A Day at Stream Cliff Farm

My day at Stream Cliff Farm & Winery in southern Indiana was delightful. In addition to some fine southern hospitality I was blessed by beautiful scenery and new friends. Thank you, Betty, for your kindness.

This past weekend represented the end of the fall season for the farm and garden area, but the Stream Cliff Winery remains open through most of the winter.

Any visit to Stream Cliff will be rewarded with some very nice wines.  In addition to the top flight fruit wines presented here, patrons will also find a Merlot that is fruity and soft and a very fine Cabernet Sauvignon (California) that is deep and balanced, dry and complex.  

The tasting room at Stream Cliff also offers an assortment of treats, including chocolate truffles that go well with a glass of wine.  

Check out the Stream Cliff website or subscribe to the newsletter for the most up-to-date information on upcoming events.  

Indiana Wineries Conversation

Special thanks to WISH-TV (8) for the interview segment on Indy Style. We enjoyed the opportunity to tell others in central Indiana about the Hoosier wineries and what they have to offer. We had fun, also, searching through our small wine cellar in search of Indiana wines we could display, and we tried to show samples from north, south and central areas.


http://wishtv.com/2015/10/13/indiana-wineries/

If you look closely at the segment you can see labels from Shady Creek (north), Easley, Mallow Run, Oliver, Butler, Chateau Thomas (central) as well as Huber and French Lick (south).  We enjoy all of these wineries very much--not just the wines, but the ambiance, owners, special events, and food pairings. 

If you've not yet visited a winery in your area, make this fall a first. Beautiful time of the year to enjoy the colors, the aura, and of course the wines!

Some of our upcoming appearances and books signings for this fall include:

Saturday, Oct 24, Stream Cliff Farm & Winery 10a.m.-1 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 7, Barnes & Noble, Metropolis, Plainfield, 2-6 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 14, Easley Winery, Indianapolis, 2-5 p.m.

Happy Tastings!

~Todd & Becky Outcalt

From Italy With Love

It's been a year since we traveled through Italy enjoying Tuscan wines and amazing cuisine. But our return to Indiana also landed us in good stead with Hoosier vintages. We still have a large trove of Indiana labels in our wine cellar and hope to enjoy the same this fall.

While the super Tuscans were amazing in their own right, and the house wines of Italy never disappointed, we are looking forward to enjoying some of the following in the coming weeks.

Oliver Winery--Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
Briali--Bada Bing Cherry
Buck Creek Winery--Pinot Grigio
Brown County Winery--Blackberry
Butler Winery--Peach

Additionally, here is an interview we recently completed with Blue River Press.

http://www.brpressbooks.com/qa-indiana-wineries/


Happy Tastings
~Todd & Becky

Cherry-O

Last month we completed a weekend circuit of the wineries on the Old Mission Peninsula, Michigan.  This stretch in the far north now has a dozen top notch wineries, all of which sported some of the most excellent cherry wines. But then, why not . . . as northern Michigan is known for their cherry crop. 

Still, one doesn't have to travel out of Indiana to find other top-flight cherry wines. Having traveled around the state, we have discovered some memorable cherry wines closer to home.

Mid-state, plan to visit Wildcat Creek Winery in Lafayette, Indiana. Their "Aunt Minnie's Cherry Tree" is a fine vintage, and it is one we enjoy, in particular, around the holidays. This cherry label could be considered a dessert wine but, chilled, might also be enjoyed in its own right on a temperate fall evening. Aunt Minnie's is sweet to semi-dry and holds a beautiful sparkle in the glass.

Further north--in the far northeast corner of the state near the Toll Road--look for Briali Vineyards in Fremont. Briali is one of the newer wineries in state, but is making an impression, in particular, with their cherry wines. Our bottle of Bada Bing (made from Bing Cherries) was superb. But for those who might enjoy a cherry wine that is more on the tart side, Briali also makes a wine for that taste also. The tart cherry holds firm on the tongue while also offering a bit of spice and cinnamon, making it a most delicious option that will compare well with any Michigan cherry label.

Other Indiana wineries are getting on board with cherry wines also--a fruit that lends itself well to various expressions and character. 

During this fall harvest, don't forget these wonderful fruit wines. 
Cherry-O.

~Todd & Becky

Hot Off the Press

It's here!  Hot off the Press!  Indiana Wineries. 330+ pages of information about the Hoosier wine-making and winery scene. The book also includes a brief history of Indiana vineyards, wine appreciation tips, and, of course, a profile of every winery in state, including amenities, entertainment, and accompanying recipes. But let's not forget the wines.  We've created lists, descriptions, and favorites for each and every winery (as of December 2014).

