Wine can be an intimidating thing to order. With all the different kinds of flavors, prices and diverse locations, wine lovers can likely find something they’ll enjoy. But for those in the Toledo area who are new to wine, look no further: Toledo City Paper has you covered with local restaurants and their wine suggestions.
Gillig Winery
Nikki Gillig, Owner/General Manager
1720 Northridge Road, Findlay
419-408-3230
Steal: Any of our Fruit Wines…all delicious, light bodied, and very reasonably priced. Pucker Up is our limited-edition tart, apple wine.
Deal: Our Diablo Rojo is very popular. A Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend. Very nice wine at a nice price.
Unreal: Our most expensive wine is currently our Cabernet Sauvignon from Carmel Valley. High end Cab from a reputable Cab growing area.
Personal favorite? My personal favorite is currently our Syrah. It’s drinking really well now that the weather has gotten a little chilly.
Best food and wine pairing? Definitely going with our Tickle your Tastebuds Sandwich with our Gewurztraminer wine. Slightly spicy sandwich pairs perfectly with our light and refreshing Gewurztraminer.
Recommendations for someone who prefers mostly sweet wine? It depends. If you’re looking for something sweet, red and full-bodied, then our Sweet Baby Red is perfect for you. If you’re looking for something more light-bodied and easy drinking, then you will love our Khaleesi.
Recommendations for someone who prefers mostly dry wine? Our dry red, Syrah, is perfect for this time of year. However, our dry white, Sans Chene Chardonnay, is also a delicious full-bodied white.
Wine you’d recommend to win over a wine hater? Our go-to wine for anyone who does not prefer wine is Khaleesi. Once they have it, they are typically shocked at how good it is and how much they like it.
Out of the box flavor/most unique flavor? Our Mocha Bliss: chocolate, coffee flavored port wine. if you love coffee and chocolate, this one’s for you.
Wine you’d pick to impress a connoisseur? Hmmm…I would recommend our Verbina (Chardonnay/Viognier blend) or our Syrah.
Any other suggestions/promotions? Holidays are coming up fast. We have fun events scheduled in addition to a new wine release at the end of this year. Our Wine Club is a perfect gift for that wine lover on your list. I love that we have such a vast assortment of wines; definitely something for everyone.
Stoney Ridge Winery
Abby Towne, Manager
07144 County Road 16
419-636-3500
Steal & Deal: We are known for our Barn Dance Wine series: Barn Dance Red, Barn Dance White and Barn Dance Blush. Quality wine with delicious flavor for only $12.99 per bottle.
Unreal: Ice Wine: an exquisite and super-sweet dessert wine: $39.99 per bottle.
Personal favorite? Frontenac – that is the name of the grape we grow, and I love a good Dry Red.
Best food and wine pairing? Our amazing flatbread pizzas pair well with any variety of wine we have to offer.
Recommendations for someone who prefers mostly sweet wine? Barn Dance Red, White or Blush (depending on your preference of Red, White or Rosé).
Recommendations for someone who prefers mostly dry wine? Frontenac (Red), Elegant Farmer (White), Enchanted Evenings (Rosé) — All made from grapes from our vineyard.
Wine you’d recommend to win over a wine hater? Slap Happy Cider. Hard Apple Cider is basically a sparkling apple wine with less alcohol. Our award-winning Slap Happy Cider is a customer favorite.
Out of the box flavor/most unique flavor? Country Rhubarb: A crowd pleaser, and an all-around unique sweet wine.
Wine you’d pick to impress a connoisseur? Enchanted Evenings. I feel Rosé wines are often overlooked, especially on the dry side. Ours is a semi-dry Rosé, very pleasant and suitable for both dry and sweet drinkers.
Any other suggestions/promotions? Live music and flatbread pizza menu after 4 pm every Friday and Saturday.
Mancy’s Bluewater Grille
John Mancy
461 W. Dussel Drive
419-724-2583
Steal: “Clancy Cab” Mancy’s 100th Anniversary Cabernet & Drinks like a wine twice it’s price
Deal: Our wine prices by the bottle are priced to sell. We can reseal it and you can take what you don’t drink home.
Unreal: I start with my favorite rating system and only select from highly rated wines. We usually change our wine list 25% yearly.
Personal favorite? “Clancy Cab” Mancy’s 100th Anniversary Cabernet. This collaboration celebrates four generations of Mancy Family Restaurants.
