GROVE CITY, Ohio (WCMH) — At the northern section of downtown Grove City, a winery, brewery, and restaurant can be found under one roof.

“When I retired from teaching, my wife and I decided to open a winery,” said David Crosby of Plum Run Winery. “We even had our own vineyard and brought the grapes here. The polar vortex wiped it out and we didn’t have the heart to replant.”

Grapevines are sensitive to drastic changes in temperature and disease. The expense can be overwhelming at $10,000 to $20,000 per acre. After the expense, the vines take anywhere from three to five years before they produced fruit sweet enough to be harvested.

“Our place had been growing by leaps and bounds; we just couldn’t focus on growing grapes and do what we are doing here,” Crosby said.

The business buys about 80 percent of its juices from the 2,000 acres of vineyards in Ohio to make their in-house wines.

After the polar vortex years, Crosby teamed up with friends and expanded the business to a restaurant and brewery complete with an executive chef.

One of the partners is Jodi Burroughs. She said customers can show up for a wine tasting without an appointment and then take their favorite glass on a walk because of Grove City’s DORA program.

“Every day but Sunday, you can walk around from 2 p.m. to midnight with your drink of choice from whatever establishment,” she said.

Ultimately, Crosby and Burroughs want the customers to be comfortable and enjoy themselves.

“We want to have that whole experience where people see where it’s being made and having it with good food,” Crosby said.

Wine industry in Ohio

The popularity of wineries and vineyards is bustling as there are more than 373 of them around the state, including many in central Ohio. The week of Feb. 27, NBC4i.com will post a series of reports on the industry: