business spotlight: dragonfly vineyard & wine cellar

By Chelsea Bray: Elle A. Design

Driving down US Highway 68 you will find many amazing stops but travel slightly off the beaten path and you will find an absolute treasure. Dragonfly Vineyard and Wine Cellar is located between West Liberty and Urbana on Herr Road. This beautiful location is owned and operated by Kent and Connie Eichenauer. They planted their first four acres of grapes in 2011 with no intention of operating their own winery. Eventually Kent got curious enough to start making wine in their basement and their very first Riesling was produced.
 
Early on Kent became involved in the viticulture program through Ohio State and the Wine Producers Association. This helped him form great relationships with other local winemakers. Their support from fellow Ohio winemakers helped guide them on this incredible journey.

​They invested in their own equipment to harvest, crush, ferment and store their own vineyard grapes and started serving their homemade wine to friends and family. The response was more than they could have imagined and the support and encouragement to open their own winery pushed them to begin their new adventure.   
 
They opened Dragonfly Vineyard and Wine Cellar in June 2019. They currently grow four acres of grapes including Vidal, Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Marquette and LaCreseant. They have neighbors who grow Frontenac that they harvest also. Their knowledge and love for wine really shines through in each bottle. 

​If you are interested in visiting Dragonfly Vineyard and Wine Cellar, they are currently open Thursday from 5:00-9:00PM and Friday and Saturday 12:00-9:00PM. There are some new guidelines they are implementing during COVID-19 and you can see them all on their website. They sometimes have live music and other events happening at the vineyard and you can find more info about those on their facebook page.