Vinoklet Winery & Restaurant

In 1980 Kreso Mikulic purchased 30 acres of land that boasted of nothing more than an old dairy farm and plenty of trees. After clearing the land and 45 dump trucks full of topsoil later, not to mention some 30 years of blood, sweat, and tears, you find yourself standing in a vineyard of over 12,000 vines and one of the most beautiful places in Cincinnati.

Initially, Mikulic planted vines immediately and encountered problems with getting the vines to grow, after three years of trial and error he was finally able to keep the vines alive and after a couple of years of maturing had his first harvest in 1985.

Subsequently, 1985 was also the first year he produced wine from grapes grown on the property. He continued to grow grapes and make wine and as popularity grew, he tore down the dairy barn and built the 180 seat restaurant in 1988, added the outdoor seating in 1992 with the gazebo that holds 70 guests comfortably; which by the way, is a wonderful place to overlook the vineyard, enjoy a soft breeze, sip wine and watch the most beautiful sunsets you will find anywhere.
Once the amphitheater was added, this allowed guests to enjoy shows like the Cincinnati Shakespeare Co, local artists like Anna and the Deeper Well, and host weddings nestled between two fields of vines, by to one of the properties three ponds.

Later in 2000, Mikulic enclosed the grill area and built the banquet hall that seats 155 guests. The banquet hall is a great place for wedding receptions, parties, reunions, and a huge New Year’s Eve party that has sold out continually in recent years. Over the years, some of the vines have come and gone, though many produce year after year and have been around for over 25 years. Upon entering the property you walk through a beautiful vine covered arbor then approach the restaurant and what used to be the winery. In 2000 the winery was moved to its own building behind a field of Vidal Blanc and beside the Cambourcin grape vines.

In mid-September each year the grapes are harvested by hand and carried to the winery that was expanded in 2005, which is where the grapes are crushed, stored, and fermented for making anyone of the 12 Award Winning wines that Mikulic currently has in stock. The winery contains stainless steel barrels that range from 85 gallons up to 5,000 gallons but Mikulic usually hand crafts smaller batches that capture the old world flavor that his wines are known for. The winery also has over 60 oak barrels that age some of his wines for up to two years. This is where all of the production is expedited with processes ranging from crushing grapes, to bottling, labeling & storage.
While Mikulic strongly believes that people should make their own decisions about the wine they drink and not let anyone tell them which is “Good”, and which is not; Vinoklet Winery is still proud about the number of medals won over the years. While each wine boasts of its own medals in both local and international competitions, three of the twelve wines have won best wine in Ohio/best of show, and double gold at the Ohio Wine Competitions in 2012 (Traminette), 2015 (Brother Joe), 2018 (Sweet Jackie) & 2019 (Sweet Jackie & Passion).

The Vinoklet Winery is a rustic beauty hidden away in southwestern Ohio.