School House Winery Review
Address: 455 Schneiders Crossing Rd NW Dover,Ohio 44622.
Phone Number: 330-602-9463
Tasting Hours: Tues-Thurs 5:00-9:00, Fri-Sat 12:00-10:00
Region: Ohio
Reviewer: Shona Carr
Review Date: 3/3/2012
Reviewer: Shona Carr
Rating: 4
The Review
I almost didnt make it to the School House Winery, as my GPS wanted me to stop at a church on a hill and not travel another couple miles down the road to the winery’s actual location. Im glad that I took the initiative to call the winery to find their location, otherwise I would have missed out on a great Ohio winery.
The Place: School House Winery is located in a former one-room schoolhouse built in 1886. The school house, once known as Oak Grove School, still sits in its original location and was used as a home before the current owners purchased, renovated and turned it into a winery. Entering the red brick structure still feels like you are walking into a school, and the owners keep the theme going within; a large tasting bar in the rear center of the room holds the winery’s themed wines and several tables, and even a chalkboard area, are located in the back by the tasting bar. If it is a nice day, enjoy the outside seating area where you will find several picnic tables and a stage for the winery’s weekly summer entertainment.
The Experience: The School House Winery was a joy to visit; the tasting server loved what she was doing and explained that she was the winerys first regular and was even given the opportunity to name the apple wine (Book Worm) when it was made. As I was tasting the wines, I noticed several board and card games stacked up behind the tasting bar. When I mentioned that the winery must be kid friendly, she agreed, but also said that couples come to enjoy a bottle of wine and stay to play games all afternoon and into the evenings. She said that people love to just come and relax, and I could definitely understand how they would feel welcomed to do just that.
The People: Dave and Jennifer Jagunic opened School House Winery in 2009. The couple enjoyed their hobby of making homemade wine, and when they stumbled across the schoolhouse that was for sale, they had a vision that it would make a great winery. The Jagunics currently purchase juice from Ohio, Chile, California, New York and Pennsylvania to make their wine, but they have also planted Concord and Niagara grapes.
The Wines: Enjoy tasting School House Winerys wines for 50¢ each, which includes: Detention (Semi Dry Moscato) $11.99; The Principal (Lightly Oaked Merlot) $16.99; Pep Rally (Dry Red Blend) $14.99; Playing Hooky (Chardonnay) $14.99; Book Worm (Apple) $12.99; Bully Red (Chambourcin) $15.00; Lazy Daze (Niagara) $11.99; Cherry Wine $14.99; Teachers Pet $11.99; American Vidal Blanc $13.99; Scholar Red (Concord) $11.99; Ruslin Hills White (Delaware and Niagara Blend) $11.99 and Oak Grove (Dry Concord) $11.99.
Extras: School House Winery serves a limited menu of pizza, meat and cheese plates, meatball bread bowls, pepperoni rolls, sliced seasoned breads and brownies to enjoy with your wine. They also provide entertainment almost every Saturday night from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.