Best food and wine pairing? Our Oysters and wide selection of bubbles is a perfect start to a meal here at Mancy’s Bluewater Grille. Our rotation of oysters varies from the East Coast and the West Coast.
Recommendations for someone who prefers sweet wine? La Perlina Moscato by the bottle and by the glass.
Recommendations for someone who prefers dry wine? Rombauer Chardonnay – always available by the bottle.
Wine you’d recommend to win over a wine hater? Meomi Pinot Noir by the bottle and by the glass.
Most unique flavor? Our White Peach Sangria.
Wine you’d pick to impress a connoisseur? Opus One is a great wine and every connoisseur would appreciate the price point making it that much better.
Mancy’s Italian/Bottleshop
Zoe Young, Wine Director
5453 Monroe Street, Toledo 43623
419-882-9229
mancysitalian.com/toledo-mancy-s-italian-grill-bottle-shop
Steal (cheapest wine available) Domaine des Cassagnoles Cotes de Gascogne Blanc ($12.99)
Deal (best deal of wine, good bottle but low price) Bertrand Stehelin Sablet ($26.99)
Unreal (most expensive/fanciest wine available) 2013 Bond Estates Melbury Field Blend ($679.99)
Personal favorite? I always have at least one of these three bottles at my house: Beatrice et Pascal Lambert Chinon Les Terrasses, Abbazia di Novacella Schiava, and Cleto Chiarli Vecchia Modena Lambrusco di Sorbara. For a splurge? Laurent Perrier Rose.
Best food and wine pairing? Dry Lambrusco (like the Lini 910 Labrusca Rosso) with our pepperoni pizza. Or Champagne with any fried food.
Recommendations for someone who prefers mostly sweet wine? Montaribaldi Moscato d’Asti.
Recommendations for someone who prefers mostly dry wine? Ciacci Piccolomini Brunello di Montalcino.
Wine you’d recommend to win over a wine hater? It would have to depend on their palate and what other types of drinks they like! However, I usually recommend Pinot Noir to people who are just getting into wine and aren’t sure what they like yet.
Out of the box flavor/most unique flavor? Definitely the Rinomata Cantina Tombacco Origine Bianco. It’s an orange wine with an extremely complex and exotic palate. I’ve never had anything like it!
Wine you’d pick to impress a connoisseur? You can never go wrong with Burgundy!
Any other suggestions/promotions? Join us for our tastings every Thursday from 4 pm to 8 pm in The Bottle Shop! We have a different theme every week and it’s a great way to try new wines without having to commit to buying a whole bottle. Our regular Mancy’s Italian menu is available during the tastings as well.
Mancy’s Steakhouse
Gus Mancy
953 Phillips Ave.
419-476-4154
Steal: Amancaya, a blend of Cabernet and Malbec from Argentina
Deal: Mancy’s Napa Cabernet. 8 bench-land vineyards from Napa. Our best Napa wine in the $70 price range
Unreal: Boschen Cabernet – Napa Estate 2012. $140
Best food and wine pairing? Boschen Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley and our steak. Each vintage of Boschen is unique and excellent.
Registry Bistro
Erika Rapp
144 N Superior St.
419-725-0444
Steal: Wines from Croatia! They are delicious and still a bit under the radar. The whites
are crisp and refreshing and Plavac Mali is essentially a big red zinfandel that pairs
great with BBQ.
Deal: I still believe Spanish wines are the best bang for your buck. Some of my favorite
reds come from Rioja. They pair great with cold weather dishes like meatloaf and Pot
Roast.
Personal favorite? Pretty much anything with Bubbles
Best food and wine pairing? I love the classic pairing of Grilled Salmon with Mushrooms
and Pinot Noir. It is such a perfect match. To me, it’s like eating autumn.
Recommendations for someone who prefers sweet wine? Vinho Verde from
Portugal is delightful to drink and super crowd pleasing. I am yet to meet someone who
has tried it and not liked it. It is slightly effervescent so it’s perfect for hot summer days.
Rosie’s Italian Grille
Matt Fredericks
606 N. McCord Road
419-866-5007
Personal favorite? Spanish Garnacha
Rosaria’s on 3rd
Phil Barone
135 W. Third St.
567-686-7644
Steal: The best steal of the line up in our opinion is the Mestres 1312 Cava. True Champagne method bubbles and quality from Spain at an approachable price.
Deal: Our best wine deal is our ‘Wine and Whiskey Wednesdays’ where all bottles of wine are $10 off throughout the restaurant.
