I’ve been greatly enjoying many of the stories and tributes that have been popping up this month for the 46th Anniversary of the Moon Landing.

Most of them have concentrated on the astronauts getting to the Moon – a feat I am still awed by. But I haven’t seen much said about the fact that they had to come back.

On July 24th, 1969 the families of our plucky space explorers had a true Christmas in July when their capsule landed safely.

Part of me started wondering: There may not have been much to do in that capsule, but what were people down here in Cleveland up to while that trio of trans-atmospheric travelers were on their way back down?

Well, what easier way to find out than for me to dig up one of my many old newspapers – the July 25th, 1969 edition of The Plain Dealer.

Front page of the July 25th, 1969 edition of The Plain Dealer. All images are taken from my copy of this paper, and copyrights belong to their respective holders. Used in the intention of Fair Use.

Travel along with me as I pick out the articles and ads that caught my eye! Feel free to click on the thumbnail images to view larger versions.

Oh, Disclaimer, while all of this is intended as Fair Use, if The Plain Dealer or any copyright holder objects to the use of their material, just let me know!

Ah, yes, Second Disclaimer, I have gone through and scrubbed all the phone numbers I could find. If you think I missed one, please let me know!

Everything That’s Old Is New To Me

When I first started flipping through my paper, I was initially a little overwhelmed. Since I wanted to concentrate on Cleveland-region happenings, I skipped the front section of international news.

Not being a native Clevelander some things were easy for me to recognize as important, such as a weird Higbee’s ad which was…advertising the best way to blend into tall grass?

I also snagged a quick bit about the Bay Village council raising its own pay, a Summer Arts Festival announcement, and a congratulatory column about two young women who received Harpole Awards.

Basically, my thinking was “snag ’em all and let my editor sort it out” – which is not a terribly helpful way of thinking when you are your own editor…

Can You Throw Shade At An Entire Industry?

Slowly I started to find my focus, concentrating more on things that caught my interest and would be found amusing.

I laughed out loud when I took in the brazenness of The First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Cleveland‘s ad. I won’t spoil it, you just have to see it below.

I could then only feel bad for The Third Federal Savings and Loan Association of Cleveland, whose ad ran on the page directly opposite. When you’re not at the top I guess you have to stoop to offering information to readers…and, also, American flags.

It’s All About The People…The Female People, Specifically

By this point I’d realized I’d mostly taken pictures of advertisements that could have been published practically any time, so I started searching out more human interest stuff.

Unrelated to my decision to look for such articles, I came upon the Plain Dealer Women’s Pages, with Harry West as the Women’s Editor.

I originally was going to gloss over how Mr. West was the Women’s Editor, until I Googled Harry to confirm whether or not it was short for Harriette and turned up an interesting tidbit.

In 1970 Mr. West applied for membership in the Ohio Newspaper Women’s Association and seemed honestly confused as to why his membership request was denied, saying “…we have the best women’s pages and I can’t enter.”

I’ll let you be the judge of that statement as we move along.

Now, this section brings us to the first of what I like to call “Scott Was Clearly Not Paying Attention To The Truly Interesting Part Of The Page.” Take a look at this and see if you see what I only saw after going through my images:

What the heck is that headline at the bottom? I was so tied up in thinking “Aren’t late-60s-early-70s styles ridiculous?” that I passed over what I think would have been a far more educational read.

Oh well, I already put the paper back in a drawer so that will have to remain a mystery.

Moving on, I had finally gotten back to paying attention to actual articles. As someone who always stares up at The Lonely Window on Euclid Ave. with many questions, the next article called Tall Stories was kind of fun. And after that I found Dolly’s Cashwords Offers, which I would love to still be a thing because $4,500  in 1969 had the spending power of $29,260.79 in 2015 money!

When “Missed Connections” Were Tiny Ads And Not Airport Nightmares

By this point I had made it to my favorite part of any newspaper – the comics and private ads pages. And every long moment of me carefully covering over phone numbers was worth it.

One of my favorite things in college was grabbing the local paper and looking up what random citizens were paying $.10 per word to post, and this proves that these are enjoyable regardless of the year/decade/century/millennium;

I also found Ask Andy, which I just had to include because he’s adorable and who can’t resist a good explanation of the abyssal plain? Up until the 1920s, sailors thought they were literally floating atop something that never ended.

