Sip Magazine

Promoting Ohio's Grape Industries

As part of the Ohio Dept. of Agriculture, the Ohio Grape Industries Committee promotes the state’s wine and grape industry and works to generate and expand new markets for grapes and grape products. Available in wineries around the state, Sip magazine tells the stories of Ohio’s winemakers. Included inside is the Ohio Wine Guide, which includes a map of the wineries, their amenities and contact information.

Challenges to Overcome

• Lack of awareness of the quality of Ohio wine and many of the grapes that grow best here.

• Low awareness of the economic impact of Ohio’s wine and grape industry.

Our Strategy

We produced an interactive quiz that introduced readers to the different varieties of grapes that grow in Ohio. Frontenac, Chambourcin and Traminette, to name a few, aren’t as commonly known as Merlot or Chardonnay. We helped readers discover new varieties to try based on their preferences. Marquette, for instance, is ideal for Merlot lovers and Gewürztraminer is a dynamic white.

We wrote an article about food pairings that gave examples of food and wine combinations. Chardonel, a grape well-suited to Ohio, is ideal for pork dishes, while ice wine, which is produced along Lake Erie, is perfect to serve with dessert.

We included a two-page story that touted the economic impact of the Ohio grape industry to educate readers. Ohio is No. 7 in the nation in wine economic output and home to 323 wineries. The industry supports $1.9 billion in wages and $6.6 billion in economic activity.

Results

Sip is popular with readers. Our reader survey reports 91% of readers rate the magazine as good or excellent. 85% have used the magazine to travel to wineries around the state. 70% spent more than 20 minutes reading the issue and 85% planned to keep the issue for reference.

One of the readers shared: “I love the stories about wineries! It makes me want to visit!”