John Christ Winery

Great local winery. Love the ambiance inside. Great spot to meet up with friends for drinks or for a date night. Fundraisers have also been held here. Recommended winery all around.

Tear this place down and start ALL over ! Rude staff/​management, poor business model and horrible wine. No thank you– Never ever going back. Ever!

I just got a job in fine dining and wanted to sample wines and broaden my wine knowledge so I decided to stop up at my parent’s favorite Ohio winery located a short distance from my house.
My experience was fantastic from start to finish. Bart was great and an extremely knowledgable wine connoisseur and has a passion for wine. I began by doing sampling. During each sample Bart walked me through the grape varietal and vintage of the wine. He properly instructed me on how to swirl and smell wines to identify some of the bolder flavors. He also showed me how to look at the legs and body of the wine. It was very interesting and informative!
The location is in quaint Avon Lake and has a spacious back room for private parties that overlooks their outdoor patio with seating areas and fire pits. I can’t wait to come back in the summer.
Personally I enjoyed the Vignoles and Labrusca. The Chardonnay was good as well. I’d definitely recommend this as a date night or girl’s night for any west siders! They also offer a free cheese plate with a purchase of a bottle of wine, yum!

«This place is great, other than the wine» — Husband
I think that’s true. I really loved the location. It was easy to get to, had ample outdoor options, was nestled within some vines and the actual building had a fun German atmosphere to it. Service was good too.
My only complaint is the wine. Though the walls are adorned with awards they’ve won, they aren’t for your typical pallet. I love wine, but often drink fairly cheap wine just because, it’s…cheap. So though I’ve done many a tasting and love quality wine, I can hang with about anything. John Christ was a little tough to swallow though. Their «dry» wines were really sweet with an aftertaste that was barely wine-​like. My mom who is can drink ice wine like water would probably love it, but everything we tried ended up being a hardly drinkable desert wine.
Even still, check it out. Bring a group. I saw Sangria on some other tables and I think that might have been a good idea? I really wish I liked the wine better, I’d be back often!

I wish I could give this place zero stars.
I arrived here at 4:25 on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I had called earlier in the day to check hours and to see if they were doing tastings. The girl I spoke to said they were open until 5 and doing tastings until then.
When I walked in I looked around and saw the retail store to my right and a bar/​tasting room up a flight of stairs. I started walking up the stairs since that seemed to be where they were doing the tastings. Halfway up the stairs the girl in the retail section, who was ringing up a customer, snapped at me and told me, very rudely, that the bar was closed. I immediately wanted to walk out but my partner was in the bathroom and quite honestly, I wanted to try some of their wines. So I said, «where do you do the tastings?», and again, rudely, she said, «we do them in here». Okay…
So we waited in the retail section while she was ringing up a customer. While she was ringing them up she snapped and said, «what do you want to try?»…so I said, «Some wine? Traminette maybe?» So she says, «you wanna split a taste?» No, I wanted to do a tasting. Multiple wines and maybe I would buy some. That’s the point right? I live in Chicago and was passing through so it’s not like I can go there easily. So, we walked out.
I was really disappointed with their awful, unwelcoming attitude.
Don’t waste your time with this place.

I am surprised this place doesn’t have better reviews. I love this place. It is perfect for a ladies night or a date. They have live music on the outdoor patio on many weekends. The patio is covered in white string lights year round. The wine is phenomenal. My fav is blackberry. Bottles are about $ 14. You can wander around with one outside or play board games inside. You can also buy bottles and take them home. This place makes for a classy, low key evening. So stop drinking mass produced grocery store wine and step up your game. You will be glad you tried John Christ.

TERRIBLE SERVICE for a wine tasting. I will also say that I rarely write Unilocal reviews but felt I had to after this experience! I was so excited to try John Christ since I am from Cleveland and it’s been around for ages. I brought my Mom who had never been wine tasting before and it was mid-​week in the middle of the day so we were the only people in the place. First, they do not give you actual glasses but small plastic cups similar to what you’d take cough syrup from. This would not bother me so much if the person pouring the wine was remotely interested that we were there. He did not tell us at all about the wine, and when I asked, he responded condescendingly and with very short answers. Half the time he didn’t even mention what year the wine was from and just stood there while we sipped the wine awkwardly. It was not a relaxing or enjoyable experience at all and it seemed like we were bothering him by being there, rather than being potential customers who might buy and tout his product.
I was so disappointed, will not return and do not recommend this place.

