Drinking with the Saints and Sinners

A striking bell tower with an open-air spire perches atop the Still House at Gervasi Vineyard. The tribute to the St. Gervasio church in Denno, Italy, where the Canton family matriarch Mary Gervasi was baptized, gives the combination coffeehouse, cocktail lounge and distillery the feel of a sacred chapel-like retreat.

“We love the idea of the chapel, calm and still, a quiet gathering place,” says Scott Swaldo, general manager and grandson of Gervasi, who emigrated from northern Italy to Ellis Island. Swaldo adds that the structure, though reminiscent of the historic Italian church, excludes religious icons.

Tuscan mission-style off-white stucco walls, high ceilings finished with dark wood beams, an 8-foot-round stained-glass window and modernized, church-style chandeliers create a transformational venue at the Still House. 

Clusters of comfy resting spots — plush, tufted booth seating and leather and velvet lounge chairs — call to morning people for Gervasi Caffe delights. Imported coffee beans, locally roasted Italian-style, find their way into mochas, pour-overs and French press creations. Accompaniments like house-made chocolate hazelnut and orange-almond-white chocolate biscotti, apple-raisin strata and sausage-egg-cheese calzones narrate an enticing upscale-coffeehouse menu.

In the evening, colored mood lighting and live pop and jazz music metamorphose the grand space into a craft cocktail lounge. Artists who fit the cozy setting include multi-instrumentalist Marc Lee Shannon with his soulful songs and Scott Paris of national touring rock band Broken Transmitter, who performs original songs and modern pop covers acoustically. 

In this elegant evening atmosphere, patrons can select from 100-plus spirits and cocktails, including a classic Manhattan and an exotic Smoked Envy: craft bourbon with house-made walnut-spiced bitters and rosemary in a pecan-smoked snifter.

The distillery’s newest release, a blood orange gin named Saint’s Desire, joins a collection of other Gervasi-made offerings: small-batch vodka and gin, wine barrel-aged bourbon, wheated bourbon and Sinner’s Blush rose vodka. While the Still House is still aging bourbon for its new Gervasi Spirits, aficionados can get a peek at how the spirit’s process evolves on a complimentary distillery tour, offered every Sunday.

In the Still House’s open-air cigar lounge, the Sin Room, guests take their pick from 16 cigar offerings or bring in their personal favorites. A companion Gervasi craft cocktail or spirit — one that originates in the distillery — brings the indulgent Sin Room experience full circle. 

“Interest in the Sin Room has exceeded our expectations,” Swaldo says. “Guests are loving the atmosphere and the opportunity to enjoy premium cigars and our wonderful cocktail offerings in a unique and beautiful space.”

3 more gervasi additions to discover

Gift This:

Get ready to show your respect for Canton’s history as the birthplace of the NFL with a limited-edition bottle of wine made in partnership with the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the fourth year. This year’s selection is a semi-dry pinot grigio titled Respect, with a zesty crispness that mirrors Gervasi Vineyard’s perennial Lucello off-dry white wine. 

Available in take-home bottles at the estate or at the Twisted Olive in August, the Hall of Fame wines have special labels and premium keepsake corks. “People tend to collect these, so they’re going to live in the bottle a little longer,” says Andy Codispoti, director of winemaking and distilling operations.

Drink This:

Those who prefer liquor over wine now have more reasons to visit. In January, the new state-of-the-art Gervasi Spirits distillery began creating small batches of bourbon, gin and vodka inside the Still House.

The bourbon begins with corn grown 4 miles away on land farmed for over 200 years. The corn is milled by the Hartville Elevator Co., keeping the process local, and barley and rye for other spirits are also grown in Northeast Ohio. You can purchase the gin and vodka at the estate.

While the bourbon is aging in barrels for the next four years, you can buy Wine Barrel Bourbon at the estate. Gervasi crafted it on-site by purchasing 4-year-old bourbon from an outside distillery and finishing it in Gervasi wine barrels for four to eight months. 

“It introduces additional aromas and flavors extracted from the wood that had been saturated with wine for three or four seasons,” says Codispoti. Taste it at the estate or at the Twisted Olive in Green in the Double Barrel cocktail that mixes this bourbon with citrus, ginger beer, Grand Marnier and a drizzle of honey. 

Stay Here:

The Italian word casa means house, but the Casa at Gervasi is much more luxurious than most homes. Opened May 1, the 18,000-square-foot single-story boutique hotel includes 24 suites with upscale amenities like king-sized beds, heated towel bars, a fireplace and more.

“The private verandas have a small walkway that leads to a fire pit. It’s very calm, relaxing,” says Susan Monteleone, director of hotel and resort operations. 

Adding to the existing Villas and the Farmhouse lodging, the Tuscan-style Casa often hosts wedding parties, but others also turn it into a getaway to commemorate anything from a birthday to a night away from the kids. 

“We’ve had many people celebrating five years cancer free,” Monteleone says. “Almost everyone here has something special to celebrate.”