Andy and Soos clearly shop at the same Mystery Shack.

I’m scared enough going into large bodies of water I know have a bottom; I can’t even fathom how I’d feel thinking it was just endless water.

On a day that celebrates the return of adventurers who just floated around in a ship which was one technical glitch away from floating off into actual infinity, can we think about the pre-1920s sailors who thought gravity was trying to pull them down into the same thing? Except drowny? And they still sailed out on boats over it? Yeesh!

Now, I need to have a word with West End Lumber.

Look, guys, I’m sure that at some point you overheard the phrase “sex sells.” And I suppose, while you were mulling on this miracle of marketing insight, you thought “What is sexy?” and the answer of “a woman in lingerie” popped into your heads.

What am I even supposed to make of this? Seriously?

Now, let’s understand that I’m not disappointed in you for putting a scantily clad woman in your ad (well, actually, I am but we’ll table that discussion for now). What I’m truly disappointed about is that you are carpenters and should know that you can’t just place a nail on a board and claim you’ve built a coherent structure. Similarly, you can’t just put a woman in lingerie atop a map to your location and think you’ve built a coherent advertisement.

At least give her a hammer or saw or some proper context. This is just sad.

Let’s Hear It For That Local Sports Team!

I don’t know anything about sports. I don’t know anything about it now, and I certainly don’t know anything about it 13 years before I was born.

What I do know is that the “Astronauts’ Final Score” line on the first page of the sport’s page is freaking hilarious, and that sports commentator Chuck Heaton is the father of actress Patricia Heaton.

And now we come to the second installment of “Scott Was Clearly Not Paying Attention To The Truly Interesting Part Of The Page.” Contestants, if you’ll please take a look:

If you thought to yourself “Whether the tour retsrns [sic] with all 89 energetic youngsters in tow remains to be seen.” is a concerning way to end an article headlined 89 Catholic Pupils Start Tour, then congrats! You win!

Timely Things That Are Actually Timely

Okay, aside from the Sports Section, almost everything I’ve found thus far really could have happened at any time during the year. So why don’t we turn to the … What the hell is this:

Oh, it’s simply a terrifying drawing of Lawrence Welk who was visiting Cleveland at the time.

I mean, I have no issue against Mr. Welk himself. It’s just that this image…

The longer I stare at his forehead…

My freedom of will sapping…

Sense of self draining…

WOAH! What happened? Where did all these bottles of champagne suddenly come from?

Anyway, inside the pages of pd action tab is a bunch of insights into what Clevelanders were up to at this time.

Peter, Paul, and Mary and The Union Gap were tearing up the stage at Blossom. The Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival was being awesome — as it is to this day. Euclid Beach Park was advertising its 10 cent ride night. And the New Geauga Lake Park was advertising its bargain weekday prices of $2.75 (keep in mind that $2.75 in 1969 had the spending power of $17.88 in 2015 money).

And then I nearly slipped down the rabbit hole – the movies section.

Oh. My. God. I just don’t have words for the…variety of entertainment available. All I can do is post the pages and let people have their own internal monologue.

I love that, by film poster rules, this means that knowing that Walt Disney made “The Love Bug” was as important as knowing that Raquel Welch was in “Fantastic Voyage.”

I was also pleased to see a box for the Aut-O-Rama, a drive-in movie theater that Amanda and I have really enjoyed since moving out here.

Now, we’re in the home stretch of the paper (and this blog entry). We’ve made it into the music section of pd action tab, which was especially fun to flip through. It was very interesting to read about the Flats being the bastion of social activity during this time in Cleveland’s history.

It was even cooler to find an article by a young Jane Scott, who took the time to outline all the new dance moves the local kids were doing that were inspired by the Moon Landing. There are such classics as the Neil Armstrong Step Down, the Side Step in the Capsule Spin, and of course the Buzz Bounce.

And that, dear friends, is what is called “coming ’round full circle!”

Yes, I totally planned starting the article about the Moon Landing and ending it on a tangentially related subject. It was totally NOT something I realized just as I was writing this.

