Sarah’s Vineyard cultivates success
By Kathleen Folkerth
CUYAHOGA FALLS — It’s time to raise a glass and welcome summer at Sarah’s Vineyard Winery.
The winery’s Fifth Annual Summer Solstice Festival will take place June 22-24 at the farmstead, 1204 W. Steels Corners Road, across from Blossom Music Center.
Margaret Lytz, who along with her husband, Mike, owns and operates the winery, said the festival continues to grow each year.
“Last year we had about 3,000 people, and we expect more this year,” she said.
The three-day event features tastings of Ohio wines, music by local blues bands and displays of artists’ work.
Wineries participating in addition to Sarah’s Vineyard are Breitenbach Winery, Candlelight Winery, Klingshirn Winery, Viking Vineyards and Winery, Maize Valley Winery, the Winery at Wolf Creek and Troutman Vineyards.
On June 22, the festival will be held from 4 to 10 p.m. and will feature music by the Jeff Poulis Blues Revue from 4 to 6 p.m. and the Howard Street Blues Band from 7 to 10 p.m. Hours June 23 are noon to 10 p.m., with music by the Mike Lenz Band from noon to 2 p.m., the Franke Star Band from 3 to 6 p.m. and the Bluestones Blues Band from 7 to 10 p.m.
On June 24, the festival will be from noon to 6 p.m. and will feature only Sarah’s Vineyard wines. The Mike Lenz Band will play from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.
The Lytz’s property is one of the first farms that is part of the Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy’s Countryside Initiative, a project which aims to rehabilitate and revitalize small farms within the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. They were awarded the property in 2001.
Last year was the first year Lytz and her husband produced wines from the grapes they began growing in 2003.
This year has seen more progress. As of May, the winery is now open to the public on a regular basis.
“We have a tasting room, and it also has art for sale,” Lytz said. “We’re packed every night.”
So far, the couple has been able to staff the tasting room along with friends and family, but the time to hire help is coming soon, Lytz said.
The winery is open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. The winery’s progress also has allowed Lytz, a nurse for 34 years, to retire and work full-time at Sarah’s Vineyard.
“I walked out of the doors of Akron City Hospital April 28,” she said, adding that her husband has a year left until his retirement from the Akron Public Schools District.
The couple plans to offer art classes at the winery in 2008.
Lytz said she is sometimes surprised to see how far the winery has come in just a few years.
“It’s kind of amazing,” she said. “It was very frustrating at the time while it was all being done. I remember being up here every day when it was just construction and piles of wood, and I didn’t think it would ever change. Finally one day it’s all done.”
Admission to each day of the festival is $7, which includes a Sarah’s Vineyard crystal wine glass. Wine tastings are 50 cents each, and wine by the glass will vary in price. Wine by the bottle also will be available but must be consumed off the premises. Parking is free. For more information, call (330) 929-8057 or go to www.sarahsvineyard winery.com.
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