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Off of a winding road, past an inland light house and up on a hill sits Heritage Vineyards, a winery that might seem out of place in the Appalachian foothills of eastern Ohio. But then, the lighthouse doesn’t make any sense either.
As I pulled into the parking lot in front of the sage green building with its friendly-seeming front porch, I got to meet the winery’s most important ambassador, Tank. The greeting he gave me showed his lack of respect for personal space and complete disregard for etiquette when he stuck his head right inside my car and sniffed me!
If he wasn’t such a handsome fellow, I might have been truly offended. As it were, I was charmed by his big brown eyes and gentle nature. Before I trick anyone into thinking this was a real life “me too” moment, let me confess that Tank is a giant, fluffy white dog. His cuteness made up for his rather forward greeting and any other social faux pas he might make during my visit.
The Winery
After I parked my car, Tank led me into the tasting room where I got to meet his human, winery owner Tina. Tina and her husband Randy Endsley opened the winery in 2009. For several years before that, they had a vineyard but sold all of their harvests to other local wineries, including Rainbow Hills. The 3 acre vineyards stretch out on the hills surrounding the winery and the guest house.
It was the late owner of Rainbow Hills, Lee Wyse, who taught the Endsley’s son Brent how to make wine. Lee was a generous steward of his craft and taught many aspiring wine makers over the years.
Read more about Rainbow Hills Winery here.
As Brent perfected his winemaking skills, Heritage Vineyard’s wine list grew to over 15 award-winning wines. The vineyard produces almost all of the grapes used in their wines. The varietals grown on the estate include Niagara, Traminette and Seyval Blanc, among others.
The Heritage Vineyards wine list includes dry and semi-dry wines, semi-sweet and sweet wines, and fruit wines.
The dry wines they offer are Vidal Blanc, Guardian Red, which is a dry red blend, Chambourcin, Night Watch and Seyval Blanc.
The semi-dry wines on their list include Lighthouse red, a red blend, Guardian Rose and Traminette.
For semi-sweet wines, they make Eclipse, which is a semi-sweet white blend and Twilight Blush a semi-sweet catawba. The rest of the wines on their menu are sweet varietals. They also make a sweet wine called Harvest Moon, made from Niagara grapes, Evening Star, made from Concord grapes and 3 fruit wines- Vineyard Peach, Cranberry Crush and Raspberry Crush.
The most popular wine is Vineyard Peach.
The Current Wine List at Heritage Vineyard Winery
Wine Tastings at Heritage Vineyards
Wine tastings are only $.25 per taste so taste everything if you want to! When I visited, I started with the Guardian Red. Heritage’s Guardian series of wines are named to pay tribute to the current and former Great Pyrenees dogs who kept deer, rabbits and other animals out of the vineyards. Tank is the newest member of the Endsley family and might be a little too friendly to be an effective guardian but he tries his best and his cuteness makes up for any shortcomings.
The Guardian Red is made with Cabernet Franc grapes and had notes of pepper with light tannins. The Guardian Rose is made from Chardonel grapes and had a crisp citrusy flavor, almost like a Sauvignon Blanc.
My favorite wine was Twilight Blush. This Catawba based wine was semi-sweet with a tart finish and berry flavors. This would make a great picnic wine with cheese or chicken.
I also tried Evening Star, a concord sweet wine with intense grape flavors.
After my tasting, I bought a glass of Vidal Blanc and headed outside to explore the back patio. Their is a large covered area with tables and chairs and a separate pavilion in front of the patio. There are large expanses of open lawn where you could spread a blanket and enjoy some wine and snacks.
I was very happy when Tank joined me in the pavilion where I sat down to drink my wine. The views from the patio are pretty, especially on the sunny early spring day when I visited. You can see the surrounding hills, the vineyards and the guest house.
Patio at Heritage Vineyard Winery 
Tank is a loyal tasting companion 
Backyard at Heritage Vineyard Winery 
Landscaping at Heritage Vineyard Winery 
Vineyard with lighthouse in background at at Heritage Vineyard Winery
The Heritage Vineyards Guest House
Before they ever made any wine, The Endsley’s hosted people for weekend and overnight stays in the Heritage Guesthouse. The guest house opened in 1999 and is popular for a couples’ getaway or a girls’ weekend.
The 2 bedroom cottage is secluded and private. There is a full kitchen, a wrap around porch and beautiful views of the winery, vineyard and gardens. There is even a white picket fence and a porch swing.
Heritage Vineyards also a private room off the tasting room that can be rented for special events. The winery would be a perfect spot for a bridal shower.
Heritage Vineyards Location and Hours
The winery is located a few hours south of Cleveland, Ohio and an hour or so east of Columbus. If you are coming from Coshocton, it’s of of Township Road 45 in Warsaw. No matter where you’re coming from, when you see a giant lighthouse, you’ll know you’re close. Gospel Hill Ministry is across the street from the Vineyard. Their 65 ft tall massive lighthouse is open for tours Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 3:00pm and has wonderful views of the winery and vineyards.
Heritage Vineyards is currently open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00 to 7:00pm.
Address:
27561 Township Road 45
Warsaw, Ohio 43844
Phone: 740.824.4314
The hours change in the winter so be sure to check their website or FB page before visiting.
Coshocton County may not be your first thought when planning a wine-centric weekend but I think it should be. In 2018, Heritage Vineyards was ranked the number one winery in the country by the number of positive reviews received on Cellar Tracker. Once you taste their wine, you’ll see why.
Looking for other wineries to visit in the area? Check out our guide to the Three Rivers Wine Trail by clicking the image below.