Always End On A Lesson

So that is a brief glimpse into what was up in Cleveland as the astronauts were coming down. It looks like there was a lot of great fun to be had when one wasn’t watching history in the making. I hope you had as good a time looking back on all of this as I had.

And, in order to meet the educational requirements of this blog, I want to leave us with an example for West End Lumber for how one should, and only should, use a lingerie-dressed woman in an advertisement.

Body English?

Meh, the more you know.

Even without the Great Lakes Science Center’s Beer Goggles, their Home Brew event was a lot of fun

I am a big fan of the Great Lakes Science Center. Every time I go I have a great time. It’s an awesome space filled with experiments and exhibits that consistently entertain and educate me.

We’ve always enjoyed Yuri’s Night, so Amanda and I were very excited to learn the Science Center was continuing their events for the 21+ crowd will Science After Dark: Home Brew.

Home Brew, which took place a couple weeks ago, focused on the science behind brewing beer and coffee.

After settling in, our first stop was a presentation from Paul Benner and Reed Jaskula of The Cleveland Brew Shop. (Correction: Amanda’s first stop was the presentation, mine was for glasses of mead.)

I hadn’t expected the science and story of yeast (The Workhorse of Beer!) to be as entertaining as they made it, but hilarious drawings and a great dynamic made it a lot of fun.

Tremble before the terror of Yeast! Kill it! KILL IT WITH FIRE!

After Paul and Reed wrapped up we stayed for Arthur Gugick’s presentation on Calculus and the Coliseum, an amazing presentation on the math used to create from-scratch LEGO art pieces and monuments. Mr. Gugick is the local Cleveland artist/genius whose work is highlighted as part of the Science Center’s LEGO exhibit.

Minds are about to be blown…into little LEGO shaped pieces.

I love LEGO and the temporary (now through September 7th) LEGO displays were something that I was really looking forward to seeing. I had no idea that a significant portion of the Science Center’s lower exhibit hall was going to be dedicated to landmarks, paintings, and other fantastical works all created by Mr. Gugick.

After thoroughly amazing us with the talent and creativity portrayed in his presentation, Amanda and I were energized to begin our exploration of the Science Center’s other entertainment and imbibements.

Regarding drinks, Amanda was the designated driver and quite enjoyed (and appreciated) Phoenix Coffee’s options. I tried a few wines, beers, and meads, but ultimately my favorite was Sunshine Daydream by Fat Head’s Brewery. It was light and crisp and quite a pleasant surprise!

Beverages are easy to pick favorites from, but I would be very hard-pressed to pick out my favorite activity from the evening’s selections. The Science Center really outdid itself.

The first one we encountered was the Make-It-Yourself Miniature Golf, where all the holes were fashioned from reclaimed and recycled material. All you needed was some duct tape, your imagination, and a couple extra hands and you had your own mini golf hole!

By the time Amanda and I arrived there were already quite a few constructed, so we concentrated on trying out other people’s creations.

I call this “Action Shot Amanda”

We also stumbled (figuratively) across Beer Goggle Cornhole, where you wore goggles that simulated the wobbly vision of inebriation. We didn’t actually play much cornhole with them, but it was fun trying to walk straight lines with the great lake view before us.

Next we found the LEGO Daredevil High-wire Challenge…or it could have been named something else very similar, it’s hard remembering certain details after a few cups of beer! But it was a lot of fun creating a LEGO machine that could make it from the third floor to the second without falling from the wire. Mine smashed to pieces when it reached the bottom, but I still made it the whole way!

Another awesome part of the night was the Tabletop Cleveland area and creating our own board game pieces. Amanda and I put together our little monstrosities and then took part in the evolving board game. If you had to hop on one leg in order to gain points equivalent to Pi, you landed on my challenge. Sorry.

My Cleveland Tabletop board game piece – Mustachio Sword and Pirate Bunny Drinking in a Rocket Ship – sits next to my bare-bones but uber-functional high-wire LEGO device.

As the evening began to near its end Amanda and I made our way down to the LEGO exhibit. It really is inspiring. I’m not even going to bother trying to describe the detail, wonder, and skill that is captured throughout both Mr. Gugick’s works and the traveling exhibit.

