A Retreat on the Shores of Lake Erie

Vincent William is a winery, a restaurant and an eight-room inn on one property on the Ohio shore of Lake Erie, in Madison, about fifty minutes east of Cleveland. Come for a tasting, stay for dinner, sleep upstairs.

The vineyard

An acre of Cabernet Franc grows on the lake side of the house, planted in 2020 on the advice of Ohio State’s viticulture program. The vines cropped in fourteen months instead of the three years we were told to expect, and that first harvest, roughly three tons off a thousand vines, became the first wine grown, made and bottled here. The estate Cabernet Franc took Double Gold at the 2025 Ohio Wine Competition. Alongside it we pour Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Grand River Valley, Riesling and Rosé from the Lake Erie AVA, and a short California list.

The rooms

Eight rooms on the first and second floors of the mansion, adults only, each with a private bath and the water out the window. They run from a standard queen to a first-floor suite with a steam shower and a clawfoot tub, and a second-floor suite with its own rooftop patio. Breakfast is cooked to order and included: coffee and fresh juice; mimosas are poured at the bar. A heated pool and hot tub sit above the lake for guests of the Inn, weather permitting. There is no elevator.

The table

Chef Jeff Gable cooks American food with the estate’s Italian and Irish roots running through it, and everything comes off one line a few steps from the dining room. Brunch is Sundays, eleven to two; the full menu is available all day. The wine bar pours Irish whiskeys and cocktails alongside the estate list.

Getting here

1300 Belleair Ave, Madison, Ohio, just off I-90. Cleveland is fifty minutes west. Geneva-on-the-Lake is ten minutes east, and around thirty wineries sit within twenty minutes of the gate.

Weekends fill first, and most rooms carry a two-night minimum. Check availability for your dates, or call (440) 428-1300.