Nicely aged

With an Italian-village vibe, wine estate Gervasi Village offers close-to-home getaway to small Italian village

Gervasi Vineyard, which celebrates its 10-year anniversary on March 16, is different from most Ohio wineries.

Nestled on a former tree farm in a residential neighborhood in Canton, it’s a resort destination, not just a winery. It’s a campus of 16 buildings on a 55-acre estate, curated to feel like a small Italian village.

Passing under the arched entrance is like passing through a portal to another world.

This enchanted wine estate started — and grew significantly over the past 10 years — without a master plan, but as a response to customer interest. Owner Ted Swaldo calls the winery, distillery, lodging, restaurants and more a “happening.”

That “happening” started when Swaldo sold Cantonbased business ASC Industries, which manufactured after-market water pumps, in 2009 and retired.

He and his wife, Linda, moved to Florida to enjoy his retirement years in their house in Florida. Within a few months, Swaldo was bored.

He says he had made a mistake. He had retired “from” something not “to” something. And, after a few rounds of golf, that just wasn’t working. He needed something more.

Fortunately, he had purchased the last working farm in Canton before retirement. That inspired the decision to become a winemaker. He decided he’d grow grapes, make wine, then sell wine and trail bologna to a few visitors each year.

Lucky for Northeast Ohio, that plan evolved as passersby stopped him in the emerging and muddy vineyard to ask if they could get married on the property. Without pondering much, he agreed. And, a little more than a year later, a falling-down, 200-year-old barn was restored as Gervasi’s first venue.

Originally, the winery and Italian restaurant was named Gervasi Vineyard & Italian Bistro. The barn is now The Bistro — a rustic, yet upscale Italian-inspired restaurant offering high-end cuisine to diners on three levels (including the original winery). As the estate grew, the winery was moved to add new wines and increase production and is now in The Crush House.

After many wedding requests and investigating the cost of massive tents for wedding use, Swaldo decided a permanent pavilion would be more economical and a better fit for weddings and other events on the estate. Voila, an openair pavilion large enough for 200 guests, was built between the vineyard and 6-acre, spring-fed lake.

As the “village” was just starting, Swaldo realized his strength wasn’t winemaking. It was, instead, being visionary. He was good at identifying needs and filling them. So he hired Andy Codispoti as a winemaker and his son Scott Swaldo to operate the food-service operations. Ten years later,

Codispoti is making awardwinning Italian-style wines and spirits and Scott is general manager of all operations for GV Destinations.

As the winery attracted more weddings, the need for overnight lodging became apparent.

Thus, six Tuscan-inspired villas — each with a spacious grand lobby and four elegant guest rooms — were built on the other side of the lake in a matter of months. Offering Tuscan charm, plush beds and cozy fireplaces, these guest rooms are offer a lovely retreat after dinner and wine tasting in one of the dining venues.

Soon after, The Farmhouse, circa 1830, was restored and modernized for overnight guests. The 2,200-square-foot farmhouse features a full working kitchen, a living room, dining room, sitting room, study, two full baths, four guest rooms (sleeping up to eight) and a wrap-around porch facing the lake.

The new-build boutique inn, The Casa, is a third lodging option. Like The Villas, the new hotel offers many high-end amenities and 24 luxury suites featuring plush king-sized beds, gas fireplaces, private patios and views of the courtyard and a second lake on the estate.

Dining choices include The Bistro, the restored historic barn; The Piazza, a seasonal, outdoor restaurant located behind The Bistro featuring casual cuisine; and The Crush House Wine Bar & Eatery, a contemporary restaurant with the feel of an upscale, modern loft.

In December 2018, the family opened The Still House. This building is especially significant. The design — an Italian chapel — was inspired by Swaldo’s visit to his ancestral village of Denno, Italy. That’s where his grandmother, whose last name was Gervasi, was baptized in St. Gervasio church, the model for the building.

You can start the day at the coffeehouse in The Still House and end it at night in the cocktail lounge and bar. The Distillery, which opened in January 2019, started with six distinct spirits: small-batch gin, blood orange gin, smallbatch vodka, rose vodka, wheated bourbon and winebarrel bourbon. Two new spirits will be released in early summer.

It’s not enough, of course, to make wine and spirits. Gervasi works in partnership with local manufacturers and sells its own coffee, marinara sauce, chocolate bars infused with coffee, wine slushie mix and cocktail mixers at The Marketplace boutique gift shop, which is housed in a restored dairy barn.

If you visit in March, you’ll find diamond-anniversary promotions and 10-year-anniversary celebrations available. Among them are

» $10 off bottles of GV wine on Wednesdays when you dine-in at The Bistro, The Crush House, The Still House, and The Twisted Olive. (Italian Collection excluded)

» 30 percent off all GV signature collection products purchased at The Marketplace, including apparel, coffee, marinara sauce, chocolates and other logo merchandise (wine and spirits excluded)

Special 10-year anniversary celebrations for the month include:

» Flights & Bites — March 10, $19, one hour. Visit The Bistro for an interactive tasting experience.

» Solera Wine Release — March 22, $20, one and a half hours. Release and tasting of new limited-edition Gervasi Wine with appetizers in The Crush House

» Chocolate Stroll — March 28, $34, three hours. Take a stroll across the Gervasi estate, stopping at multiple venues to indulge in decadent treats.

COURTESY OF GERVASI VINEYARD Opened in December 2018, The Stillhouse’s design was inspired by St. Gervasio church where the family’s grandmother was baptized. Inside it’s a coffeehouse by day, cocktail lounge and bar by night.

COURTESY OF GERVASI VINEYARD Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, Gervasi Vineyard is named after founder/owner Ted Swaldo’s grandmother who was from Denno, Italy.

COURTESY OF GERVASI VINEYARD Gervasi Vineyard property offers three dining options, where a variety of dishes can be paired with house-made wines. Nearly one million glasses of Italian wines — Sangiovese and Pinot Grigio — have been served the past 10 years.

COURTESY OF GERVASI VINEYARD Built in 2011, the AAA Four Diamond Villas each have four Tuscan-inspired luxury suites with heated tile floors and views of Gervasi’s spring-fed lake.