So I admit. I didn’t think Indiana wineries could produce much worth drinking. And on the whole, I was right: There were lots of insipid zinfandels and sour cabernets at the 10th annual Vintage Indiana festival. Lots of reds had the aftertaste of dirt. And possibly most annoyingly, there were too many tasters who came by looking to bathe their ‘buds in cloying sweetness, declaring, “oh, that’s too DRY” after tasting one of the better cabs or chambourcins.
There was a beacon in the dark. Namely, Carousel Winery out of Bedford, Indiana. Though I don’t see the full lineup of what we tried on their Web site–such as a lovely, light pinot gris with a hint of acidic sweetness and a quick, elegant finish–there wasn’t a single thing I tried at this station that I didn’t enjoy. Even the slightly awkward anglianico, a somewhat obscure grape that is supposed to be aged for a few years to get over its pubescent awkwardness, was heady, peppery and interesting.
I also really liked Huber’s Orchard & Winery’s vignoles, a semi-dry white with lots of body and a hint of carbonation wanting to come out.
My suggestion for next year: Hike up the price a bit and include food tastings at each station (and sure, leave the vendors–people will still buy). And how about including some wine from other regions? (After all, the Indiana Microbrewers Festival includes breweries from New Orleans’s Abita to New York’s Ommegang, and it still promotes Midwestern beer.) That way, you can actually compare regions and terrior. And isn’t that the point of wine?
Carousel was the best out of the bunch, but Ertel had a really nice Foch. I agree, a little food aka cheese would go a long way. Some of the wineries offered a plate of cheese, read four slices of cheddar, for $10, which was absurd.
I’m sorry you didn’t like the wine. Indiana wines consistently win medals in major wine competitions across the country. In fact, Oliver Winery won a best white wine at a major competition in CA a few years ago for a dry white wine.
Our wineries continue to make sweet wine, because as you observed, Indiana palates still demand such.
The wineries are welcome to sell cheese, crackes, fruit, etc. It’s up to them if they choose to.
As for why I don’t include regional wineries in Vintage Indiana, because it’s an Indiana event. Vintage Indiana is run by myself, an employee of the Indiana Wine Grape Council. We are charged to promote Indiana wineries. There are Vintage Ohio, Virgina, Missouri events…all doing the same thing. I am unsure how the Microbrewers are funded.
I hope you will give it another chance next year.
Jeanette Merritt
Marketing Director
Indiana Wine Grape Council
Festival Director
Vintage Indiana
To focus on the positive, there were some good wines. And some Indiana varietals that have real potential, like foch, chardonnel and chambourcin, which were coaxed to their potential in some wineries’ interpretations.
And actually, my observation that there wasn’t a whole lot worth drinking–well, that could be said about many grapes grown in America outside of California, Oregon, Washington and perhaps Texas.
Many grapes are tough to grow just right. And some varietals can be so incredibly fickle that even here in California, there are sometimes only a handful of areas where a fraction of grapes will do even moderately well. Pinot Noir, anyone?
I credit anyone for making the attempt to grow wine grapes, and make decent wine from them. Be it the climate, soil, temperament of the grape, or just plain bad luck – when it doesn’t work, there’s not much you can do. But when it does, man is it ever a thing of beauty.
Good or bad, I love trying wines from different regions. Glad to hear there were a few that you did like.
Love your blog.