CANTON, Ohio — With the state’s "Stay Safe Ohio" order in place until the end of the month, that means there’s more time to get cozy and maybe curl up with a glass of wine. A new initiative called "Super Sipper Saturday" is encouraging Ohioans to support local wineries during the COVID-19 pandemic with curbside or online orders.
In total, there are 330 wineries in Ohio with more than 8,000 full-time workers. Those businesses have taken a major hit during the crisis.
Wine media company, The Wine Buzz, has partnered with more than 100 of those 330 wineries to boost sales and support.
Winery tasting rooms were closed in mid-March because of the stay at home order, but business owners are stepping up with innovative ways to sell wine and create new experiences for their customers.
Super Sipper Saturday looks to highlight those new ideas, like curbside pick up for wine and food, but also virtual wine tastings and even wine slushies to go.
Wineries can even ship orders straight to your door.
Gervasi Vineyard in Canton is taking online and phone orders. It's also offering free shipping to Ohio residents when they buy a case of wine.
“On the shipping side we've actually seen a real uptick, so that's been something positive, is we've seen a lot of people are taking advantage of opportunities to order online obviously with the free shipping or that reduced shipping costs. I think that's attractive and obviously it's safe to be able to stay home and have the product come to you,” said Scott Swaldo, General Manager of Gervasi Vineyard.
Each winery is running its own specials and promotions for Super Sipper Saturday. More information can be found here.
Jade Jarvis is a reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
