Grand River Valley is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) spread across portions of the Ashtabula, Lake, and Geauga Counties of northeastern Ohio located 45 miles (72 km) east of Cleveland.
Prohibition led to the decimation of the Grand River Valley's vineyards in the 1920s, but the development of cold-hardy hybrids sparked a resurgence of winemaking for the area in the latter half of the 20th Century.
[2][1] The Grand River Valley was formed when glaciers carved out the Great Lakes and deposited a ridge of fertile soil ideal for the cultivation of vineyards.
The common Ohio soil composition is an irregular veneer of Quaternary-age sediments of gravel, sand, clay and slit pushed up by glaciers during the formation of Lake Erie mixed with a windblown loess.
[5] The region offers winemakers a generous hoard of viticultural sites with a southeast aspect, where the vines can soak up the morning sun, and good air drainage further reduces the risk of frost.
Rainfall is higher in the Grand River Valley than in other areas of Ohio, but the region's sand and gravel-based topsoil are free draining and efficiently disperse excess water.
The hillsides promote water drainage from the vine's roots preventing oversaturation which dilutes the concentration of flavor, sugar and other quality attributes in the grapes.
A huge range of cool-climate grape varieties and wine styles are produced in the Grand River Valley, and it now boasts over 30 wineries within the AVA and surrounding region.