Great wine, atmosphere and prices are good. Thursday are lady nights so it’s the perfect place to hang out with some girlfriends.

It was our first visit last Saturday. It was very disappointing. The wine tasted like bad sour grape juice. The wine in the store was also priced $ 4 cheaper for the same bottle we bought from the bar.

I’ve had way better wine… the other reviewers on here are absolutely right that it’s just glorified grape juice. Grape juice gone bad to put it right.
Also a lot of the Reds, have stuff that floats in it. They say that it’s sulfates. I’ve visited other wineries and haven’t had this crap floating in my wine ever. It’s pretty gross actually. Just goes to show how cheap it is!
Used to be the place to be when we lived in Cleveland but not anymore from what I’ve heard since we’ve moved. Don’t miss this place anywhere near (if at all) as much as I thought we would!

Love the Blackberry, Special Blend and Peach Wine! But the Blackberry is Ahhhh-​MAZING! I love the older guy in the shop. He always gives very good recommendations because I am very new to the wine world. He has been slowly easing me into more risqué flavors.

We walked in to do some wine tasting and the guy handed us these plastic cups and asked what we wanted. He was very unfriendly and acted as though we were interrupting his day. When I said I’ll try the three reds thy had and go down the list, he didn’t even know what they had. Will not return here or recommend it to anyone

I was looking for something to do on a Thursday night and decided to come to this winery. Usually I am looking for a calm and relaxing place. I ended up trying their peach wine which was very yummy. The bartender was helpful in explaining about their wine selection. They had an inside and outside place. The outside didn’t have any nice scenery like some other wineries I have been to.

I’ve been here a few times and always have a good experience. It’s always been to see live music (Ally & Company). I like their wine and that you can bring a snack in if you want to eat while you have their wine. Comfortable and fun!

We first had John Christ wine at the 2012 Avon Lake Wine Festival. Once I tasted their peach wine, I was sold. We bought a few bottles before we left that evening and my husband has driven to the winery to buy it for me since then.
We keep saying we need to stop in one evening to taste more of their wine and I am hoping to do that once the spring thaw arrives!

What a wonderful place! I checked this place out for the first time a couple weekends ago with some friends for a birthday. It was simply wonderful from beginning to end! We took turns buying bottles of wine, and each bottle, of course, was more delicious than the one before.
The sweet wines are sooooo delicious and refreshing, but after awhile, you forget you’re drinking wine (because most taste like sweet fruit juice), after a few glasses, I had to slow down…
I loved the outdoor space. The picnic tables and bonfire were very comfortable and really contributed to lots of mingling and great conversations with new friends. Even the outdoor bathroom was comfortable and clean.
Parking was at a premium on the night that I went, but I was able to find a questionable (as in — is it okay to park on the lawn?) spot. A nice man who works there was moving other people’s cars around to make more space, and he assured me my car was fine where it was.
And, as an added bonus, the bartenders were both absolutely adorable!
I can’t wait for my next visit to this winery!

Everything i could say about this place has already been said… and despite all the criticisms, im a fan.

I don’t expect Ohio wines to be the best in the world. Our climate and soil will never produce a Niagara ice wine or anything to compare to Napa. But the wine and service at John Christ is really lacking.
The port is good, dark with hints of currant. Most of the «red» wines (all more rose than anything) tasted more like super sweet grape juice. The prices were acceptable for locally produced wine, but I wasn’t particularly happy with $ 9-​$ 15 for some mediocre bottles.
The service was the most off putting of it all, though. The man at the register seemed completely put out when I and three friends asked to sample some wine. When I asked what their specialty was, he rather gruffly told me they didn’t have one. The man did not warm up until we had picked out some bottles to purchase, and even then, he went back to watching television before we had exited the shop.

