Ohio Grape Industries Committee launching new app
The Ohio Grape Industries Committee (OGIC), which operates in part through the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA), is launching a new Ohio Wines Visitor’s Incentive Passport (VIP) app on Saturday, June 1, 2024.
VIP members who visit participating wineries will stamp a passport using their smart device to earn points throughout the year. The app must be installed on the smart device with location services turned on for participants to stamp their passport while discovering the unique products grown and sold at Ohio’s wineries.
The app also offers additional features encouraging exploration at participating wineries.
“Ohio’s wines and vineyards help bring agriculture and tourism together,” said ODA Director Brian Baldridge. “The creations and contributions from our grape growers and winemakers are a big reason why food and agriculture is Ohio’s number one industry. I encourage everyone to download the app and explore responsibly.”
The Ohio Wines Visitor’s Incentive Program, previously web-based, was created in 2013 to incentivize visits to Ohio’s 400-plus licensed wine manufacturers and retailers located across the state. The program allowed visitors to collect uniquely coded tickets at participating locations and entering the codes on the www.findohiowines.com website to earn points and redeem for prizes, all free to Ohio’s wineries and VIP members. There are currently 23,960 active Ohio Wines VIP members from 38 different states.
“From urban to rural, sweet to dry, and red to white, Ohio’s wineries are some of the state’s best kept secrets, so what better way for us to help them tell their stories than to encourage and reward consumers for visiting and embracing the diversity Ohio wineries have to offer,” said Christy Eckstein, the OGIC Executive Director.
Both returning and new VIP members can visit the www.ohiowinesvip.com/ website for more information on how to claim their existing account or create a new one.
You’re no more than 30 minutes from an Ohio winery wherever you are in Ohio, so start your visit today by downloading the Ohio Wines VIP app on the App Store or Google Play.
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