Press Release:
Photo by Chris Graham
The North Market will host its eighth celebration of Ohio’s finest wines and great foods to pair with them during the weekend of July 10th-12th. Sponsoring organizations of the North Market Food & Ohio Wine Festival include: National City/PNC, Ohio Grape Industries, Ford Motor Company, Master Clean and Columbus Alive.
The festival will kick-off on Friday night with a special preview party from 7-10 p.m. Tickets to the event are $20 and include a customized wine glass, 10 tasting tickets and a $5 North Market gift certificate. Proceeds benefit the historic North Market. Columbus celebrities will serve as guest pourers for the wineries. The Inner City Blues Band will be on hand to get the party jumping and the bodies shaking in the streets. Discount coupons good for $5 off Preview Party admission are available at local National City Bank branches starting in July.
Throughout the weekend the following wineries from around Ohio will offer select wines by the taste (50 cents to $2.00 each), glass, bottle and case: Chalet Debonne Vineyard, Madison; Ferrante Winery, Geneva; Firelands Winery, Sandusky; Henke Winery, Cincinnati; Laurello Vineyards, Geneva; Maize Valley Winery, Hartville; Markko Vineyard, Conneaut; Meranda-Nixon Winery, Ripley; Mon Ami Winery, Port Clinton; Ravens Glenn Winery, West Lafayette; Slate Run Vineyard, Canal Winchester; St. Joseph Vineyards, Thompson; Stoney Ridge Winery, Bryan; Troutman Vineyards, Wooster; The Winery at Wolf Creek, Norton; Valley Vineyards, Morrow; Viking Vineyard, Kent and Wyandotte Winery, Columbus.
There will be two fun additions to the festivities this year. First, Ford Motor Company will be offering test drives of their newly designed Ford Fiesta, due at dealerships next year. Second, cooking demonstrations will take place in the newly minted Ohio Proud mobile kitchen. The kitchen consists of a 24-foot trailer that has the look and feel of a home kitchen with three large screen monitors to display the demonstrations to the audience. The Market is excited about the enhancement that both of these features lend to our event.
“With an ever-increasing focus on everything local, our Food and Ohio Wine Festival provides visitors the opportunity to sample a wide variety of the best wines made in our state. The overall quality and variety of Ohio wine is surprisingly good and I’m confident that everyone who attends will find a wine or two that can become a regular choice when they shop,” said David Wible, Executive Director for the North Market. “Wine making is a local agricultural activity and fits perfectly with the mission of North Market to support local businesses, agriculture and economies.”
Festival hours are Friday, July 10, 7-10 p.m., Saturday, July 11, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Sunday, July 12, 1 – 6 p.m. Preview Party admission is $20 with $5 discount coupons available at local National City Bank branches. Saturday and Sunday admission is free. A $5 tasting fee includes a souvenir glass with tasting tickets available for purchase in any quantity for $.50 apiece. For additional information on the North Market Food and Ohio Wine Festival, please call 614-463-9664 or visit www.northmarket.com.
North Market Food and Ohio Wine Festival Presented by National City Schedule of Activities:
Friday, July 10th – Admission $20 (includes souvenir glass, 10 tasting tickets, $5 North Market certificate)
Festival Hours, 7 – 10 p.m.
7 – 10 p.m. Ohio Wineries open for tasting, North Market remains open
7 – 10 p.m. Meet the winemakers, celebrity wine pourers, music by The Inner City Blues Band
Saturday, July 11th – Tasting admission $5 (includes souvenir glass)
Festival Hours, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
8 a.m., North Market merchants and Farmers’ Market, open for business
9 a.m. – 11 a.m., music by Folkwood Players on the porch
10 a.m., Ohio wineries open for tasting
10 a.m. – 4 p.m., hourly cooking demonstrations by local chefs in the Ohio Proud kitchen
11 a.m. – 1 p.m., music by One More Time String Band on the porch
11 a.m., culinary demonstration by John Hard, CaJohns Flavor & Fire
10 a.m. – 12 p.m., calypso music by Island Breeze on the Spruce Street stage
10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Ohio Farm Bureau Corn Climbing Wall
1 p.m. – 3 p.m., music by the Shaw Brothers on the porch
12 – 2 p.m., music by the Cowboy Hillbilly Hippy Folks on the Spruce Street stage
3 – 5 p.m., Joy Unspeakable, the living statue, as the god of wine
3 p.m.-5 p.m., music by Willie Phoenix on the porch
2 – 5 p.m., music by the Gipson & Fitz Trio on the Spruce Street stage
5 – 7 p.m., music by the Great Mad Hoax on the Spruce Street stage
Sunday, July 12th – Tasting admission $5 (includes souvenir glass)
Festival Hours, 12 – 6 p.m. (wine tasting begins at 1 p.m.)
12 p.m., North Market merchants, Ohio Proud and Artisan Market open for business
12 – 2 p.m., bluegrass music by Slate Ridge on the porch
1 p.m., culinary demonstration in the Ohio Proud kitchen
12 – 2 p.m., music by Cowboy Hillbilly Hippy Folk on Spruce Street Stage
12 – 2 p.m., Joy Unspeakable, the living statue, as the god of wine
2 – 4 p.m., CD101 prize wheel, you spin, you win!
2 p.m., culinary demonstration in the Ohio Proud kitchen
2 – 4 p.m., music by the Gadabouts on the porch
2 – 4 p.m., music by the Great Mad Hoax on the Spruce Street stage
3 p.m., culinary demonstration in the Ohio Proud kitchen
4 – 6 p.m., music by Eileen Howard Jazz Trio on the porch
4 p.m., culinary demonstration in the Ohio Proud kitchen
4 – 6 p.m., music by Willie Phoenix on the Spruce Street stage
For more information, visit NorthMarket.com.