Unreal: With our Wine Fountains we are lucky to offer an incredible Captain’s Lists of higher end selections available by the glass that you normally only find on a bottle list.
Personal favorite? Pian Di Nova Il Borro is a fantastic little Tuscan red wine. The blend of Syrah and Sangiovese is great for food or just enjoying the company of friends.
Best food and wine pairing? Always top on the list is any bubbles with our fresh oysters.
Recommendations for dry wine? We have extensive European and Californian dry options for whatever you are craving.
Wine you’d recommend to a wine hater? I’d say check out our stellar cocktail list that was personally crafted by our amazing bartending team.
Souk Mediterranean Kitchen & Bar
Moussa Salloukh
139 S. Huron St.
567-777-7685
Steal: Chardonnay, Kith & Kin, Napa Valley, California
Deal: Cabernet Sauvignon, Andrew Geoffrey Vineyards located in the Diamond Mountain District, California
Unreal: Alicante Bouschet Herdade do Rocim
Personal favorite: Any and all Barolo wines (red wine produced in Barolo, Italy and with the Nebiollo grape).
Best food and wine pairing: Bekaa Valley Gold Reserve Massaya (a cabernet sauvignon blend) and our Turkish Lamb Rack, or the Donnhoff Riesling, Nahe Germany and Grilled Octopus Diavola.
Recommendation for sweet wine: Donnhoff 2022 Riesling, Nahe Germany – this is an off-dry wine, so not overly sweet, but just a little bit. It pairs well with anything spicy!
Recommendations for dry wine: White wine from Galicia Spain – Albariño Rías Baixas Bodegas Albamar.
Wine you’d recommend to win over a wine hater: Sauvignon blanc Marlborough Mount Riley.
Most unique flavor: Chateau Rolland Sauternes from Bordeaux, France – this is a
sweet dessert wine made from botrytized grapes and paired with any of our dessert would be terrific!
Wine you’d pick to impress a connoisseur: We’d probably flip the script and suggest our new featured cocktail that has a red wine called Moulin Rouge: gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, cointreau, cabernet sauvignon float.
Whitehouse Inn / Crust
Tony Fronk
10835 Waterville St.
419-877-1180
Steal: Attems Pinot Grigio 2020 – Rating 92 – $10
Deal: Susana Baldo Malbac 2015 – $20 – love Argentina wines
Unreal: Anything Leroy Domaine from France – ranges from 9,000 to 90,000 – Not in my wine budget range.
Personal favorite? Caymus Cabernet Napa Valley
Best food & wine pairing? Bea Prime Rib House a Luigi Bosca De Sangre Lujan de Cuyo Malbec from Argentina
Recommendations for someone who prefers sweet wine? Petit Guiraud Sauternes from France. Basically a dessert wine.
Recommendations for someone who prefers dry wine? Big fan of Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet – Shiraz 2013. Penfolds has so many great wines.
Wine you would recommend to win over a wine-hater? Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay would be #1, after that lots of great rieslings and pinot noirs which are softer
Most unique flavor? Not that I would indulge, I have seen pumpkin wines, jalapeno, coconut, garlic and rhubarb wines.
Wine you’d pick to impress a connoisseur? – Opus One 2005 – expensive but would definitely impress!
Joseph’s Beverage
Chris Newton
4133 Talmadge Road
419-472-1421
Steal: Experience Cabernet is an incredible Napa Valley Cabernet for just $24.99
Deal: Clarendelle White Bordeaux. This amazing citrusy and crisp wine is perfect for any occasion
Unreal: Prisoner Red Blend 1.5L. At only $79.99 a bottle, this is by far an incredible deal
Personal favorite? Round Pond Kith and Kin Cabernet. This is another Napa Valley Cabernet that does not disappoint. Always a crowd pleaser.
Best food and wine pairing? Schloss Vollrads Riesling and Bergstrom Pinot Noir. Two perfect wines to compliment any Thanksgiving dinner.
Recommendations for someone who prefers sweet wine? Washington Hills Late Harvest Riesling or Castello Del Poggio Moscato.
Recommendations for someone who prefers dry wine? Any Napa Valley Cabernet or French Bordeaux.
Wine you’d recommend to win over a wine hater? Souverain Cabernet and Chardonnay. An inexpensive wine but fantastic profile.
Most unique flavor? Watermelon Mint Moscato and Peppermint Cotton Candy.
Wine you’d pick to impress a connoisseur? Gerard Bertrand Rose