Wine Tours to Start Your Summer Right

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Don’t Let Your Wine Tour of the Lake Erie Wine Country Go Sideways!

Wine is hot in Cleveland. Wine has always been hot in Cleveland. Lake Erie provides perfect conditions for growing grapes. From Toledo, all the way to Buffalo, dozens of wineries grow award-winning grapes. Yes, Pennsylvania takes advantage of that keystone on Lake Erie.

These grapes grow in an exceptional climate anchored by Lake Erie. The Lake Erie limestone enriches the wine. Thus, we can call these Lake Erie Appellation vineyards. That’s as big a name for wine as Napa or Sonoma Valley. No one has to fly to California to experience a true wine country. Take a tour from Cleveland Elite Transportation instead.

We love the wine country film Sideways, filmed in the Santa Barbara wine country. Watch it with your friends as you plan your Ohio wine adventure. We can think of one hundred ways your wine country tour can go sideways. Avoid driving to the wineries in your own cars. Sedans are not cut out for wine country. Don’t wind up sleeping it off in the back seat.

The Ohio Wine Producer Association maps out many day trips in Ohio Wine Countries. One of our favorite wine tours begins in nearby Chagrin Falls at Blind Squirrel Winery. We can’t think of a better example. You’re going to feel chagrined if you get lost on the way to Blind Squirrel Winery. The winery is one of several wineries thirty minutes from downtown Cleveland. We know the way. Why count on a GPS where cell phones can’t find a tower? Our drivers have made the rounds a hundred times.

Take another hint from the name Chagrin Falls. The Chagrin River has steep drops in elevation. The Chagrin Valley grows great grapes because of the steep hills. That makes for challenging driving. Why mix a white knuckle-driving experience with the tasting of white wines?

When you venture out on wine tours, think four-wheel drive. Our Yukons can give you a world of comfort when zipping around Ohio geology. We won’t get stuck, no matter the geography. Wine country is not known for ready road service. We honor our relations with the local police. Our friends in blue know we’re the designated driver.

Cleveland Elite Transportation can get you a better deal on tasting fees. We have relationships with the wineries we visit, so we can put together packages for you. Think of us as your wine concierge. We don’t want you to miss the concert at Blind Squirrel Gallery. We don’t want you to miss the beautiful sundown on the amazing patio of Sapphire Creek Winery. We’ll whisk you back to Cleveland, allowing your entourage to snooze.

What if your entourage prefers urban wineries? Cleveland Elite Transportation has wine tours to wineries making vino in the city. We love to start at CLE Urban Winery. CLE makes wine from premium grape juice shipped from California. See the wine fermenting behind the glass window in the tasting room.

So you didn’t go to wine country in the country? If you need social proof, take your selfies in front of the trees. Hold up full wine glasses in the wine gardens. Then, let the entourage bounce to the Winery at Château Hough. We have an entire itinerary, including locations off the beaten path. Nothing slows down an urban wine tour more than looking for parking. We drop you off at the door; we pick you up with a text message.

Taking an Uber around the urban wineries makes a poor plan. First, why deal with upcharges when the city grows busy? Second, you’ll need a leader to page those Ubers. What if you buy a case or two of wine? We’ll stash your cases of cherry-picked vino in our Yukons. We’ll help you with the stash when you reach your starting point. We take care of you every mile, every minute.

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