For the ninth year, the North Market has gathered eighteen of Ohio’s finest wineries to celebrate fine local cuisine and vino at the North Market Food & Ohio Wine Festival Presented by PNC. The festival will take place the weekend of July 9-11. Sponsoring organizations include PNC Bank, Ohio Grape Industries, Master Clean, Ohio Magazine, Yelp and Columbus Alive.

The Food & Ohio Wine Festival will kick-off on Friday night with a special preview party from 7-10 p.m. Tickets to the event are $20 and include a commemorative wine glass, 10 tasting tickets and a $5 North Market gift certificate. Proceeds benefit the historic North Market. Columbus celebrities will serve as guest pourers for the wineries. Men of Steel, a local steel drum band, will lend their cool Caribbean tunes to the festivities. Discount coupons good for $5 off Preview Party admission are available at local PNC branches starting in July. Purchase Preview Party tickets online HERE>

The following wineries from around Ohio will offer select wines by the taste (50 cents to $2.00 each), glass, bottle and case: Chalet Debonne Vineyard, Madison; Ferrante Winery, Geneva; Firelands Winery, Sandusky; Henke Winery, Cincinnati; Laurello Vineyards, Geneva; Maize Valley Winery, Hartville; Markko Vineyard, Conneaut; Meranda-Nixon Winery, Ripley; Mon Ami Winery, Port Clinton; Raven’s Glenn Winery, West Lafayette; Soine Vineyards, Powell; St. Joseph Vineyards, Thompson; Stoney Ridge Winery, Bryan; Troutman Vineyards, Wooster; The Winery at Wolf Creek, Norton; Valley Vineyards, Morrow; Viking Vineyard, Kent and Wyandotte Winery, Columbus.

Throughout the weekend there will be live music on two stages and cooking demonstrations in the well-appointed Ohio Proud mobile kitchen. The kitchen consists of a 24-foot trailer that has the look and feel of a home kitchen with three large screen monitors to display the demonstrations to the audience. Chefs from local restaurants and North Market merchants will conduct the demonstrations and samplings. Additional activities include the Saturday Farmers Market and a Sunday marketplace featuring local artisans and Ohio Proud vendors.

“The quality of Ohio-made wine continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Our festival is the perfect opportunity to sample the offerings from 18 Ohio wineries, so you can see for yourself how great these wines have become,” said David Wible, Executive Director of the North Market. “Eating locally has become part of our everyday routine, now you can drink locally and not have to sacrifice quality or taste.”

Festival hours are Friday, July 9, 7-10 p.m., Saturday, July 10, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Sunday, July 11, 1 – 6 p.m. Preview Party admission is $20 with $5 discount coupons available at local PNC Bank branches. Saturday and Sunday admission is free. A $5 tasting fee includes a souvenir glass with tasting tickets available for purchase in any quantity for $.50 apiece. For additional information on the North Market Food and Ohio Wine Festival, please call 614-463-9664 or visit www.northmarket.com

Schedule of Activities

Friday, July 9th - Admission $20 (includes souvenir glass, 10 tasting tickets, $5 North Market certificate)

Festival Hours, 7 – 10 p.m.
• 7 – 10 p.m. Ohio Wineries open for tasting, North Market remains open
• 7 – 10 p.m. Meet the winemakers, celebrity wine pourers, music by Men of Steel

Saturday, July 10th – Tasting admission $5 (includes souvenir glass)

Festival Hours, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
• 8 a.m., North Market merchants and Farmers Market, open for business
• 9 a.m. – 11 a.m., music by Slate Ridge on the porch
• 10 a.m., Ohio wineries open for tasting
• 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., music by One More Time String Band on the porch
• 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., music by the Gipson & Fitz Trio on Spruce St. stage
• 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., face painting
• 11 a.m., culinary demonstration by John Skaggs of Two Caterers and MyCateredTable.com
• 12 p.m., culinary demonstration by David MacLennan of Latitude 41
• 1 p.m. – 3 p.m., music by the Shaw Brothers on the porch
• 1 p.m., culinary demonstration by by John Hard of CaJohns Flavor & Fire
• 12 – 2 p.m., music by Willie Phoenix on the Spruce Street stage
• 2 p.m., culinary demonstration by Henry Butcher Sr. of Creole Kitchen
• 2 – 4 p.m., music by Cowboy Hillbilly Hippy Folks on Spruce St. stage
• 3 p.m., culinary demonstration by Janel Hedgepeth of Latitude 41
• 3 - 5 p.m., Black Market Belly Dance performs on the porch
• 4 p.m., culinary demonstration by Steve Lawrence of CaJohns Flavor & Fire
• 4 – 7 p.m., music by the Gadabouts on the Spruce Street stage

Sunday, July 11th - Tasting admission $5 (includes souvenir glass)

Festival Hours, 12 – 6 p.m. (wine tasting begins at 1 p.m.)
• 12 p.m., North Market merchants, Ohio Proud and Artisan Market open for business
• 12 – 2 p.m., music by Grace Adele on the porch
• 12 – 2 p.m., music by Island Breeze on the Spruce Street Stage
• 1 p.m., culinary demonstration by Derek Michael of Due Amici
• 12 – 5 p.m., face painting
• 2 - 4 p.m., CD101 prize wheel, you spin, you win!
• 2 p.m., culinary demonstration by Bob Basel of Black Swamp Gourmet
• 2 - 4 p.m., music by the Ken Weaver Trio on the porch
• 2 - 4 p.m., music by the Gipson & Fitz Trio on the Spruce Street stage
• 3 p.m., culinary demonstration by Sally Koepke of Mom’s Gourmet
• 4 – 6 p.m., music by Eileen Howard Jazz Trio on the Spruce Street Stage
• 4 p.m., culinary demonstration by Amy Summers and David Wible, North Market staff
• 4 – 6 p.m., music by the Folkwood Players on the porch