FARMS AND FOODS OF OHIO, Mary Lou Suzsko

When Ron Barrett and Nancy Bentley were dating, he took her to his Oregon vineyard in the Chehalem Valley, where she fell starry-eyed in love with the romance of a vineyard. Nancy, a former New Yorker, had visions of herself strolling through the vineyards, the sun warming her skin, a glass of Pinot Noir in one hand and nibbling grapes straight off the vine with the other. "Somebody forgot to tell me that growing grapes is farming," says Nancy. She soon learned that the forces of nature, predators, unreliable labor, and equipment breakdowns can quickly cloud the quixotic vision of owning a vineyard. Love prevailed and Nancy adjusted. Then Ron decided he needed a change of venue and a new viticultural challenge.

Southwest Ohio topped the list of possibilities, inching out eastern Washington State and southern Oregon. Unglaciated limestone ridges here mimicked the soil of some of the best grape-growing regions in the world, and the modified continental climate had great potential for fully developed grapes -- a mid-September to late October harvest window of cool nights, warm days, and not a lot of precipitation.

Using the Internet they looked for acreage in the Ohio River Valley appellation, a region initially famous for the American Labrusca variety of Catawba that Nicholas Longworth, father of American wine, used to create. Their first "hit" was an intriguing 1880 Gothic Revival home with beautiful southeast facing slopes with picturesque views all around. What it lacked in convenience, being far off the roads most traveled, it made up for in its potential for growing fabulous wine grapes. "In New York, the outdoors was the trip from my apartment to the cab," says Nancy. "Now I watch bats fly against the outdoor light, see bluebirds raise their babies in the old cedar fence posts, hear the calls of wild turkey and meadowlarks, and find tiny frogs and beautiful Luna moths."

In 1999, using their best educated guesses, they planted the vineyard with late-maturing wine grape varieties which ripen slowly into October, producing wines with greater depth and complexity, including Cabernet Sauvignon. They also planted an experimental section with Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Semillon, Merlot and Gamay Noir, and have made plans to find additional winter-hardy vines.

In 2001, the first harvest came at Kinkead Ridge without any means to crush the grapes. In the fellowship of making great wine, Andy Troutman of Wolf Creek Winery, himself a new generation of Ohio winemakers, opened his winery in Akron to remedy their dilemma.

The following year, Kinkead Ridge, An Estate Winery was complete in time for the second harvest of Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Roussanne, and Petit Verdot. They began producing limited quantities of ultra-premium wines, that, in the short history of Kinkead Ridge, have won medals of distinction in several international wine competitions. "During tastings, we'll have visitors who say they only like sweet wines," says Nancy. "After they taste one of our Cabernets made from dead-ripe grapes, they are amazed at how good a dry wine can taste."

Ron and Nancy each have their niche in the process that brings the wine from the vine to the bottle to the customer. As managing partner, her focus is behind the desk: all the marketing and sales, paperwork and accounting a small business can generate. His focus is on the vineyard, constantly questioning every aspect from the rootstock and grape varieties to the wine yeasts and wine barrels. Nancy says Ron's infinite number of questions couldn't be answered in a lifetime, but his passion has resulted in some extraordinary wines that keep getting better as the vines age.

THE RECIPES

Sauteed Mixed Mushrooms with Feta on Croutons

        4 slices bread, crusts trimmed, sliced on diagonal to create 16 triangular croutons

        1/8 cup olive oil

        1/2 stick unsalted butter

        1 shallot or 1/2 white onion, minced

        3 garlic cloves, minced

        1 pound mixed mushrooms, such as crimini, shiitake and oyster, halved or quartered if large

        1/2 cup dry white wine

        5 ounces feta cheese, cut into small cubes

        Salt and pepper, to taste

        1/2 lemon

        Chopped fresh Italian parsley, chives or tarragon

        Heat olive oil over medium heat in large pan. Toast croutons in oil on each side until lightly browned. Remove and set aside.

        In same pan, heat butter over low heat until melted. Add the shallot or onion and garlic and cook slowly until softened. Add sliced mushrooms and cook until the moisture from the mushrooms is released. Take the pan off the heat, add the white wine, return to the stove and continue cooking until almost all the wine has cooked off.

        Mound the mushrooms on a warm plate and top with feta. Arrange the croutons decoratively around the mushrooms. Sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs. Season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Makes 4 appetizer servings.

        Pork Tenderloin with Shallots, Grapes, Walnuts and Rosemary

        1 cup orange juice

        1/2 cup walnuts

        2 pork tenderloins, trimmed

        2 tablespoons ground coriander or cardamom

        Salt and pepper, to taste

        1/8 cup Olive oil

        2 shallots, minced

        6 ounces red seedless grapes, halved

        About 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary, plus 4 sprigs for garnish

        Walnut oil (optional)

        Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Boil the orange juice until reduced to 1/2 cup and set aside. Heat walnuts in a small non-stick pan until slightly warm and the aroma of the nuts is released. Set aside.

        Rub tenderloins with the ground coriander or cardamom and season with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a pan and brown the tenderloins on all sides on top of the stove. Transfer tenderloins to an oven-safe pan and roast in the oven 20 to 30 minutes to desired degree of doneness, internal temperature of 150 to 165 degrees. Keep warm and let meat rest 10 to 15 minutes before slicing on the diagonal. (Save ends for sandwiches.)

        In the same pan used for sauteing tenderloins, saute the shallots and grapes until the shallots are lightly browned. Add the reduced orange juice.

        Plate the pork slices (about three per serving), top with the grape/shallot mixture, spoon over the reduced orange juice and sprinkle with chopped walnuts and chopped rosemary. Optional: Drizzle with walnut oil. Makes 4 servings.

        Serving suggestion: Mound mashed sweet potatoes in the center of the plate and ring with steamed sliced Napa cabbage mixed with grated fresh ginger to taste. Arrange pork tenderloin slices and toppings on sweet potatoes, and garnish with a sprig of rosemary.