This is our gift to the wineries of Indiana and we hope that people who pick up a copy will use this book as a travel guide and will make plans this fall to visit favorites and new wineries around the state. Winery owners/operators will want to stock this book in their gift shops, too!

Where can you find a copy?  Well, always on Amazon, but look for it also at Barnes & Noble.com, area bookstores, and perhaps large box stores like Costco. 

And don't forget to check back here each week.  From now on we'll be running new blogs each week, profiling wineries, keeping you in touch with Indiana wines, and answering your questions (as we can).

Thanks for visiting. And we look forward to seeing you in the Indiana wineries very soon!
~Todd & Becky Outcalt

An Afternoon with Jim & Susie Butler

A recent visit to the Butler Winery (6200 E Robinson Rd., Bloomington, IN) landed me in good stead with the owners, Jim and Susie Butler, who have been producing some of the best wines in Indiana for thirty years.  But in fact, any visit to this beautiful destination is always a good day and my conversation with Jim & Susie was simply an additional delight . . . rather like pulling the cork on one of their excellent wines.

I did come away with some new insights about Indiana vineyards and the dedication to the craft of wine-making, however.

For example, I have learned from many corners of the state now that the winter of 2013/14 was especially hard on Indiana vineyards, especially some of the less-hearty varietals that could not survive the polar vortex extremes (if you recall) of something like 10-15 days of below zero temps.  The Butlers lost their entire hillside of Cab Franc vines as well as other varietals.  And so . . . like other vineyards in-state, new plantings are in the works, including the possibility of some Norton vines.  (Watch for these wines from Butler in the near future.)

What I appreciate about Jim & Susie is their near life-long dedication to Indiana wines and farming--and they are certainly well-known throughout the state for their leadership. It shows.  But they also love what they do and they are advocates for Indiana growers and wineries.

Jim has worked diligently to create a map of a large portion of southern Indiana known and recognized now as an American Viticultural Area. The Uplands Trail encompasses much of this zone and there are many fine wineries in this area.  Make plans to visit them this spring or summer.

Finally, I learned that Jim and Susie will soon be working hard at bottling new expressions of their signature Traminette and Chambourcin and will also have new blends forthcoming.  A new peach wine, "Butler's Late", carries on a family legacy from the Richmond, Virginia area and is the newest of the Butler labels.  It is an elegant peach wine--light, sweet and crisp--but not overly peachy to the point where the fruit overtakes one's ability to enjoy a glass by itself.  But I will be enjoying my bottle this summer with a bowl of vanilla ice cream.

Butler will also have a new sweet white wine this year . . . and the Chambourcin rose (always one of my faves) is in such short supply you'd better get to Butler soon before this supply is gone.  The Chambourcin rose is dry, but incredibly smooth and light on the palate, not overly fruity, and chills well for a relaxing evening on the back deck.  

Thanks to Jim & Susie for creating this remarkable winery. Always a great day when I can drive your way.
  
~Todd Outcalt      

Appreciating Riesling

Increasingly Indiana vintners are turning to the Riesling grape to expand their semi-sweet or semi-dry white labels.  Riesling is a natural fit for Indiana, as this German-staple grape grows well along the latitudes that are here reminiscent of the German countryside.  But what makes Riesling so spectacular among Indiana wineries is its ability to turn out top-flight tastes with or without a maturity in the bottle.

Of course, German Rieslings have a different taste than Indiana Rieslings, but some of the Hoosier presentations are noteworthy.  In state, this grape will manifest itself most prominently as a sweeter wine, sometimes with orchard flair or spice undertones.  Other Rieslings, if developed properly in the fermentation process, can have a dryer presentation--even mineral in nature--if not articulated in various fruit descriptions.

If you have not tried Riesling before, or have not for some time, give this white a chance.  You will likely discover that Rieslings in Indiana will have more complexity than, say, a Pinot Grigio or a Traminette.  Rieslings will generally have a deeper flavor, with a fruitier tone in opposition to the "grassy" taste of the Pinot or the surgary sweetness of a Traminette.  

Of course, there are variations . . . and all of these can change from winery to winery.  

Recently my wife and I tasted a short flight of some of the Indiana Rieslings and we enjoyed their summery, fruity flavors.  And if you search hard enough, you can even discover to some surprisingly dry Rieslings that can rival their German cousins.

Tell us what you think.