $15.  Since there were quite a few selections that I wanted to try, I opted for the $1 per tasting.   Their reserve wines and ice wines are $2 each were worth the additional cost.

Their menu included a variety of flatbreads, butcher’s block, bread and dipping oil, cheese plate, garlic bites and hummus with veggies.  Perfect combinations to pair with a large assortment of wines.

Each sample was a generous one ounce pour and I began my tasting with the Pinot Noir. Medium bodied, this beautiful brownish red wine has a tangy first sip with a perfect finish.

In addition to Pinots, I love Merlots and this one caught me off guard with a sweet start but it finished with a smooth texture and taste.

Switching over to some of the sweet wines offered by Powell Village, the blackberry has a super sweet smell and a gorgeous ruby color, with a light, airy fruity taste.

I wrapped up my last three samples trying some of the lighter, fruity wines which are  popular with Ohio wineries.  The peach smelled like fuzzy peaches picked right off of the tree, having a thick texture with a simple fruit flavor.

The white cranberry is just as tart as one would expect but it was a perfect blend with grapes.  My final sample was kiwi-pineapple, heavy on the pineapple taste yet an extremely refreshing wine.

The winery also offers seasonal sangrias like the pomegranate and cherry during the spring and summer months while the cranberry is popular for the fall.  There are also wine slushies, a popular option where wine is combined with a mix and frozen as a fun, fruity drink.

In addition to Happy Hour on Fridays and Saturdays, Powell Village Craft Winery is available on Sunday and Monday for private events, while Thursdays are Ladies’ Night.

I finished my last glass of wine and Katie had finally confirmed a date for moving her belongings out west.  She decided to call her boyfriend for his ETA while I purchased a bottle of Soulmate, Powell Village’s yummy Merlot.  Here’s hoping that if I am ever stranded, a winery will be close by.

Have you had the opportunity to visit Powell Village Craft Winery?  What was your favorite wine?  I would love to hear about your visit if you will kindly leave a message in the comments section below.  Many thanks for reading about my visit to Powell Village Winery and wishing you many Happy Travels!  Cheers!

What to See and What to Do:

Powell Village Craft Winery
50 Liberty Street
Powell, Ohio  43065
Phone:  614 505 7465

Where to Stay: 

Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center
100 Green Meadows Drive South
Lewis Center, OH  43035
Telephone: 855 892 4543

Where to Eat: 

Powell Village Craft Winery
50 Liberty Street
Powell, Ohio  43065
Phone:  614 505 7465

Why leave when you can try one of Powell Village Craft Winery’s amazing flatbreads?  We ordered the Buffalo flatbread with spicy chicken, buffalo sauce and Mozzarella cheese.  They will give you ranch dressing for dipping should you need to cool the heat.  Yum!