Harmony Hill Vineyards and Estate Winery owners Bill and Patti Skvarla are searching for a local gentleman who visited the winery in the summer of 2007.

The visitor brought with him to the winery a barrel stencil that he identified as a family heirloom. Bill Skvarla said that a barrel stencil is what was used in the early days as a method of identifying the winery that had filled the barrel with wine, was placed over the head of the barrel and set over a flame to burn the stamp into the wood.

“Patti and I marveled at this piece of history and realized that it was from Ohio Bonded Winery #2,” Bill said. “We cannot recall the winery name or the name of the gentleman. It was one of those crazy days at the winery when visitors are lined up at the tasting bar, so by the time we had a chance to speak with this gentleman at length, he had disappeared.”

The Skvarlas have been looking for this visitor ever since; they are hoping someone in the Clermont community might have a recollection of the man’s visit to Harmony Hill.

For months now, Bill Skvarla and his wife have searched, to no avail, for the winery visitor through the Ohio Division of Liquor Control and Federal Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms licensing divisions.

There is a sense of urgency to find the visitor because the barrel stencil he had with him that day is related to an upcoming event this March.

For the very first time, the City of Cincinnati Park Board is sponsoring a wine event at the Krohn Conservatory and will hold a presentation about the history of the Ohio River Valley wine appellation.

“That piece (the barrel stencil) is significant,” Skvarla said. “The Ohio Bonded Winery #2 would have been only the second winery to be established after the Longworth wineries in the 1800’s. As many of you already know, Nicholas Longworth started this nation’s wine history when he planted 3,000 acres of Catawba along the shores of the Ohio River, east of Cincinnati. He is still considered to be the father of the American wine industry.”

The Skvarlas wish to be contacted at harmonyhillfarm@aol.net if any winery visitor or community member has any recollection or knowledge of this visitor to the Bethel Harmony Hill Vineyards.

“We realize it is a strange request, but an important one,” Bill said.