I certainly want to do my part. Drink Local Wine Week is an annual event that recruits and encourages bloggers and wine columnists across the nation to write about their local wines.
I’ll begin with Olivery Winery, the granddaddy of Hoosier Wine located in the Indiana Uplands AVA. The opening of I-69 makes Oliver easier to get to than it was just a few years ago, and that drive will shorten more by the end of next year with the opening of the stretch into Bloomington. I recently visited Oliver on a trip to Indianapolis. The winery is located on State Road 37 just north of Bloomington — a little more than a two-hour drive from Evansville.
While I was familiar with Oliver and its wines — Evansville Living featured Oliver along with other local and regional wines in the March/April story, “For the Love of Wine” and I have purchased Oliver wines for years — I had never visited the winery, though the timber post tasting room, gardens, and waterfall beckon passing drivers.
I allowed plenty of time for my visit (I wasn’t running late for my meeting in Indianapolis), and I was among the first visitors on a crisp Saturday morning. As the day warmed, the tasting room and its beautiful outdoor picnic area (where live music is often featured) certainly hummed with people enjoying themselves. Oliver Winery also operates a tasting room on the courthouse square in Bloomington. If you’re driving up for Indiana University football homecoming this weekend, consider visiting Olivery Winery.
Of course, there are plenty ways to enjoy local wine without leaving town. Go to W. Franklin Street again this week and visit Winzerwald Tasting Room.
If you’re eager to drive just a bit, wine columnist Joy Neighbors suggests a leisurely drive along the Hoosier Wine Trail, roughly along the Interstate 64 corridor.
