Page 16 - AAA Northwest Ohio - AAA Now! March/April 2013

16 MARCH/APRIL 2013
Glass Half Full
When wine lovers and long-time AAA members
Gayle and Hank Pekkola of Broadview Heights
were planning their 19th anniversary celebration,
they considered a trip to California’s Napa Valley.
Instead, they decided on a getaway a bit closer to
home at Canton’s Gervasi Vineyard. “We really enjoy
wine and this made a great escape for a couple
of days,” Gayle said after a
recent two-night stay in one of
Gervasi’s new Tuscan-themed
villas. “We were surprised there
was anything like this in Ohio.”
They aren’t alone, says
vintner Andrew Codispoti,
who grew up stomping grapes
in southern Italy and now
leads wine-making and wine-
appreciation classes at the 55-
acre property. “A lot of people
are surprised we’re here. Once
they find us, however, they
come back.”
Nestled in a suburban Canton
neighborhood, Gervasi is the last working farm
within city limits and an unlikely find. Driving past
miles of 1940s-era Colonials and 1950s ranches
on surrounding tidy residential streets, you start
to suspect you’re lost until the large entrance
sign appears. Once inside, however, neat rows of
grapes, well-groomed grounds and Tuscan-inspired
architecture give you the feeling that you’re not in
Kansas (or, Ohio) anymore.
When purchased by Swaldo family in 2009, the
property was a neglected tree farm in the middle
of suburban Canton. Looking for a new challenge
after retiring, businessman Ted Swaldo decided
on a vineyard and restaurant and named it after
his Grandma Gervasi, whose marinara sauce
and traditional Italian ways inspired the multi-
generational family project.
Culinary and winemaking classes are held at the
new Village Grande, which
also contains the spotless
professional kitchen,
winery offices and business
facilities. A recent two-hour
class included everything
from how to hold a wine
glass properly (who knew
I’d been doing it wrong
all those years?) to a crash
course in macro and micro
climates and tips on buying
and storing wine. “For me,
wine isn’t just a beverage,
it’s all about soul and
passion,” the enthusiastic
Codispoti told the nine-person class. “Eyes, nose
and mouth, it’s really that simple,” he asserts.
Besides a variety of wine classes (including the
tempting “Home Winemaking Boot Camp”),
Gervasi’s Italian-style Cucina offers culinary
courses that range from artisan breads to
homemade-filled pastas. If you prefer to leave
the cooking to someone else during your stay
(and even if you don’t), don’t miss the two-story
bistro, carved from the property’s restored 1823
renovated barn. With a changing seasonal menu
and rustic, two-story Italian atmosphere, the
casually elegant eatery offers an ever-changing
seasonal menu based on fresh ingredients, many
grown by local farmers.
Wash it all down, of course, with a glass of Gervasi
wine – the vineyard produces wines from estate,
domestic and imported grapes and is currently
cultivating their own acres. Gervasi also offers
public winery tours on the first Saturday of each
month, private tours and tastings, dinner events,
horticultural lunches and a drop-in bistro wine
tasting bar.
At night, relax and rest up in one of six villas, a
haven of European-style bedding, rustic furniture
and walk-in stone showers with luxurious amenities.
Each Tuscan-inspired villa contains four guest suites
and a shared common area with a huge stone
fireplace where boxed breakfasts are delivered
each morning. The luxurious villas opened in the
fall of 2011 and quickly developed a following with
couples like the Pekkolas, who come for romantic
retreats close to home. It was even recently voted
one of the top 10 romantic inns in the U.S. by
www.iloveinns.com.
Lake Effect
Gervasi is one of the most recent additions into
Ohio’s ever-growing grape industry, much of which
is located along the state’s northern shores. Closer
to Lake Erie, vineyards dot the shoreline like stones
on a beach.
One of the most unusual, however, must be
the South River Vineyard, located in a field just
south of I-90 near Geneva. “You will go to hell for
Northeast Ohio’s wine country is home to full
bodied local flavors and cozy lakeside inns.
Villa Portofino
By Khristi S. Zimmeth