What started out as a hobby by Indiana University law professor William Oliver, his winery became one of the largest and prestigious in the Midwest. He started his craft in his basement in the 1960s, however, there was no lawful way in Indiana to pursue a Commerical winery. Without being deterred, Professor Oliver worked with lawmakers and successfully passed legislation allowing for the creation of small wineries in Indiana in 1971.

In 1972, Professor Oliver opened the first Commerical winery in the state. The company just celebrated it's 50th anniversary. Today, Oliver Winery & Vineyards distribute their award-winning, fruit-forward wines to more than 40 states and ship across the country.

The facility is beautiful and designed to impress the visitor. Parking is easily navigated and the walk from the lot to the main tasting building is lined with beautiful foliage, statues and unique rock formations. There are many signs directing the visitor. Once we made our way to the tasting room, we were greeted by Zane, the tasting room manager. Zane explained the tasting and tour options for the day. We settled on a custom tasting where we could choose the wines that we wanted to sample. Our favorite of the bunch was the Crimson Cabernet.

The grape was recently developed by a grape grower in Missouri named Lucian Dressel. The wine is a cross between Norton and Cabernet Sauvignon. This grape creates a medium bodied red wine that tastes like vinifera, however, is more weather-hearty due to the Norton "roots". Oliver Winery sells wines under several different labels. Their flagship brand is Oliver which is responsible for 80% of their total volume. The other 20% is made up of "Apple Pie/Peach Pie" brand, "Pilot Project", and their high end "Creekbend". Oliver also makes a Mead (Honey Wine) and Bean Blossom Hard Cider.

Oliver Winery and Vineyard has a great wine club with several options. For those who like surprises, the Estate Wine Club offers 6 pre-selected wines twice a year at 15%. If you would rather choose your own subscription, you can select 3 bottles to be delivered every one, two, or three months. With each shipment, you'll have the flexibility to select the bottles you’d like to receive. If you can’t decide, they are happy to curate a package for you based on your taste preferences, including some customer favorites. The Creekbend Club is their most exclusive club. Creekbend Club shipments feature Indiana wines from their estate-bottled Creekbend Vineyard collection. These locally grown and crafted wines range from rare varietals such as the dry red Creekbend Chambourcin, to the semi-sweet Catawba. This club membership also comes with benefits such as complimentary tastings and discounts on all purchases.
To learn more about Oliver, head to their website —> https://www.oliverwinery.com