A very good year - a Visit to Old Mason Winery

Ohio has long had the reputation of producing some popular and award-winning varieties of wine. The state currently boasts 130 wineries, with clusters near Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland. Since the mid-1800s, the Ohio River Valley has been a major wine producing area. The Miami Valley, in particular, is home to a hidden gem known as Old Mason Winery and Vineyard in West Milton. Located at 4199 South Iddings Road, the winery has been in operation since April 2013.

Old Mason Winery is a family-owned and operated business overseen by Jeff and Donna Clark. The name Old Mason is a tribute to four generations of the Clark family's stone masons. As with many family-spawned businesses, this one evolved from a recreational activity combined with necessity. 

“It truly is a hobby that got completely out of control,” Jeff Clark said in a recent interview. “I was a masonry contractor, and after 9/11, construction just stopped, and the work dried up. We had about an acre-and-a-half vineyard. I went to the library, read about winemaking, then made all the wines I could. We had jugs of wine everywhere, from the kitchen to the dining room, 266 gallons in total. My hobby was getting crazy, so I bought the building and the land, and here we are 15 years later. It was two years before we could open after we planted the vineyard.”  

The Old Mason property west of S.R. 571 covers 24 acres. Nine of those acres are vineyards and include close to 5.3 miles of trellis. “We contract with different vineyards around Ohio to grow grapes, but everything is made here,” Clark emphasizes. If we don’t make it, we don’t sell it. It used to be you’d wait four or five years between planting and bottling, but now we can get a small crop in about three to four years.”

Old Mason is an old-fashioned family business in the truest sense of the word. During harvest season, everyone is pressed into service. “We don’t use power equipment, and everything is done by hand,” Jeff said. “We grow hybrids, and usually offer 21 to 22 varieties. Some are very popular, but our best seller is Statesman, a sweet red-and-white variety. You could say there’s an audience for all of them because everybody has different tastes.”

Old Mason wines are available for purchase by the bottle in the winery, along with flights (samples of various varieties) that are consumed on the grounds. For those who want the full product sampling experience, light refreshments are available, along with servings by the glass. The popularity of their wines has increased the retail exposure outside of the facility. “We’re in 23 to 25 stores locally,” Doug said. “We really haven’t pursued getting our wines into other places the last couple of years, though. We’ve been concentrating on production level. A lot of times, we’re just happy to keep up with what we’re doing here.”

Some of their wines have been entered into competitions and won awards, including the Finger Lakes Competition, Indianapolis National, and the Minnesota Competition. More recently, the winery received a prestigious honor—it was designated a 2024 Best Destination in Ohio by Midwestern Traveler magazine.

“We were nominated, then it was up to the customers to vote,” Donna Clark said. “It’s all thanks to them. They voted us the best in Ohio. We’ve had quite a few customers this summer drop in because they heard about the award. We also won the Best of Upper Valley Dayton this year. It’s all because of the customers. Our support base is wonderful.” 

The winery offers a number of weekend activities, taking advantage of a spacious outdoor patio that overlooks the vineyard and countryside. Walk into Old Mason most Saturday nights, and you’ll be greeted by people chilling and having a good time with a glass of vino. “I’d have to say it’s our homey atmosphere that draws people in,” Donna said. “We have live local music every weekend, and we’ve added food trucks, along with trivia once a month. We’re very driven by customer service. We want our customers to have a good time and be happy. Of course, we want them to love the wine, too!”

It should be noted that the winery is also available for small and large group activities. “We get a few customers from up here, but most of them come from Tipp City, Vandalia, Troy, and Dayton,” she continued. “There are still a lot of people that aren’t aware of us. Not many people come to West Milton, we’re not in the mainstream of traffic, and a lot of people don’t know we’re here. We’d like to change that.”

For more information about Old Mason Winery and Vineyard, including hours of operation and a schedule of activities, visit their website, oldmasonwinery.com, or call 937.698.1122. You can also follow them on Facebook.