Wine Me, Dine Me5 min read

Napa shnapa. Who needs to book a flight when you have an active winery in OTR?

Skeleton Root, which opened its doors in September, is serving up some delicious wines and doing so with as much local grape as possible. When you visit, erase everything you think you know about local grapes and wines so you can enjoy the wines without preconceived notions. I tried the red flight which is a great way to sample all they have to offer. I really enjoyed the Petit Verdot, but they were all tasty, and I can only imagine with a meal they would be even better!

This huge, hip spot should be on everyone’s radar. On top of being a cool local, winery, it can be the location of your next party, wedding reception, rehearsal dinner or an awesome auction dinner party! They even hold a floral making class once a month in one of the rooms. An adorable florist Gia & the Blooms––also from OTR––was doing a class when I stopped by, and everyone was making fragrant door wreaths. Just think how creative you’d be, making something while you have unlimited access to wine!

Kate McDonald is the mastermind behind it all. She is an engineer by trade, but a wine enthusiast by nature. She started dabbling in wine making her own.  Then, after taking some classes, and as her love for the whole wine thing grew, she quit her job and moved to Napa. There she worked for the Lewis Cellars, where she was able to get her hands dirty and learn the business. She knew she wanted to come back to Cincinnati. With her excitement for wine and her love of history––especially the history of wine right here––it was a no brainer.

As Kate, who is so knowledgeable and eager to share, was giving me the very extensive tour, I was once again surprised at how much I don’t know about the city I grew up in. A connection was brought about when she mentioned Nicholas Longworth and Catawba grapes. My three boys attended St. Ursula Villa School by Ault Park in Mt. Lookout. There used to be wisteria trellises on the property that looked like vines, and we knew there was a vineyard history in the area…hence the school’s address––Vineyard Place––and another street across from the school named Catawba…a heritage grape from our region that Kate uses now! When Kate was telling her story, she brought up Longworth’s wine vineyard, which sprawled from the school area all the way to Mt. Adams. What an incredible surprise when it all clicked!

At the time Longworth was growing his grapes in the 1850s, Kate said Cincinnati was the largest wine growing region in the country with over 2,000 acres of vineyards! In fact, there’s an American flag from 1858 hanging in Skeleton Root. It points out the history. Note it only has 30 stars…so before California was even a state. BAM! This flag would have been waving outside of Longworth’s estate during this whole wino time!

The demise of “our” wine time was losing many workers at the start of the Civil War, and no one was left to work the vineyards.

Kate is very hopeful and has strong faith that the wine making in our area can have a re-birth. She did say “quality before local”––her objective being the highest quality of wine.  So if there’s nothing in supply in our area that she thinks would make a fantastic wine, she’ll reach out to the other growers with whom she works.

Stop in, check it out and take a tour with Kate. You will leave with a wealth of knowledge. ;)

Tips
• Try a flight! Four Reds for $15 or three whites and a Rosé for $12
• Parking on the street or small lot in back
• Bring your own food or call Uber Eats. Just chips available, for now
• Coming soon…small plates and beer
• Take a look at the Wendigotea, made by a local musician

Upcoming Events
• November 20th 2-5pm: Music by Benjamin Thomas
• December 1st 7-9pm: Holiday wreath making class. Book on Gia & The Bloomswebsite
• December 5th: Check the facebook page for info on a Repel Day celebration with Rhinegeist
• December 11th at noon: Pop-up Pure Barre class. Sign up through Skeleton Roots facebook page orPure Barre west website

Mention Hey Michellewhen you visit and get your corking fee free!!

Kate recommends dropping by and picking up the Riesling or Norton for your Thanksgiving fest!

Thanksgiving Pie Day!!!
Did you receive the email from your family asking what you’re bringing for Thanksgiving? You want to impress, but hate to cook? Here are my three pick-up-and-go pie recos for you:

• O Pie Oin Walnut Hills – fantastic different pies like salted cashew cream and honey vinegar…I know it sounds weird but I promise it’s delish.

• Fork & Pie – serving some tasty pies like the apple blueberry oat pie and many more

•Bluebird Bakery – with a crunch-top pumpkin…yum!