When pulling into the gated gravel driveway, you immediately feel an overwhelming sense of excitement. The romantic Tuscan exterior of the building surrounded by vineyards look like it was plucked out of the village of Soave, Italy. When you get out of your car you can almost taste the crisp ripe fruits hanging from the perfectly green vines. Aside from the winery’s appearance being amazing, when you take your first step through the doors you are plummeted into a world that far exceeds any expectation; you feel nothing but pure warmth.
When first walking in, you will notice the beautiful hardwood bar to your left but the treat for your senses is directly in front of you through the windows. The gardens. Not only are the house wine ingredients harvested from what lies in front of you but so are most of the ingredients for their dishes. Once, while sitting on the oversized couch in front of the romantic wooden fireplace, I watched as my appetizer dish was picked from the gardens. You could smell the sweetness of the cherry tomatoes as the gentleman from the kitchen walked back in, passing directly in front of me with the most appealing looking and fresh vegetables.
Now, on to the most important thing. Outside of the amazing atmosphere and unbelievably nice employees and guests, you have some of the most outstanding house wines in Ohio, quite possibly the country. The Riesling is one of the most magical tastes my taste buds have ever had the pleasure of encountering. The Cab is outstanding as well, but like a lot of wine connoisseurs, you have to experience it yourself to believe it. Might I suggest your first move when arriving, other than situating yourself in a stellar spot (either on the patio near the gardens or inside in the cozy pub-esque atmosphere) is to try the wine boat. All of ThornCreek’s classic house wines in a two ounce sample. After the tasting and the decision on what bottle to order first (because it is inevitable) be sure to ask to see the basement/tasting room. The moist stone floored room is filled wall to wall with giant wooden barrels. Yes, this is where the magic happens and you can touch all of it.
The winery and gardens are open for weddings and every size party you can think of. They also have intimate live entertainment many Fridays and Saturdays of the year along with special events. Their ambiance is amazing, their wines are award winning and the service is second to none. Do yourself the favor and stop in the next time you are in Aurora. Be sure to allow for a couple of hours because for some reason, once you get there, it is too much fun to want to leave.