It is incredible – and fun – and should absolutely be checked out before it leaves on September 7th.

LEGOs. Aw yeah.

As with my last entry I had also threatened promised to include a review a la sonnet, so here goes:

Great Lakes Science Center is quite a place,
Three stories of discovery await.
You will use the thinker behind your face,
Fun for the family, and even a date!

Science After Dark is really inspired,
Get out and learn with a drop of some brew.
With all that there is, your brain will not tire,
There’s so many sciences waiting for you!

Cleveland Brew Shop made yeast science funny.
Tabletop Cleveland brought fun you could make.
The Fat Head’s beer was really quite sunny,
Phoenix Coffee kept Amanda awake!

For a memory that is sure to stick,
Check out the LEGOs by Arthur Gugick!

Disclaimers: 

• I am much happier with the rhymes in this sonnet. I thought that was worth you knowing. 
• Amanda was offered tickets to attend Science After Dark in exchange for blogging about it. I got her second ticket because if she hadn’t let me go with her I would have whined like a sad puppy dog for well over a week. The decision to attend and post about an event is her own, based on whether she thinks it’s something that may also interest others.
• My decision to blog about the event was actually my own this time. Because LEGO.

Colin Dussault’s Acoustic Side Project greeted people near the stadium’s entrance.

Nestled at the corner of 9th and Carnegie, there’s just something about Progressive Field that I really enjoy. I’m a transplant to Cleveland, so my fondness for the stadium doesn’t stem from a home team association. And, as someone who competed in marching band through the Philadelphia and South Jersey region, I’ve been in my fair share of stadiums. But Progressive captures something few others do.

I’ve mulled over what that “something” is, and I currently claim it is “hopeful enthusiasm.” Clevelanders have a solid ability to both recognize “what is” while planning for and looking forward to “what could be.” Something about Progressive Field captures that. Regardless of its corporate origins, the stadium’s current name is very fitting for this city.

What makes everything better is when you have the opportunity to freely drink the official beverages of “hopeful enthusiasm” – wine and beer. The Grapes & Ale at Progressive Field event, which happened a few Fridays ago on June 27th, brings all this together for a great time. And, since it raises funds for Our Lady of the Wayside, we have a perfect storm of good vibes.

Wines, foods, and peoples.

Arriving at Progressive Field a tad early, Amanda and I could smell the predominantly barbecued food that was waiting to accompany the many spirits that are automatically included with entry.

After getting our etched wineglasses, my first stop was to try the Johnny Appleseed hard apple cider, followed by some flipflop moscato. Then we moved on to grab some of the always-delicious Famous Dave’s wings.

Amanda was Designated Driver that evening, and there was plenty of bottled water and soda (“pop” if you’re not a transplant) for her. There was also salad and veggies, ample seating if you walked in deep enough, and even a putting green.

Famous Dave’s not only provided good eats, but a nice take-home surprise.

If you don’t like wine, the Beer Garden had taken over Progressive’s Budweiser Patio. You don’t need to buy tickets to go in – although you do need an empty glass and then tickets if you want any beer – but the mini hot dogs were delicious and the snow cone machine was a great treat.

There were also some games spread about. If leaving with the little wine glass wasn’t enough, the beer tickets got you a handled mason jar and a Lime-a-Rita sample got you another festive glass. Although I didn’t have any, a trusted source told me the Leinenkugel’s stand had brought a Russian Imperial Stout that was great.

I like my crushed ice plain.

If you didn’t bring extra cash for the beer (like me), no worries. There was still plenty of that free-flowing wine, as well as a few other spirits.

To be honest, my wine preferences are pretty narrow; the wine needs to be white and sweet. I’m not listing a lot of sampled names here not because there wasn’t a large selection, but because there was and my sampling was more copious than my note-taking.

The vendors stretched down an entire side of Progressive Field; there was plenty of wine I didn’t drink, and plenty of wine that I did. But you needed to do something special to stand-out in my memory, and the vendor which delivered that was Cupcake Vineyards:

• Walk-in wine truck pulled into the stadium? Check.
• Photo-op? Check.
• Second photo-op? Check.
• iPads with all the info and cat videos you could want? Check. (Especially because one of our cats is named Cupcake.)
• Tiny cupcakes at the ready? Check.
• Delicious Prosecco? Double check.

