DUBLIN, Ohio — At the recent Ohio Wine Conference, the Ohio Wine Producers Association (OWPA) inducted Andrew Codispoti into the Ohio Wine Hall of Fame. Andy joined the Gervasi Vineyard family in its first year of existence and has led their award-winning winemaking and now their distilling operations from those earliest days.
From Ted Swaldo, founder of the Canton-based winery: “We were both recently retired engineers … Andy wasn’t looking for a full-time position, and I assured him this would only be 15 hours a week, so he would have considerable time to devote to his hobby of building custom guitars.”
Quickly, he started producing extraordinary wines, Swaldo said. Andy brought engineering and science to the winery’s production.
The 15-hour weeks quickly disappeared, and he routinely worked 50-plus-hour weeks,” Swaldo said. “We would not be where we are today without Andy’s contribution!”
From Ed Trebets, president of the OWPA: “Andy Codispoti’s induction into the Hall of Fame is well deserved. He was the visionary who made Gervasi Vineyards, one of the premier destinations in the state of Ohio. His work ethic and passion for wine making makes him one of the most respected individuals in the industry. ”
New Board to serve the Ohio wine industry in 2022
While at the Conference, OWPA elected its 2022 Board:
Incumbents re-elected were Dustin Heineman of Heineman Winery, Put-in-Bay, and Marc Zdobinski of Olde Schoolhouse Vineyard and Winery in Eaton.
Newly elected was Joe Glista of The Vineyards at Pine Lake in Columbia.
These members will join Andy Codispoti of Gervasi Vineyard, Canton; Eric Cotton of Silver Crest Winery, Madison; Charles Edwards, Caesar Creek Winery, Xenia; Anita Davis, Breitenbach Winery, Dover; Joe Juniper, Vermilion Valley Vineyards, Vermilion; Donna Roberts, Terra Cota Vineyards, New Concord; Ed Trebets, Urban Vintner, Willoughby; Dan Mastropietro, Mastropietro Winery, Berlin Center; and Julius Schwarcz, Taigain Hills Winery, Danville, on the Board for the upcoming year.
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