When you think of Southern Indiana, the first thing that comes to your mind is probably not wine. After a trip on the Indiana Uplands Wine Trail, that very well could be the first thing that comes to mind. Surprisingly the Southern Indiana area is blessed with several wonderful area wineries. Most of these wineries have partnered together to form the Indiana Uplands Wine Trail. The wine trail consists of nine south central Indiana area wineries. Today we will look at 5 of these exceptional wineries.
Oliver Winery
Oliver Winery has been a staple of the Bloomington Indiana area since 1972 when it opened to the public. Located on a picturesque stretch of land alongside Highway 37, Oliver Winery is a great place to visit. They offer free wine tastings daily and also offer gourmet picnic foods for a relaxing picnic alongside their pond. One of my favorite wines, The Soft White is especially nice. Its smooth rich taste is surprisingly light and refreshing. It is a wonderful Semi-Sweet wine, perfect to compliment cheeses, fruits or rich desserts. For more information and hours of operation visit www. Oliverwinery.com.
Butler Winery
Close to Oliver is our next winery, Butler Winery. Butler is located 9 miles northeast of Bloomington. They also operate a tasting room in downtown Bloomington inside of a charming 1900’s era home. Here they offer free wine tastings and winemaking supplies. Tastings and tours are available at the vineyard. One to be sure to try is the 2008 Butler Vineyard Chambourcin; it is an award winning wine made fromChambourcin juice. It is perfect chilled and paired with many foods. To check for hours of operation or learn more about their recently opened third location visit www.butlerwinery.com
Carousel Winery
Heading south Carousel Winery is located south of the small city of Bedford. Located conveniently alongside highway 37, Carousel is a fairly new winery, established in 2003. They are lacking some of the ambience of some of the larger and more established wineries in the area, but their tremendous wines make up for it. Take a quick look at their wine selections and you can see many of them have won multiple awards. I recommend the Winter Spice. When consumed slightly warm this spicy red will keep the winter chill at bay. More information can be found at www.carouselwinery.com
French Lick
Located south of our last winery is the French Lick Winery. Located inside an old piano factory, from their tasting room you can view the wine making process from large windows. The winery offers wine purchases by the glass, bottle or case. They also offer a gift area with wine themed gifts and accessories, apparel and gift baskets. They also offer Italian food in their Vintage Café. Ranging from salads, breads, fresh pizzas and a kids menu, the Vintage Café menu is fairly extensive. A must try wine is their Cabernet Sauvignon, it is perfect with a thick juicy steak. To confirm hours (closed on Mondays) or to view their extensive wine offerings visit www.frenchlickwinery.com.
Huber Winery
Located in far southern Indiana north of Louisville Kentucky, Huber Winery is a destination winery. You could easily spend the day enjoying all the offerings on this farm. A cheese shop, Bakery, Petting- zoo and a farm market are also located here. You can complete your visit with a stop at their café. They offer several wine tour options ranging from Wine 101 to Wine Enthusiast which is a 2 hour tour that gets started with a glass of champagne. Please visit the website to learn more about the tours and how to reserve yours. Once you reach the tasting room at the end of your tour I recommend the Strawberry Infusion. It is made from real fresh strawberry juice and it is infused with Strawberry Brandy. For more information on all the offerings at the Huber Winery, visit www.huberwinery.com.
To also learn more about the other wineries on the Indiana Upland wine tour you can visit the wine tour’s website at www.indianauplands.com . The wine tour hosts several events and promotions throughout the year so be sure to visit the website often. You can also sign up for Emails to keep you abreast of new happenings.