When it came to wine, Cupcake Vineyards got my vote for “Win.”

Cupcakes! Cupcakes cupcakes cupcakes! CUPCAKES!

Great venue, great drinks, great food, great company – what more am I to say? Grapes & Ale at Progressive Field was a feel-good event last year, and it was a feel-good event this year, and I eagerly look forward to next’s. Until then, I declared I’d review this as a sonnet, so here it is:

Progressive Field is a really great space,
Open and cool and filled up with big smiles.
If the Indians don’t manage to place,
It’s still a spot where-in I’d walk for miles.

Awesome is Our Lady of the Wayside,
Caring for those who are needing a boost.
Providing shelter, respite, and a ride.
So help by drinking fermented grape juice!

Grapes & Ale at Progressive Field is fun,
Food, spirits, and beer all over – delish!
So buy some tickets, you son of a gun!
“This never should end,” is what you will wish!

So come on down to 9th and Carnegie,
Bring hunger and thirst…but not the baby.

Selfie! Selfie selfie selfie! SELFIE!

Disclaimers: 

• I know Carnegie/baby is a terrible rhyme, but how about YOU come up with a better word that rhymes with Carnegie! 
• Also, Amanda was offered tickets to attend Grapes & Ale at Progressive Field in exchange for blogging about it. I got her second ticket because I can flap my eyeleshes like a pro. The decision to attend and post about an event is her own, based on whether she thinks it’s something that may also interest others.
• My decision to blog about the event was not my own, but part of Amanda’s agreeing to be Designated Driver so I could run about downing samples like a thirsty camel at an Oasis Sample Party. It seems batting eyelashes is not as powerful a tool of persuasion as I thought.

Our first Billy Joel concert at the Q in Cleveland

Last week, I fulfilled 10-year-old Amanda’s dream of seeing Billy Joel in concert. Although I initially had to drag Scott with me, Billy Joel had a new lifelong fan by the end of the concert.

I had never been to a Billy Joel concert before last Tuesday night. In fact, before then, any significant exposure to Billy Joel I’d had was what played on the radio in my formative years, when my only indicator of “what successful music sounds like” was nothing more than “it played on the radio.”

All the more I knew of Billy Joel was that “Weird Al” Yankovic did the It’s Still Billy Joel To Me spoof (and if “Weird Al” spoofed you it meant you were pretty damn important) and that, during my time in chorus, we had a lot of very hoity-toity vocal adaptations of Billy Joel songs which had some very deep – or at least intricate – lyrics. So I never formed my own opinion of Billy Joel, instead carrying on a concept that was formed over decades from other people’s reverence.

It was this conception of a lauded and serious artist that I took into the concert. As Billy Joel entered the Q’s performance stage and sat down at the piano under a single blue spotlight, I was 100% prepared for the show to be little more than Billy Joel dutifully playing each of his hits, with nay but a pause between for a sip of water. I’ve seen the same from lesser-known songsters.

Let me be perfectly blunt upfront – Billy Joel in concert was amazing. Basked in a soft glowing light while seated at his piano, the man pointed out at the people surrounding him in the fully packed Q and observed that while he hadn’t released a pop album in two decades he was still touring to massively sold-out crowds.

This wasn’t ego talking. He’d brought it up so that he could proudly announce his own career was proof that he was “full of crap and lies.”

This was in reference to lyrics he had written for his song The Entertainer, “I won’t be here in another year; If I don’t stay on the charts.”

This statement made it clear from the start that Billy Joel had an acute self-awareness of himself that allowed a very a unique attitude to show through during the concert.

I have no idea if Tuesday night’s performance is reflective of the concert experience across his entire career, but I know that it certainly shattered my expectations of him.

Subtle aspects of this unexpected mindset popped up throughout the night.

Billy Joel performing at Cleveland’s Q

There were the intermittent segments Amanda and I began to call “Story Time With Uncle Billy” where the audience was regaled with tales of being stranded and cursed at on Ohio freeways, and his claims that Ted Nugent needed to aim his throat spray “up his ass.

