Two brothers, born and raised in Northeast Ohio, enjoyed meeting once a year for an elk hunt in the Idaho wilderness. Each evening many fine wines from all over the world were shared while telling stories of past and present hunts. This is when and where the idea for Laurentia Winery was developed. Both brothers knew Northwest Ohio had many wineries and vineyards, and that the potential for higher quality wines from the Grand River Valley was attainable. A career in the oil and gas industry as a geologist taught older brother Gary to question and study the surroundings, in order to better understand why this area held such potential. As a wildcatter looking for the next discovery, the Grand River Valley was chosen over more well-known areas, such as California, to help bring recognition to this region.
It began over 25,000 years ago when Northeast Ohio was covered with a thick sheet of ice that extended from the North Pole and across the Great Plains. The glacier traveled slowly south from Canada into Ohio. When the planet eventually thawed, the glacier retreated north depositing a geologic bounty of rocks and soil in a formation called a terminal moraine. An added benefit was the forming of Lake Erie and The Grand River, both having positive impacts on the region’s climate. The cooling summer breezes off Lake Erie and the beauty of the Grand River Valley created this unique terroir, Laurentia, our winery and vineyard, that we call home.
