Speciality of house is made in Kentucky
By Luke E. Saladin
Post staff reporter

The dream of turning southern Campbell County into a destination for wine connoisseurs looks to be materializing.

Grape farmer Dennis Walter this summer is planning to convert an 1890s house on his family farm in Camp Springs into a tasting room specializing in Kentucky wines.

Walter's Stone Brook Winery is believed to be the first tasting room to open in Camp Springs, a region of southern Campbell County where a group of grape growers and vintners are hoping to establish a wine producing and entertainment community known as Indian Springs.

"My aunt lived in the house, but when she moved we didn't know what we were going to do with it," said Walter, who retired from Cincinnati Bell in 1995. "We thought about tearing it down or turning it into a museum, but then some friends recommended we try this."

The opening of a tasting room in Camp Springs is another step by the Northern Kentucky Vintners and Grape Growers Association, a group of 120 wine makers, grape growers and related businesses, to turn the region into a weekend entertainment destination and tap into the state's agricultural tourism market.

The group has set Oct. 15 for the inaugural Northern Kentucky Wine Festival at St. Joseph's Church in Camp Springs.

"This is only the beginning," said Larry Leap, president of the grape growers association and owner of Lost Heritage Vineyards in Alexandria. "We've got a good quality product. Now we need ways to get the product out to the public."

Besides Lost Heritage, Walter plans to offer several other Kentucky brands at his tasting room, including River Valley, which is produced in Carrollton.

Both wineries purchase grapes from Walter's two-acre vineyard. Beginning in the fall, Walter said he intends to produce his own wines under the name of Stone Brook.

To turn the house into a tasting room, Walter converted the second floor into a loft space and a bedroom into a conference room that businesses can rent for retreats and meetings.

The basement will be used to store and age Walter's wines.

The tasting room will be open Friday through Saturday beginning in June and during the week by appointment only.

Leap and others hope Walter's tasting rooms will spawn others in the area.

Campbell County Judge-Executive Steve Pendery said the progress of the grape growers and vintner and the fact that grapes offer a higher yield than other crops give hope that an agricultural economy can be sustained in the southern end of the county even as suburban sprawl looms.

"I'd like to see a lot more of it," said Pendery, who along with the rest of the Campbell County Fiscal Court recently voted to allow Sunday liquor sales in unincorporated parts of the county to help the wine industry.

The county also approved an entertainment license for Walter's new tasting room.

"We have very few farms that people can make a living on. Most people just do it on the side," Pendery said. "Grape growing really improves the odds that somebody can work on their farm full time. We're going to help in any way we can."

Between 1830 and 1930, the region was actually one of the top wine producing areas in the nation, earning the nickname "Rhine of America," in reference to the region in Europe where many wine grapes are grown and from where many immigrants brought their skills.

During Prohibition, many wine makers took their skills west for better climates.

But since the 1999 tobacco settlement, Kentucky farmers have been looking to grapes as a viable alternative to growing tobacco.

According to the University of Kentucky Department of Horticulture, the number of acres devoted to commercial grape growing in Kentucky has grown from 81 in 1997 to 309 in 2003.

"Everything is in place. Now we need to make it happen," Walter said. "It's scary and exciting at the same time."

Publication date: 06-03-2005