There was the lengthy explanation of every factual inaccuracy and “complete bullshit” to be found within The Ballad of Billy the Kid. Or the alternate lyrics for She’s Always a Woman: “She’ll ruin your face with her powerful thighs.” And yes, I heard that right.

But the pièce de résistance was yet to come. As the show’s three-quarter mark ticked over, Billy Joel stood up and was handed a bright red electric guitar.

I didn’t know that he was introducing the defining moment of my existence on this planet, when I would realize I had now lived a Complete Life.

Billy Joel told the audience that he hoped the next song would be a religious experience, and that he would be welcoming to the stage a roadie that had been with his crew for many years.

At this point, imagine if you will, a middle-aged Al Lewis stomping out onto the hardwood. His many arm tattoos were visible thanks to the black Guy Harvey t-shirt that had the sleeves cut off with a deep V of fabric that ran down his ribs. He had in his hand, pressed firmly to his mouth, a microphone.

Billy Joel introduced him to us with his given Christian name of “Chainsaw.”

Chainsaw then broke into Highway to Hell, with Billy Joel rocking out on the guitar. And I do mean the full, 3-minute and 29-second song. Chainsaw stomped around the stage shouting at camera men, instrumentalists, and front row audience members. Billy Joel dug deep into that guitar. Red lights and spectacle flashed around them. It was a fantastic rendition.

Billy Joel performing at Cleveland’s Q

When the song was over the soft lighting once again came up. Chainsaw retired to the back, and Billy Joel handed over his guitar while retaking his seat at the rotating piano.

The expected lyrical repertoire earnestly resumed with the same energetic humor displayed earlier in the night, punctuated now and then by the odd rendition of Uptown Girl.

But nothing quite matched the “What the Hell did I just see?” moment that had arisen when Billy Joel shared the stage, and an AC/DC cover, with Chainsaw.

So, my friends, that is what I wished to share of our experience. After the other night, any of my thoughts of a “stuffy songwriter nearing the end of his career taking for granted the endurance of his work” were blanched out.

I have mixed feelings about whether or not to recommend that you go see Billy Joel in Concert, should he tour near you:

On one hand it’s an amazing experience orchestrated with great love by a talented man who clearly wants you to have as much fun in the audience as he’s having on stage.

On the other hand, as you leave the concert, your mind may be completely blown by the realization that Life will be all downhill from there forward.

Largely thanks to a man called Chainsaw.

Fortunately, Clue Into Cleveland guest contributor Kate Galo was happy enough to enjoy a day of wine tasting for me. Enjoy her writeup of the experience and be sure to check out the Ice Wine Festival this Saturday, March 19th (your last chance this year!).

— Amanda

***

I find that there are certain proposals that could be made to me that I will always say yes to.  Would I like to bring some food to a dinner party?  Would I mind asking that embarrassing question so my friend doesn’t have to?  Would I like to go drink some wine?

A bottle of South River's Karma wine in their cellar

The answer will always be an emphatic YES.  So when Clue Into Cleveland was asked if we’d like to go to South River Vineyard and maybe try some ice wine, I said YES.  (And maybe threatened to knock Amanda and Elizabeth out of the way so I could go.)  I was already planning on making my way to Geneva and had no problem with visiting South River Vineyard first!

I learned from Gene Sigel, owner of South River Vineyard, that this is the 8^th year of the Ice Wine Festival for the various wineries around Geneva and Ashtabula, and that the three weekends in March are some of the busiest times of their year.  He chalks it up to cabin fever, and I agree with him, but I’d also say it has something to do with the fact that ice wine is delicious and sweet and gives you a feeling of doing something special in the end of winter when last weekend you were wearing 5 layers of clothing in your house and debating whether or not you could stand to get out from under the blanket to feed your stupid pets.

Gene Sigel of South River using a wine thief to draw wine from a barrel.

Learning more about ice wine just highlighted how little I know about wine making, and chemistry in general.  Ice wine is a specialty in places like Northeast Ohio since it needs to b 18 degrees Fahrenheit for the grapes to freeze, the grapes have to picked (sometimes by hand!) when they’re frozen, and pressed when they’re frozen in a giant bucket press.  If the grapes get warm, they get squishy (technical term), and then the chemistry changes and the kind of wine changes.  South River picked their grapes last December and made a Concord Ice and a Blush Ice wine.  The Blush Ice wine is fantastic!  Not too syrupy or overly sweet, it was clear and sweet and had very clear cherry and berry and lilac aromas.  The Concord Ice was very “jammy” as Gene put it, and he’s right – it was as if I had taken a bite of homemade grape jam.

