Yesterday was a gorgeous, and I mean GORGEOUS with a capital “G”, day in Ohio! Given that my husband was off and we had no plans for the day, we decided to explore. That’s when we came across this hidden and unassuming gem – Brandeberry Winery! While I’m no wine aficionado, I will never turn down a glass or a chance to taste test new wines. At a $1 a glass to sample, it was a no brainer. By the way, spend $6 and you get to keep your engraved wine glass. Like we need anymore wine glasses though. Maybe I’ll host a giveaway? Seriously though, we have a ton! But I digress…

Owned and operated by Jim and Sharon Brandeberry, it is located between Dayton, OH and Springfield, OH in a town called Enon. Seeing as how it was the middle of the week, it was fairly quiet. We were 1 of only 3 couples there. Jim greeted us as we walked in and played the part of bartender. A retired professor of engineering with a long time passion for making wines, he showed us a list of what they had to offer and took us through the process; from Dry to Sweet wines. I personally love the sweet ones – Ports, Desserts, Fruit, Ice, etc. – so I started halfway down their list. He allowed us to mark the ones we were most interested in and then told us a little bit about them as he poured.

I fell in love with ‘Party Girl’, a blend of Riesling and Red Raspberry wines; ‘Cherry Truffle’, a blend of cherry and grape wine infused with chocolate (and boy, do you taste the chocolate!); and Polar Crush, their Vidal Blanc Ice Wine.

The other thing I loved about this place is that you could purchase a full glass of any of their wines for only $5.75 ($15 for Polar Crush, but let’s be honest, Ice Wines are always a little more expensive) and they also served small appetizers for $10 or less. We opted for the French Bread and Italian Olive Oil dip to start. I chose ‘Party Girl’ and my husband chose ‘Cherry Truffle’ to go with it. I don’t believe any of it lasted very long! The bread was perfection, crunchy outside and with a super soft inside. The sweeter wines also set off the garlic, rosemary, and crushed red pepper in the dip. We enjoyed it outside on their little patio (did I mention we were having some amazing weather?!). Situated in Ohio’s farm country, it was nice and very peaceful. Good food, good wine, and a relaxing atmosphere is just what we needed – Considering my husband is about to go on night shift and I probably won’t see him coherent in the daylight for a few months. I could’ve stopped there but of course, boys are black holes, so we sampled the Meat and Cheese tray next.

Now, any farm worth it’s salt wouldn’t be complete without a few critters. In Brandeberry Winery’s case, it’s the cats that make up the majority of the Welcome Party. Both Dandelion, an orange barn cat, and her compatriot, Marge, a little grey and cream colored kitty, were all about the attention being received. Me, being me, and a huge animal lover, I was all about them too. Apparently Dandelion is quite the accomplished squirrel hunter, according to Jim, but luckily she didn’t feel the need to add to our feast with her own offering.

The Brandeberry’s are big into Rescues and supporting local animal charities. They even have a couple wines named after their beloved pets. According to the website, Brandeberry Winery is hosting a fundraiser for the Humane Society called “Dogtoberfest” on October 8th. Dogs are welcome (YAY!) and there will be a costume contest, pet photographer, raffles, live music, adoptable pets, food trucks, and of course… Wine! Jim said that they’ll be releasing a new wine that day and $5 of every bottle sold will go to the Humane Society. I do believe I’ll have to stop by for that event.

They also have a Salmon and Steak Cookout evening. We missed the last one, it was the 28th of August, but Jim assured me that they’ll be hosting another soon.

We wrapped up the day with a visit to see the Pygmy Goats around back. I’m sorry, but I LOVE PYGMY GOATS!! I don’t know why. I just always have liked them. Maybe because they’re small like me. Have you seen the fainting goats? If not, you should definitely check out YouTube for the videos. Adorabs! Anyway, I would absolutely buy a goat, if nothing else than to eat my grass so I don’t have to mow. How’s that for eco-friendly?

Seriously! Check out those eyes! Aren’t those just the coolest looking irises you’ve ever seen? They’re like minus signs instead of circles. I’m sure these guys were only looking for food but I was able to get a few pets in before they got bored with me.

And wouldn’t you know? More cats. Haha! Unfortunately I didn’t catch their names. But doesn’t it look like they’re in deep conversation?

“So what do you think about the Boss’s new venture?” “I don’t know. But at least we get a bunch of attention from all these people. Did you see Dandelion and Marge getting that cheese and sausage?” “Yeah, I did. Sadly I didn’t make it around the front to get my own chunk.”

Before we left, Sharon came by to chat with us. A teacher by trade, we commiserated over homework horror stories. Her and Jim also shared some of their own favorite places to visit in the area. I’m especially interested in a gorge that is decorated with lights every winter!

So if you ever get a chance to roll through Enon, OH… Stop by Brandeberry Winery and see Jim and Sharon. Their wines are definitely worth the detour.

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