The first incarnation of Vino Veritas was a successful restaurant and wine bar in the heart of Little Italy—even ranking on the 2015
Cleveland Hot List as a top wine bar. But by 2016, owner Anthony Nunes Insana had set his sights on a bigger picture for his wines, which he had been making in the basement of his Little Italy establishment.
Opportunity presented itself when Insana stumbled upon Rising Harvest Farms, a 2.3-acre plot of land in Old Brooklyn. "I found the property by myself, driving around," Insana says. "I started talking to Rising Harvest Farms and they wanted out." Insana swiftly started making plans for
Vino Veritas Cellars, securing a one-year lease for the land from
Cuyahoga Land Bank last September. In February, Insana made it official by signing a 25-year lease to buy the former Rising Harvest property, and he had the land re-zoned as a vineyard and winery.
With its grand opening last Thursday, Aug. 3, Vino Veritas Cellars officially became Cleveland’s first fully functional, federally bonded winery and vineyard. Learn more about it
here.