Local wineries hope to draw people to the vineyards on eclipse day

The wineries of Lake Erie’s wine country are working together to draw eclipse viewers to their vineyards.

Local wineries are taking a collective approach in an effort to turn a once-in-a-lifetime moment into a weekend of festivities.

“We’ve decided to come together and have a collective event where each winery could make some food and have it paired with some wine, just make it fun,” said Scott Neeley, owner of Kingview and Penn Shore Wineries.

The 21 wineries on the Lake Erie wine trail are collaborating for a Lights Out event that runs from April 5-8, the day they’ll be in the path of totality.

“We as wineries in this region love to collaborate, love to work together,” said Beau Coletta, winemaker, Cellar ’54. “We understand as a whole that we have to do that to bring people to our region. No one person can just be a standalone.”

From eclipse merch to sun-chasing wine smoothies, these wineries are all in. Many will have live music, and some even have scenic spots to camp overnight.

“We are going to have picnic tables, fire pits, slushies rolling, wine tasting, and lots of food options. It’s going to be a really fun time for everybody,” said Nicole Hicks, business manager at Presque Isle Wine Cellars.

Less congestion and unobstructed views are expected to be the biggest draw.

“Hopefully we won’t have as much traffic and those issues running into that. We also have ample amount of space for parking,” said Coletta.

“You’re getting literally unapparelled, fantastic view right over our vineyards here in Lake Erie,” said Neeley.

Vineyard owners hope newcomers will return when they taste the quality wine their vines produce.

“Anyone who has not been to this region is going to be pleasantly surprised, not just the quality of the wines but also the diversity of the wines that are offered here,” said Hicks.

You can learn more about the events of the wineries online here .

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