Northern Ohio Wine Guild is celebrating its 50th anniversary in August

By Mary Malik

The Northern Ohio Wine Guild is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month. One of the oldest wine groups in the country, the guild is a non-profit organization based mainly on wine education.

“Many of the guild members are award-winning amateur winemakers,” says Jim Sperk. “Some have moved on to become commercial winemakers in Ohio, New York’s Finger Lakes, North Carolina and California. A few guild members have served as officers in national wine organizations and as judges in various wine competitions. Our members have more than just a casual interest in wine.”

The Northern Ohio Wine Guild conducts eight “regular” meetings each year and, in addition to those, hosts a bus trip, picnic and holiday party, and all, not surprisingly, feature the fruits of many of the members’ winemaking labors.

“Topics at the regular meetings range from discussions of grape varietals, food and wine pairings to what’s trending in the wine world and wines from specific areas, with occasional guest speakers,” says Jim. “Some discussions are technical in nature, while all meetings feature a tasting related to the main topic of the meeting.”

Jim says that guests are welcome to most meetings up to three times with no obligation to join the group.

“If you’re a wine lover, make your own wine, or have a desire to learn more from experts and discuss and taste different wines, this could be just the group for you,” says Jim. “Come and join us at our next meeting.”

For information on the Northern Ohio Wine Guild, contact Jim Sperk at tinymoonwines@usa.net.