On the night before Valentine's Day we shared a bottle of Kinkead Ridge 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon ($18)with my mother. We were waiting for the right time to open it because Kinkead Ridge is one of the most "local" wines we have. It's made here in Ohio. That's right, Ohio wine.

Our last experience with Ohio wine was on the drunkard's dream island of Put-in-Bay. The barely fermented grape juice was so sweet and tasteless that we compared it to Kool-Aid. We literally poured out the second half of the bottle because it was undrinkable.

So we approached the Kinkead Ridge 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon with some hesitation. We decanted the bottle and later poured three glasses. The nose was strong with cherry and berry scents. The body was full and well balanced. Color was deep red and clear.

Kinkead Ridge bills themselves as an ultra-premium Estate Bottled wine maker. Based on this initial tasting, we are eager to try more and visit their vineyard sometime soon.

Moral of the story: Drinking local can have surprising results!