Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Around and About

Two great posts discussing Indiana wines:

First, the Lastinger Wine Review reviews another Indiana wine, this time Creekbend's Catawba. Creekbend is Oliver's top shelf wine, and unlike Sky Dog, their "introductory" wine series, it is a noble effort. I tasted this wine pre-blog and enjoyed it, but thought it, like most Indiana Catawba I have seen lately, was overpriced. I wonder if there is a reason for this? I must say, the color of the wine, as evidenced by Stacy's photo, is certainly striking.

I also am quite intrigued by Stacy's photo of her and her husband making wine. I only ask that if she decides to start her own winery, she tells me first.

Second, Good Grape has a great post talking about Whyte Horse Winery, it's backstory, and a quick review of two of their wines, including their Traminette. As I mentioned before, I am big fan of Traminette, believe it is highly suitable for Indiana's climate, and am glad to see so many estates starting to grow it. Also great is for Whyte Horse to get some attention from a blog with the pedigree of Good Grape.

5 comments:

John Socrates Loyola said...

Making wine, and growing your own grape sure is the best idea. Great concept in your article. Keep it up! For more about grapes and grape growing, you should consider this: http://goinggrapes.com/

Stacy Disarrayed said...

Thanks Charles
We used to make our own wine a lot with some friends (from juice kits) but now we want to get our own equipment.
If you like Traminette you should try Indiana's neighbor to the north. St. Julian's Braganini Reserve is REALLY good!!!

Bill Oliver said...

Our objective at Creekbend is to pull out all the stops to see what the potential is with Indiana grown grapes. We literally spare no expense to get maximum flavor and ripeness, and it clearly shows in the wine quality. We don't make this wine from inexpensive purchased juice. The price is fair for what we believe is the best Catawba you can find. Bill Oliver.

Charles said...

Professor Oliver,

Thanks for your comments. I certainly agree that your Creekbend Wines are excellent (your Traminette is the best I have tasted, and I try every variety I can get my hands on).

I also like your mission with Creekbend. I guess the debate becomes whether Catawba is worth "pulling out all the stops." I admit, I tend to view Catawba with Concord-native varieties that make inferior wine. Maybe I need an attitude adjustment with regards to Catawba.

I look forward to visiting the winery soon to see what is new.

Anthony said...

I've never had any Indiana Wines. Being from Missouri, I am a little biased with pride for our grapes. My hometown is St. James, MO and the winery there is one of the largest producing in the state. Their Catawba Dessert Wine is my favorite.