This new Columbus-area winery is built on a historic sheep farm
Craig and Gail Castro weren’t sure what to expect when they opened their Sunbury vineyard to the public this past June.
As it turned out, visitors ended up loving the picturesque site, known as The Vineyard at Porter Central, as much as the Castros. They also were big fans of the libations—the Castros ended up selling out of their keg cider that opening weekend June 17-19.
“We doubled our goals,” Craig Castro said. “It’s just going to be a growing process.”
The Castros have been growing their historic farm ever since they purchased the property at 8290 Porter Central Rd. in 2004. The two met in Southern California and eventually took advantage of an opportunity through Craig’s employer to move to Ohio, since Gail was originally from Galion.
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They knew from the start they wanted to have a barn on their property.
“This place kept coming up,” Craig said.
When the Castros moved onto the Sunbury property, the site included a barn built sometime in the mid 1920s, and a home likely constructed before the turn of the 20th century. The couple began sheep farming on the site in 2008 and later opened up the space as an event venue in 2015.
The four-acre site is home to 400 grape vines. Visitors can sample Wool & Vine red and white table wines—both made in-house—as well as Black Sheep, a dry, English-style hard apple cider. Fans of sweeter fare can add pineapple, ginger, or cherry simple syrups to the base flavor. The vineyard also offers Gail’s Grape Cider, which combines the base Black Sheep recipe with concord grapes, as well as the 1826 Hard Cider, a dry-hopped version of Black Sheep.
While the Castros began experimenting with winemaking in 2008, they began working on rehabbing their property as soon as they purchased it in 2004. Over the last eight months or so in preparation for their vineyard’s opening weekend, the couple began ramping up their improvements.
“We didn’t do this overnight,” Craig said.
Inside the barn, visitors can take advantage of bistro-style seating with small tables and chairs. Additional seating is available in the loft area. When the Castros rehabbed the barn, they restored existing windows and added additional ones.
“It really lets in a lot of light,” he said.
A large, rolling door made of windows opens onto an outdoor seating area, and a large greenhouse that sits on the property provides additional seating. Visitors can also sit outside at the corral, adjacent to the barn’s north side.
The space is open to those 21 and over and will be open on a seasonal basis, from Memorial Day through mid-October. Craig said the decision not to weatherize the barn was an intentional one meant to preserve the site’s rural feel.
“We really wanted to maintain a strong tie to agriculture in the state of Ohio,” he said.
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