While Indiana may not be the first place to come to mind when you think of wineries, there are more than 40 in the state and Indiana is known as the birthplace of commercial wine making in the United States! That’s right, the first successful commercial winery in the US started in Switzerland County, Indiana, right along the Ohio River.
While wine making is part of Indiana’s history, from Prohibition until the early ’70s, there were no wineries in the state. In 1972, that changed with the birth of Oliver Winery in Bloomington. 32 years later, Oliver is the largest winery in Indiana and is one of the larger wineries in the Midwest.
Oliver makes more than 30 different types of wine and has something for every taste. From dry reds to fresh whites and even an ice wine, you’ll be able to find something you like at Oliver.While they import grapes from some of the country’s best grape-growing regions, their imprint label, Creekbed Vineyards is made entirely of grapes grown at Oliver’s own vineyards.
Oliver has a large tasting room and if the weather’s nice, you can walk through their beautiful gardens or have a picnic down by their lake. You can even buy snacks for your picnic in the tasting room! The winery is located right off State Road 37 just a few miles north of Bloomington.
8024 North State Road 37
Bloomington, IN 47404
Local: 812.876.5800
Toll Free: 800.25.TASTE (800.258.2783)
Check out Oliver Winery’s new blog here.
Here’s a great 10-minute video about Oliver Winery produced by Smithville.
Oliver Winery from Smithville on Vimeo.
