Ohio producer aims to cater to wine lovers without ‘having a pretentious feel’ - Penn Live
It was a thank-you gift of homemade wine that became the seed that grew into M Cellars, an Ohio winery with a growing profile and reputation that opened in 2012.
Owner Matt Meineke, an auto technician who worked at a Volkswagen dealer for more than a dozen years before switching careers, said the gift came from a tool supply rep and led to him making some wine in his basement.
Meanwhile, he and wife Tara, a middle school teacher until the winery opened, started traveling to wineries both locally and nationally, from New York and Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOL) in southern Ontario to California. “NOL is the region that truly inspired us,” he said, “and we wanted to bring that level of farming and winemaking local.”
They purchased the property at 6193 South River Road W., near Geneva, about 50 miles northeast of Cleveland, in 2007 and tore out all the Concord vines growing there.
The couple had the land recontoured, drain tiled, plowed and prepped to plant, and the first of the new vinifera vines were planted in 2008 and 2009. “We now own about 30 total acres of our own and also custom farm for other clients roughly another 25 acres,” he said recently. “We are not totally estate but really close, with only two wines on the list that aren’t grown by us.”
For anyone traveling in that direction this year, there are plenty of choices for those looking for a winery destination. Around 20 are located in Northeast Ohio, one of seven wine trails across the state.
An hour to the northeast of Geneva is Lake Erie Wine Country and its 50-plus wineries across Pennsylvania and New York, and drive two hours more into Canada and there are another 25 to 30 wineries that make up the Niagara-on-the Lake region that served as inspiration for Tara and Matt Meineke.
M Cellars, located in Ashtabula County, is open noon to 6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and noon to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Matt said that “music and food are definitely something our guests enjoy,” and you can see a sampling of what they offer on this events list that runs through the end of 2025. They also plan new-release and sommelier-led events.
The wine that a colleague put on my radar is M Cellars’ acclaimed Pinot Noir, but that’s just one of many other dry varieties that this boutique winery has on its list.
Its best-selling wines are its Pinot Noir (“yes, it is quite good,” Meineke said), Meritage and Rkatsiteli in addition to its traditional method sparkling wines.
“The [full] list ”is getting kind of crazy," he admits, “but it’s been fun and guests do enjoy the variety. Keeping it interesting has been key. We do have a good sense of what’s going to do well and what won’t. Our best success comes from Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Saperavi and Pinot Noir, it seems. The others do pretty well and our biggest struggles are from the most cold-tender varieties such as Merlot and Gewürztraminer. However, we still work with those too.” Here is a link to the wine and food on the M Cellars tasting room list.
Meineke, the winemaker, said they have aimed to deliver high-caliber wines with the service and team to match.
“At M Cellars, we strive for every guest to love their experience as much as the wines,” he said, in response to a question about the vibe they strive for. " We’ve tried to create a winery that caters to wine lovers, but never having a pretentious feel. We truly have something for everyone....."
The winery/vineyard is located in the Grand River Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA). As the calendar switches to May, they are beginning another growing season following a vintage that Meineke said ranks among the best they’ve ever had.
“Over the years,” he said, “we have expanded our vineyards at a sustainable pace. Most of that expansion has been across from the winery on a southern sloped-vineyard that we have seen increased ripening and quality. This vineyard is close to full production at this point and we have some interesting and notable varieties for us such as Saperavi, Albariño, Gruner Veltliner, Merlot, Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to support our sparkling program.” The addition of an in-house bottling line has provided advantages to the mobile bottler they used for years.
Said Meineke, “I’m able to take more time on each product and also highlight more of the smaller lot wines that we enjoy producing and ultimately our guests enjoy consuming.”
Bud break 2025 is underway, he noted.
“So far, the damage from the winter appears minimal,” he said, adding, “Stay tuned for those results.”