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Read what others are saying about Harmony Hill!
September 2009 Ohio's Country Journal
"The Skvarla’s unique approach to their own brand of
agritourism starts with the rural setting that draws visitors.
The Skvarlas have built upon their location with strict
attention to detail and landscaping to create a very appealing
setting with paver paths, a patio and covered outdoor seating,
and live local music."
Click here to read the full article.
July 2009
http://www.eastsidevibe.com
A Paradise In The Eastside Countryside
Harmony Hill Vineyard and Winery
2534 Swings Corner / Point Isabel Road
Bethel, OH 45106 (513) 734-3548
We have to give total credit to Dr. Dan Meakin for this article.
Dr. Dan plays at Harmony Hills and last month he invited us up
to check out the vineyards and see his solo show. What we found
when we arrived was much more than we expected.
Harmony Hills Vineyards is tucked away in a pristine slice of
country paradise just outside of Bethel. The sprawling vineyard
is a ranch, a farm and a vineyard all in one 70 acre park like
setting. The place is simply beautiful.
The beauty Harmony Hills has to offer is designed to stimulate
all five senses. The picturesque vineyard is a photographers
dream. Scenes of sun drenched green fields, perfectly manicured
rows & rows of grape vines, painted horses lazily grazing, a
bench swing hanging off an ancient oak gently swaying in the
summer breeze.
Everywhere you look there is something that causes a moment of
pause and appreciation for the “harmony” of the sights that fill
the eye in any direction....
Click here to read more...
November 2008 The Yorkshire Review Blog
A turtle moves slowly across the tall grass. A snake slithers
around the neck of the handler.
Across the pasture a donkey sticks its head through the fence
staring at the onlookers. A large black Labrador receiver walks
between the tables and takes a rest underneath the canopy. A man
wearing a cowboy hat sits on a stool while he strums an acoustic
guitar. Four friends laugh around the table as they sip their
white wine.
In Perfect Harmony, Art, nature and science come together. 2,390
miles from Napa, in a quaint Ohio Village, Award winning wines
are produced. Bethel Ohio is the home of Harmony Hill Vineyards
& Estate Winery. This Boutique Winery is perfectly situated in a
relaxed country setting in the middle of a seventy acre
Nationally Certified Wildlife Refuge Farm.
With our busy lives and hectic schedules, it’s nice sometimes to
just slow down. Take a drive to the country; put the cell phone
on quiet. And uncork the joys and beauty of nature.
Established in 2003 by the owners Bill and Patti Skvarla, The
Winery opened its barn doors to the public and never looked
back. The Skvarlas’ are the perfect host. Everyone feels like a
friend as Bill and Patty proudly explain their award winning
wines and make their unique property available for the public.
After one visit to Harmony Hill Vineyards you will be telling
people you have friends who own a winery.
Harmony Hill supports the arts by having local musicians
providing the entertainment for the complex. While enjoying the
fine wines you may be hearing the next big hit song. The
Nashville songwriters in the round try out their creative
original songs on the crowd. The rotating cast of entertainers
plays everything from originals to your favorite cover music.
There are no wine snobs here. Real down to earth people having a
great time enjoying good friendship and great wine.
Click here for the rest of the story.
October 2008 Wine is a Grape My
Wine Education:
http://www.wine-girl.net
Harvest Photo Essay: Wine is a Grape Click
here to view the photo
essay
We went out to Harmony Hill on Sunday for harvest.
Unfortunately, we got there a little too late for picking (they
had those grapes picked fast!) but I did manage to get some
great photos of the ultimate juicing machine. Harmony Hills uses
a destemmer and a bladder press to squeeze the juice from their
grapes. The juice, in a small bin, then travels through a hose
to a tank. This process is called "crush" (for obvious reasons).
The red grapes aren't yet ready for harvest, so hopefully we'll
be in town and available when that happens. I'd love to
experience picking the grapes. My big thanks to Bill and Patti
who managed to be incredibly hospitable hosts in the middle of
crush. To view the entire process, you can visit my Flickr set.
These photos are a great reminder of two things I believe people
often forget when they drink wine: wine is a grape, and a
vineyard is a farm.