First Runner-up Amanda Wight, Ice Wine Queen Stephy Gorgeny, Second Runner-up Sara Galbreath

And this was the first year for the Ice Wine Queen!  Gene and his wife and co-owner Heather put together this event for the first time this year.  Contestants learned about the Ice Wine Queen from their website, www.southrivervineyard.com, and from the winery’s Facebook page (facebook.com/southrivervineyard), and were asked to answer a few questions, including one very challenging one: “What is your favorite wine?”

Ice Wine Queen Stephy Gorgeny described her answer as very detailed (from vine to wine!), and chose Gewurztraminer.  First Runner-up Amanda Wight took this as an opportunity to do a lot of reading on the grapes, and went with a Riesling.  Second Runner-up Sara Galbreath, who journeys from Erie, Pa. once a quarter to the area, just picked her favorite, a Pinot Noir, pointing out its versatility and ability to be paired with so many things.  All three winners were very excited to be a part of the first Ice Wine Queen contest.  Queen Stephy (I don’t know if she’s made people refer to her as “Queen Stephy” from now on, but you shouldn’t miss the opportunity, girl!), said that she has always been a fan of South River and finds it so beautiful, and was happy to be able to help promote our Northeast Ohio wineries.  Second Runner-up Sara agreed, saying that South River’s history and grounds and wines make it a place she really loves.

I did spy all three winners later in the day at some of the other wineries with their crowns and sashes, and I have to say, it really inspired myself and my drinking buddies to plan for next year’s Ice Wine Queen.  My favorite wine?  Um… will be… delicious?  I will prepare more over the year!  And I would also recommend a talent portion – hand the contestants a wine and tell them to pair it with a meal!  Blind taste test to see if they can pick up the notes in the wine!

A selection of South River's white wines

I did not stick with just ice wine, because who could?  I got the chance to taste South River’s Dry Riesling, Semillon, Creation, Temptation, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc wines as well (I also ate a small loaf of bread, and spread those out over two visits, so I was fine to drive!).  Let me break it down:

• The Dry Riesling tasted to me like a very classic dry riesling – not too sweet, crisp and light.  The boyfriend was very pleased with this, as he actually does not much care for overly sweet wine.
• The Semillion is a buttery, smoother wine, and one of the most planted grapes in Bordeaux, France.  Because I don’t know what figs taste like exactly, I could not say for sure that I tasted the fig honey, but I did note that it was really creamy and smooth.
• The Creation and Temptation wines were my new best friends!  The Creation is South River’s blend of Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay, and Temptation is a blush wine made from Cabernet Franc and Riesling.  They were both excellent.  I really loved Temptation, but I have a tendency to go towards slightly sweeter, edging into dessert wine territory wines that don’t necessarily have to be parried with things.
• South River’s 2010 Pinot Noir was made from Dijon clones from France, and their Cabernet Franc was actually a pleasant surprise for Gene, who typically uses their cabernet francs to blend with their other wines.  The 2010 year however turned out really well and was bottled on its own, and as a person who doesn’t know all that much about Cabernet Franc, I would say that yes, it is a really fresh, almost peppery wine and I could see how it would mix really well with other blends.

Whew.  And people, this was only my first stop of the day.  I went on to Debonne, Grand River Cellars, Ferrante, Laurello, and back to South River.  Judging by seeing the Ice Wine winners and a number of familiar faces at all the stops, making a day of the Ice Wine Festival is very much the thing to do in March.  Saturday March 19, 2011 is the last Saturday for this year’s Festival, so strap on your drinking snow boots, and enjoy!

South River Vineyard

About the Guest Author: Kate Galo
Long long ago, Kate Galo was a professional blogger at the now-defunct BloggingOhio.com.  Her writing style has vastly improved over the years, and she’s excited to sharing her thoughts about this city with the loyal readers at Clue Into Cleveland!