Reader Mail

Back for an another episode of reader mail. As always, please write me with any questions you have about Indiana wines at indianawineblog@gmail.com. Questions may be edited for clarity or length. As always, please don't ask me for legal advice.

Which Indiana winery is the most influential?

I hate to pick a doctor over a lawyer, but this question is easy. Chateau Thomas. Oliver may be bigger, and it is certainly the one the casual Hoosier wine drinker knows, but Dr. Thomas and his crew have the influence. His commitment to European techniques and blends have made many serious oenophiles who would not have given Indiana wines a second thought converts. And no matter what you were saying about those diet wines, you were saying something. He got people talking about Indiana wines in a way no has before. If Indiana has a Robert Mondavi, it is Dr. Thomas.

I would note that if one talks to other Indiana winemakers, both Mr. Oliver and Dr. Thomas have been selfless in their mentoring of aspiring winemakers. Without their help, many successful wineries would not have made it.

What are some good spots in Indy to buy wine? Not necessarily Indiana wine, but wine in general.

Another easy question. Mass Ave Wine Shoppe and Cork and Cracker are two in Indy proper. Both have great customer service and a very knowledgeable and fun staff. In both you can walk in, tell the staff what you want the wine for, and instantly get a great recommendation. Both also specialize in wines under $15.

I would give Mass Ave the edge because it also has tables where you can order a light meal or a cheese tray. You can also buy a bottle of wine there at retail, open it up with no corkage fee, and drink it with friends. A great (and dare I say cheap) way to enjoy wine and some food. They also have wine tastings, psychic reading, and language lessons.

Cork and Cleaver doesn't have the dining space, nor the tastings (they have them at an off-site restaurant), but I like their near Broad Ripple location as well as the things I mentioned earlier.

Kahn's is also close to me, and I generally go there when I buy liquor (and they have the best selection of Indiana wines), but I find their customer service to be spotty at best, though this has improved somewhat after the recent corporate shakedown. I've noticed that when I ask for for wine recommendations at Kahn's, instead of specific wines, I tend to get varietal selections. When I do get a specific recommendation, I've noticed they tend to steer me towards the higher priced selections. Understandable from a business perspective, but not from a customer service one.

I know there are some good ones on the Northside, but I rarely get that way.

What do you do when the one you love doesn't love wine?

Love someone else. Seriously, I can relate to this perfectly. It gets particularly frustrating when you end up pouring wine out not because you didn't enjoy it, but because you simply couldn't finish it all before the wine petered out.

But look at the bright side-you don't have to share!