September 2008 Wine Blog Wine Is Life
i had the chance to spend an afternoon with the comely
brunette and "blondie" at a local ohio winery, harmony hill
vineyards recently. located in the city of bethel, ohio. most
wine folks are so enamored with the wines of napa, france, or
some other famed location that they forget about the little guy
crafting boutique wines. and when some people think of ohio, the
last thing they think about is wine. especially really high
quality wine. i've written about some of the ohio wines already
and there are definitely some very interesting wines being
crafted in the state. bill and patti skvarla have quite a
following at harmony hill and deservedly so. some very nice
wines which i will be blogging about over the course of the next
few weeks. they also bring in local music talent to entertain
the folks who come to taste their wines and sit outside on a
friday night or saturday afternoon. relaxing, warm, friendly
people and excellent wine. a beautiful combination.
July 2008 My Wine Education:
http://www.wine-girl.net
A Visit to Harmony Hill
If you're looking for something to do on a Friday night or Saturday
afternoon, I recommend a visit to Harmony Hill Winery in Bethel. Bethel
sounds far away, but really, it's only about 15 miles outside of
Anderson, and not that far off of Beechmont Avenue.
I've written about Harmony Hill before, and it's only gotten better.
They've upgraded their tasting room. It's so much fun to bring your
friends, buy a bottle of wine, and grab an umbrella'd table, and just
sit and listen to whatever acoustic band might be playing. It's a
perfect way to relax on a Saturday afternoon.
Of course, while you're there, you really need to try their wines as
well. At .50/taste, you can't go wrong with trying whatever they have
available. My favorite white is the Ovation, which is a Vidal Blanc
blend, but our friends really enjoyed the Traminette Concerto. We also
got to try, straight out of the tanks, two reds that will be bottled
soon - the Rhapsody and the Rubato.
A visit to Harmony Hill is a great way to learn more about more domestic
and French-American hybrid grapes. Bill and Patti, winemakers and
owners, are more than willing to share their knowledge. I truly believe
that Ohio wines are under-rated and intend on shipping a case out to
California this fall for my Wine Bloggers Conference. That case will
definitely include some Harmony Hill.
One of the great things about Harmony Hill is that it's both kid and dog
friendly. Our friends brought both with them, and it was no problem at
all. I recommend packing a picnic lunch and grabbing a nice chilled
bottle of wine at the tasting counter, sitting back, and just enjoying
life.
Harmony Hill Winery
2534 Swings Corner / Point Isabel Road
Bethel, OH 45106
(513) 734-3548
Open all Summer: Fridays, 5-9 pm, Satudays, noon - 6 pm
Mark Fisher, Wine Writer, Dayton
Daily News
BETHEL, OH — A certain playfulness permeates
Harmony Hill
Vineyards in Bethel, about 30 miles
east of Cincinnati. That’s apparent by the directional sign on the
winery’s grounds that shows one arrow pointing west: “Napa — 2,390
miles” — and one pointing east: “Bethel, 2 miles.” “It’s not so much
about the wine as it is the experience,” says Bill Skvarla, who co-owns
Harmony Hill with his wife Patti. “We just want people to enjoy the
country.” Wellllll, sometimes it is about the wine. After all,
Harmony Hill produces several bottlings from grapes grown around the
winery, including a tasty, off-dry Vidal Blanc called Concerto ($9.95).
They sell the bottles from the tasting room, and on weekends, folks
bring picnic baskets (Harmony Hill doesn’t serve food) to enjoy with the
local wines while listening to live entertainment.
Click here to read the rest of the story.
My Wine Education:
http://www.wine-girl.net
Ohio Wines & Vines: Harmony Hill
Kevin & I ended our Saturday afternoon
drive at
Harmony Hill Winery
in Bethel, Ohio. Harmony Hill is only about 20 miles outside of
Beechmont/Anderson and folks, Harmony Hill is FUN.
 You
pull into a long winding driveway with fun signs, including one
telling you it's a Golden Retriever Crossing. I love dogs, so this
was a good sign. As you come around the bend, you are greeted with a
picturesque barn, a couple of patios, and bright umbrellas. A
parking lot is provided around back of the barn, and that's where
you discover the donkeys. And burros. They're adorable, provided you
don't feed them your fingers. Across from the happy animals are the
vineyards.
Click here to read the rest of the story.
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Double
Gold
The
The above segment of "In Ohio
Country Today" aired all over the state a few weekends ago.
A big thanks to Dan Wilson for streaming it onto his
ARCHIVES page.