I don’t know why I didn’t give this place 5 stars before, but I should have. This place is probably the best-​kept secret on Cleveland’s west side. I think the secret is getting out, though, because I see more and more people here every time we come.
In my last review, I talked about an event that my wife and I hosted at this winery. We hosted another event a few weekends ago and the staff was extremely helpful in helping us pull off a Hobbit-​themed birthday party for my wife. They have redone the back patio area and it’s even better than it was before. The interior patio has new windows, while the large tents in the backyard (which would probably cost $ 200+ to rent!) were very helpful to have. The fact that they allow their spaces to be reserved for free is nothing short of remarkable.
The wine continues to be great, and it tastes even better when they run specials. A few months back they offered certain bottles for $ 7 – a steal!
I’m glad that John Christ is only a short drive from my home, and I look forward to many more great times at one of my favorite spots in Cleveland!

I wish I could write a better review, I really do. We walked in with the intent of it being a celebration of my birthday and it was the first winery we were going to that day. We walked in and counted exactly 7 people in the entire place… 4 at the bar and 3 at a smaller table in the back. Not slammed with business by any stretch.
We sat and waited… and waited… and waited. We literally sat there for 20+ minutes and not one person came up and asked if we wanted a glass, a tasting, nothing. We understand sometimes places get busy and even just an acknowledgement of «be with you in a minute» we get. I have worked in food service I know what it’s like, but NOTHING. We finally got to the point where we weren’t going to waste anymore of my birthday time and left. We drove from Columbus to be there and we left there completely empty-​handed.
Not sure what to say about it. I was so dissapointed that we didn’t get to try it.

Excellent employees. Wine is varied and ok, nice outside area next to a golf course to enjoy an afternoon. Snacks are available & they encourage you to bring your own food. Retail store if you find something you like.

So, the wine isn’t top notch and is boderline watered down jam. However, you need an attitude adjustment if you can go to John Christ Winery and not fall in love with it. Bring in your own food, or order snacks from their menu; it doesn’t matter to management. Wine costs in the lower teens.
Discovering this place may be the best thing that I got out of my last relationship.

This place is borderline but not quite white-​trash and seems to be frequented mostly by townies. However it is still one of the more charming places I have been to to enjoy some kool-​aid-​esque wine with some friends in an atmosphere that could not be more casual. You can bring your own food here or you can try out the food that they offer — such as a cheese, bread, cracker and sausage tray (perfect with wine). I found the bartender (who I believe was John Christ himself) to be an adorable older man as he declared that my can of pop would be «100 cents», but I soon changed my mind on that when I saw him expose man boobs by removing articles of clothing while dancing to «I’m Too Sexy» with a presumable fellow townie. That was a little off-​putting, however, I still left this place feeling that it was hilariously charming, and wouldn’t mind returning on a warmer evening where we could sit outside, away from the strip show.

First things first, my wee ones. The wine is truly awful. Think Boone’s Farms. Think Arbor Mist. Don’t think about how we all know what that swill tastes like. It’s embarassing.
However, kittens, you should go to their hospitality room at least once in your life. It’s open from 8ish to 12ish on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
ATMOSPHERE: Imagine a little, fairy lit, cedar chalet with a cozy wood burning stove. Let your mind conjure a big wooden porch with tables perfect for big groups of friends. Then take your brain for a stroll onto the back lawn, dotted with picnic tables, giant lanterns and fire pits. Then abuse it with bad wine.
This place is about as cozy and friendly as it gets. Big groups of women come with full buffets to celebrate birthdays. Couples and quartets chat in dark corners. The bartender lipsynchs opera and tells horrible jokes. If you sit outside and don’t have about a dozen new best friends by the end of the night, you need lithium.
FOOD: There is food here. There is a yummy cheese and sausage plate, a tasty fruit and cheese plate and someone said something about soup. You can bring your own food. No one cares.
Annual clam bakes and steak roasts are catered and delish. The often hire a really good bluegrass band to accompany the party.
SERVICE: The staff is fantastic. Everyone is very, very nice and helpful. Go in more than once (and you will) and you’re family.
WINE: It’s sweet, cloying and awful. There’s peach, raspbery, blackberry, something that tastes like communion wine, and varietals. My dear, darling friend walked in and asked for a very dry chardonnay. After the bartender wiped his eyes and regained his composure, he handed her a glass of «Chardonnay». She has not forgiven me. And she’s been back.
Ha!