Geneva, Ohio -- A new study reveals that wineries are a top draw for visitors to the Lake Erie shoreline in northeastern Ohio. The region, concentrated in the Grand River Valley AVA, is home to some 20 wineries and 600-850 acres of vineyards, according to Donniella Winchell, executive director of the Ohio Wine Producers Association (OWPA), which commissioned the survey funded by the nonprofit group Cleveland Foundation.

Working with Ohio State University, OWPA volunteers surveyed 131 visitors to local wineries between July and October 2007. Some 89% of the subjects specified the wineries as their primary reason for visiting the area, and nearly 36% stayed overnight. The region, which encompasses Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake counties, represents about 65% of Ohio's wine production and contributes about $30 million per year to the local economy.

According to the study, which will be released in its entirety in May, wine tourists visited an average of 3.93 wineries per trip, purchased about 3.8 bottles to drink at the time and bought 5.6 bottles to take home--at an average price of $8 per bottle. The vast majority of these wineries sell 90% of their product directly to consumers at the cellar door.

Winchell told Wines & Vines that OWPA requested the $10,000 grant first to measure wine tourism and secondarily to gauge total economic impact. "One of the reasons this was so important," she said, "was to validate the importance of the wine industry as a community resource." As with wine regions everywhere, she explained, "We are facing enormous urban pressure for development." The Grand River AVA, source of 85% of the grapes grown in the three counties, is only 4 miles wide by 22 miles long.

"Most of the grapes were planted after Prohibition," Winchell said. "The vineyards on the best sites survived. We need to show the importance of preserving these sites and validate the critical role viticulture can play in Ohio's economy."

Now that the study is complete--and the methodology is refined--Winchell said the association plans to take the survey statewide and include the balance of Ohio's 104 wineries and 2,200 acres of vineyards. "Once we get statewide figures, it will validate the industry's value in terms of preserving viticulture lands. Perhaps we'll get some conservation dollars as well," Winchell said.

Ohio led the United States in wine production in 1860, according to the OWPA website ohiowines.org, but its vineyards were decimated by disease and the manpower drain of the Civil War. Its rebound was slow following Prohibition, but the state is now producing Riesling, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and other vinifera wines in addition to native and French hybrid varietals. "Only a couple of the largest wineries even dip a toe outside the Ohio market," Winchell said, and although restaurants in the northeastern region feature local products, "In Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio wines rarely appear on wine lists, in large part because they are so popular that there aren't enough," she said, pointing out that profit margins are much higher for direct-to-consumer sales.

Winchell said that a recent survey by the Orbitz travel company put two Ohio regions in its top 10 wine destinations: Grand River Valley at No. 6, and Lake Erie--"basically, all the rest of Ohio," Winchell explained--at No. 9. Her organization has labored to gain that recognition, and Ohio's wine tourism season is "very busy from the end of March through the end of December," or almost year-round, Winchell said.

Thanksgiving weekend is especially popular, with former Ohioans returning for the holiday and picking up cases of wine for seasonal giving. In December, some 1,500 visitors flock to the "Tannenbaum Trail," and two carefully timed weekends, dubbed "Super Souper Trail," span Superbowl weekend, drawing "a lot of girlfriend travel," from those not enamored of football.

The association's biggest event, Vintage Ohio, provides "an August bump," Winchell said, drawing attendance of about 35,000. Ohio law accommodates wine tourists by allowing winery visitors to purchase wine for on-site consumption with picnics or other meals.

A tireless promoter, Winchell confessed, "Whenever I'm on the West Coast, I talk about the strength of the American wine industry. Here in the Midwest, we teach people to drink wine."

Winchell is also a ringleader in a signature marketing event, "License to Steal," which will convene for its third year next week. Conceived to meet the needs of still-emerging wine-producing areas, the conference brings together associations and producers eager to learn how to bring attention to their regions. This year, producer associations from New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Missouri will participate, along with Ohio.

Programs will include provocative topics like penetrating the Snow Bird markets of the South, generational marketing, connecting with wine bloggers, creating shared advertising to benefit all, wine trail ideas and problem-solving, regional wine schools, wine and food pairing demonstrations, festivals as revenue streams and maximizing tasting room sales.

Scheduled speakers include Bill Geist of Zeitgeist Consulting, who will speak on marketing, customer service and trends; Patrick Fegan of the Chicago Wine School, on the growth of the American wine industry; and Wine Enthusiast editor Tim Moriarty on wine trends, food pairing and his readers. Wines & Vines editor Jim Gordon will speak on wine blogging and direct-to-consumer marketing.

Scheduled for April 1-3 at The Lodge & Conference Center at Geneva State Park, License to Steal is open to winery staff, trade and government organizations, tourism communities and other allied enterprises. Registration is still open at $195 per person/$165 for additional attendees from the same business, not including rooms or meals. For details and reservations, visit nationalwinemarketi ng.com.