Conneaut Cellars Winery was founded by Dr. Alan Wolf in 1982. Dr. Wolf’s winemaking education and experience in Germany informed the winery's direction for years. In 1996, Joal Wolf, son of Dr. Alan Wolf and his wife Phyllis, became the proprietor of Conneaut Cellars Winery. As a young boy, Joal helped his father make wine during the 1960's. After graduating from Penn State University, Joal served for more than 27 years as a distinguished officer for our military forces. His service took him to Europe for four years, and while in Germany, Joal visited wineries and represented Conneaut Cellars during trade shows. Joal returned to the winery in 1988 and earned his Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Penn State University. After graduate school, Joal worked full-time at the winery as the wine master and assisted his father in all facets of the business. In 1991, Joal became Wine Master. Joal’s attention to quality shows in every glass of Conneaut Cellars Wine.
Conneaut Cellars Hazel Park Red was sweet, light red tasting wine with lots of Concord grape aroma. The wine was named for the Hazel Park area on the East Side of Conneaut Lake. I do not generally like sweet reds, but I made an exception here, as the flavor and the wine were balanced by acidity so that the flavors were in fact complimentary and the acidity kept the wine honest. I remain a steadfast dry drinker, but this made me smile.