Rochester to Madison, Ohio: 223 miles on I-490 and the Thruway, to an adults-only winery inn on Lake Erie with eight rooms, a restaurant and breakfast.
Our family spent eight years finishing this stone and slate mansion before opening it to guests in 2024. Today, the house brings together our boutique hotel, restaurant and wine bar, with Lake Erie beyond the north windows. Estate Cabernet Franc is grown, pressed and poured on the property; the 2022 vintage received Double Gold at the 2025 Ohio Wine Competition. Read our story.
Worth the drive
Why stay with us
Rochester sits on Lake Ontario with the Finger Lakes wineries close by, so the comparison is part of the reason to come. Vincent William is in two other appellations, the Lake Erie AVA and the Grand River Valley AVA, on the Ohio shore. Its Riesling is made from Lake Erie grapes, which makes a useful side-by-side with a Finger Lakes Riesling you know. The estate Cabernet Franc grows on one acre beside the house, is picked by hand and spends 12 months in French oak. You can taste both at the wine bar, then eat downstairs: Executive Chef Jeff Gable's menu draws on the family's Italian and Irish cooking.
On the estate
What’s waiting when you arrive
Your room, dinner and the wine bar share one estate on Lake Erie.
Stay
Eight rooms, adults only
Every room has a private bath and one king or queen bed. Choose a private rooftop patio, an in-room Jacuzzi or a room with a separate living area. Standard breakfast is cooked to order and included each morning.
See the rooms ›
Menu
A table in the house
Chef Jeff Gable’s kitchen buys in season from West Orchards, Bonner Farms and Rainbow Farms. Join us Wednesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner; the wine bar serves the full kitchen menu, wine and cocktails.
See the menus ›
The estate
Lake Erie, right outside
Walk the estate’s private shoreline or spend an afternoon above the lake. The pool and shared outdoor hot tub are for registered guests, May to November 1, weather permitting. Ask about arranging a massage when you book.
Explore the inn ›
The inn
Find the room you want to come back to
A private patio, an in-room Jacuzzi, a separate living room or a queen bed by the water. Compare the room details, then check current rates and availability.
A stay worth planning around
Leave Rochester by 12:45 p.m. to check in at 4. Book two nights, Wednesday to Friday or Thursday to Saturday, so the restaurant is open each evening and the middle day is free for Grand River Valley tasting rooms. Summer requires two nights. Check-out is 11 a.m., so you are home by mid-afternoon.
A state park stop in Erie
Presque Isle State Park, about four miles west of downtown Erie, is a 3,200-acre sand peninsula with seven miles of shoreline and 13 swimming beaches. Entry and parking are free. The Tom Ridge Environmental Center at the park entrance has exhibits and an observation tower, open daily 8 to 4 from April through October and Tuesday to Saturday the rest of the year. From Erie the inn is about 65 minutes west on I-90.
An evening after the Thruway
Leave Rochester at 12:45 and you arrive for the 4 p.m. check-in after three hours on I-90. Each room has a private bath; there is no elevator, so luggage goes up the stairs. Start at the wine bar with the Riesling made from Lake Erie grapes and compare it with a Finger Lakes Riesling you know. Stay downstairs for dinner, which Chef Jeff Gable’s kitchen cooks with produce from farms in Perry, Garrettsville and Madison.
A day of dry whites on South River Road
Breakfast is cooked to order from 8:30 to 10, from a standard menu with coffee and juice. Then spend the day on dry whites. M Cellars on South River Road pulled out Concord vines in 2007 and replanted with European varieties; taste its Riesling and Grüner Veltliner, then the Rkatsiteli, a Georgian white that few Ohio wineries grow. Later, drive to Cask 307 on Warner Road for contemporary dry styles from the Grand River Valley appellation; check its hours first. Return to the inn by 6.
Suite 206 for a birthday
If the trip marks a birthday, book Suite 206. It has a king bed and an in-room Jacuzzi you can use in any month, unlike the pool and hot tub, which are open to inn guests from May to November 1, weather permitting. Summer stays need two nights; the rest of the year a single night is possible.
Read our M Cellars guide, look at Suite 206, and reserve dinner for both nights you are here from Rochester.
The drive
Getting here
Take I-490 west to the Thruway (I-90) and follow it through Buffalo and along Lake Erie to the Pennsylvania line at Ripley, then stay on I-90 past Erie into Ohio. The Thruway is cashless (E-ZPass or Tolls by Mail) except a free stretch through Buffalo; I-90 in Pennsylvania and Ohio has no tolls.
Set your destination to 1300 Belleair Avenue, Madison, Ohio. Check current navigation before leaving and allow for traffic and stops. Once here, your room, the restaurant and the wine bar are on the same property.
Good to know
Common questions
How does Lake Erie wine compare with the Finger Lakes?
Both regions grow grapes beside large, cold lakes that lengthen the season. At Vincent William, the Riesling and Rosé are made from Lake Erie fruit, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Grand River Valley, and the estate Cabernet Franc comes from vines beside the house. The 2022 Cabernet Franc took Double Gold at the 2025 Ohio Wine Competition.
What days is the restaurant open?
Wednesday through Sunday. Lunch and dinner run noon to 9 Wednesday to Saturday and 11 to 8 on Sunday, with brunch on Sunday from 11 to 2. It is closed Monday and Tuesday. Meals and drinks are paid separately from the room, while breakfast for inn guests is included.
Do we need E-ZPass for the drive from Rochester?
No, but it is simpler. The Thruway has no toll booths: E-ZPass is charged automatically, and without it a bill is mailed to the vehicle's registered owner under Tolls by Mail. The stretch through Buffalo is free, and I-90 in Pennsylvania and Ohio has no tolls at all.
Vincent William
1300 Belleair Ave.
Madison, OH 44057
(440) 428-1300
info@vincentwilliamwine.com
Opening Hours
Wednesday
12 to 9 pm
Thursday
12 to 9 pm
Friday
12 to 9 pm
Saturday
12 to 9 pm
Sunday
11 to 8 pm · Brunch to 2
© 2026 Vincent William Wine
Madison, Ohio · Lake Erie