Attending
Indiana wine festivals is truly an adventure in navigation and
sensory perception. Upon
leaving Columbus, Indiana, which is named for Christopher
Columbus, we were truly ready to "discover" the wines of
Indiana.
The first town encountered was Stony
Lonesome, appropriately named!
After a few minutes, the town of Gnawbone is reached.
Gnawbone is known as the "flea market capital of the
world" as it boasts one flea market for every five residents.
One flea market was visited for a very short time; however,
no empty wine bottles, drunks or
wine accessories were found.
There is much debate over the name "Gnawbone!"
One tale states it was initially named after a French town,
Narbonne. However, by
the time it was translated by Hoosiers it was called Gnaw Bone.
Another tale says it was named for a drunk who got lost on
the way home. Nevertheless,
we are on our way to Story, Indiana.
Story, Indiana is a tiny, tiny hamlet
settled in the heart of Brown County amidst log homes, a few bed
and breakfasts and a dude ranch. Indiana history claims it was named for one of its first
settlers, Dr. George P.
Story. However, Indiana
folklore claims another "story."
A general store was utilized by men in the 1800's to sit
and tell stories, mainly lies!
The Great Depression hit Story very hard and the remaining
residents made a living bootlegging gin.
The town remained a shell of its past
until the general store was sold at auction in 1998.
The vision was to convert the general store into an inn.
The well-preserved Standard Oil gas pumps still standing in
front of the old general store are a delight to artisans and
travelers alike. The
first floor of the restaurant is a renowned restaurant with many
politicians frequenting the place.
Maybe, "lies" are still told at the Story Inn!
The cellar of the Story Inn has been
converted into the Story Still, where villagers and Brown County
residents share camaraderie.
The Story Still's claim to fame is its on-going village idiot
contests. Patrons of
the tavern nominate any individual with a unique story.
"Reigning Idiots" get a $100.00 credit at the bar and a
certificate hung on the wall.
I am very surprised that no Indiana wines
have been named after the Blue Lady of Story that supposedly
haunts diners and bed and breakfast guests.
Guests at the Inn are provided journals to describe visits
by the Blue Lady and many "sightings" have been
recorded.
Now, we proceed to the real
"story", a day at the annual Story, Indiana Wine Fair.
Admission to the fair doubled this year to $10.00 which
included a commemorative glass.
This truly did not stop oenophiles from navigating country
roads and paying $3.00 a gallon for gas to attend since a record
number of 3,000 were present!
I knew we were in for a treat as shuttle buses transported
guests from an upscale artisan inn, a golf resort, an abbey inn
(the monks were maybe making wine) to a dude ranch.
The diversity of the guests' lodging truly segued into the
varied offerings of Indiana wines.
The Wine Fair seemed much bigger this
year due to the fact that three tents of wineries were offered.
A brief map listing Indiana award winning wines and
location of the wineries was presented.
An idea would be to place wineries by locale or by wine
trail in close proximity. Many
of the Indiana wineries are small and their town and wine trail
affiliation could be placed under their winery name sign.
This would be beneficial to novice oenophiles and out of
state travelers.
A great band played Allman Brothers and
other southern rock tunes with a hint of bluegrass.
One complaint is some tasters were in no haste to taste.
The "parking violation" of being towed to another
winery or picnic spot should be imposed after five minutes.
Food seemed to be more abundant this
year; however, bread/cheese/fruit offerings could be positioned
closer to the wine tents.
Local farmers could also be invited to sell their wares as
Brown County boasts many acres of produce.
A few artisans participated showing jewelry and pottery but
did not seem to be very busy.
A vacation timeshare company was also present and since my
husband and I already own two, I did not go near them!
Since this article commenced with some
Indiana folklore, Indiana wines with unusual names will be
explored!
Buck Creek Winery offers a semi-sweet red
wine called Bally Hoo.
The upscale Carousel Winery offers White
Dove White which is a blend.
Carousel Winery also has a red wine called Red Tiger Red
that teases the senses.
Chateau
Thomas Winery, one of the larger and most well-known Indiana
wineries boasts two reds with "descriptive names."
Chateau Thomas does possess great wines; however, they grow
no grapes in Indiana. Many
states have laws that require wineries to grow a percentage of
their grapes in the same state.
Indiana, unfortunately does not.
This is a question that wine aficionados should ask when
visiting wineries. By
supporting the estate wineries where grapes are grown and wine is
produced on-site, you will learn more and benefit the upcoming
winery. "Boldly Red" is a robust wine that is named for
a thoroughbred horse, Boldly Gifted!
This wine is "tempered" by enjoying it with meats
and cheeses. "Chateau Big Red," is definitized as a
"Big Red for a 'Knight' to Remember."
Did they really mean a 'night to remember' for wine goers
who sipped one too many!!
Ferrin's
Fruit Winery was a favorite of many!
I really do not enjoy fruit wines unless they are very dry.
However, all palates should be respected as favorites do
vary from person to person. I
award this winery the winner "sips down" for the most
imaginative and intriguing names. "Checkered Flag," is a
semi-sweet grape based Chocolate flavored wine named for
racing...This wine proved to be one of the most talked about.
"Taste of Love," is a light, sweet Strawberry wine.
Enough said there! "Plum Desirable," is a sweet,
sweet plum wine with a residual sugar content of 10%.
I personally do not find this wine to be
"desirable," and settled for a 'tease' of "Sweet
Caress," which is a semi-sweet pear wine.
A sweet red wine titled, "Vineyard Passion," was
also offered. My
husband has a small vineyard in our backyard with an adjacent hot
tub! Ferrin's even
offers a type of 'sinner's wine,' called "Eve's Forbidden Fruit," which is a
very sweet (8% residual sugar) apple wine.
Carmel,
Indiana's Grape Inspirations Winery has a wine called "Red
Thunder," which is a full-bodied red wine with hints of
fruits, spice, vanilla, plum and raisin.
One of the few Indiana estate wineries,
Madison Vineyards, offers Ba-Da-Bing which is patterned after the
wines of northwest Italy. They offer this wine as a red and white wine.
I sampled the white Ba-Da-Bing and was delighted!
One of the few Indiana wineries to name
wines with an Indiana identity is Oliver Winery.
Beanblossom Blush and Beanblossom Hard Cider are named
after the small town of Beanblossom, Indiana.
Simmons Winery named Nortonburg Red after the small town of
Nortonburg, which is near their winery.
One of the wine names I personally found
humorous was Thomas Family Winery's, "Sack" which is a
sherry wine. Sherries
are considered dessert wines.
Did they really mean for us to "hit the sack"
after drinking this?
On a personal note, my husband has named
his Pleasant Run Red after a creek that flows through parts of Indianapolis,
Indiana. This wine
has been entered into the Indiana Wine competition at the State
Fair. However, my husband has won awards for his Chambourcin, De
Chaunac and Dry Cherry.
Upon
leaving Story, Indiana, a sign for the town of Needmore was
spotted. Most wine
goers left this festival without "needing more".
Rita
Chapman is a frequent visitor to the Winery Adventures website and
attended the 2007 Indiana Wine Fair.
