Joe Zaucha of Cuyahoga Falls has a wine company. But you won’t spot any grapes growing outside his home office.
Zaucha is a wine negociant, meaning he cuts deals with vineyards and winemakers on the West Coast and elsewhere to get his wines.
Zaucha, who operates as JZ Wine Co., is again promoting his Frost Bitten Ice Riesling for the holidays.
It’s a sweet “ice wine style” wine, he said. Zaucha can’t call it an ice wine because that term refers to grapes picked when they are frozen on the vine. He uses grapes that are frozen after they are picked.
The holiday price is $13.99 a bottle — considerably cheaper than the typical cost of an ice wine.
The Beverage Tasting Institute in Chicago gave the 2010 vintage — the current release — a score of 95 out of 100 points.
The Frost Bitten Riesling is available at Acme, Giant Eagle, Heinen’s and World Market stores, as well as Krieger’s market in Cuyahoga Falls, Kirbie’s Family Meats & Catering in Stow and other independent outlets.
Zaucha will be pouring a few of his wines today at a holiday open house at Kirbie’s. Zaucha will appear from 1 to 3 p.m. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
His other selections include JZ Selections Lot No. 1, a Pinot Noir, and Lot No. 2, a Viognier.
A confidentiality agreement means he can’t say where the Pinot Noir is made. But he points out it sells for $17.99 — “which is roughly half the price of what the winery sells it for under its own label.”
Lot No. 2, the Viognier, sells for $9.99.
Zaucha, 47, started his one-man operation in 2005 after he lost his job when his employer, a wine import company, trimmed its staff. He was the Great Lakes regional manager.
“What seemed like an unfortunate layoff was the start of a profitable venture,” he said.
Katie Byard can be reached at 330-996-3781 or kbyard@thebeaconjournal.com.