The next time you pour yourself a glass of wine from an Indiana winery, such as Oliver Winery, Country Heritage Winery or Simmons Winery, think about how that bottle helped grow the economies in Monroe, Noble and Bartholomew Counties.
Indiana’s wineries play a big part in Indiana’s ag industry and contribute more than $2.4 Billion to the state’s economy.
“Indiana is home to more than 120 wineries, and of those wineries about 30 percent of them grow and harvest their own grapes in their own vineyards. Over 600 grape-bearing acres are grown in Indiana amongst our wineries,” according to Katie Benner, the Marketing Extension Specialist with the Indiana Wine Grape Council and Purdue Wine Grape Team.
Benner also says the state’s wineries and grape vineyards also provide a lot of Hoosiers with jobs.
“Our wineries employ just about 4,000 people. Those people can be out in the vineyard, they can be in the wine cellar or in an enology lab making wine and perfecting those wines or they can be on the consumer side in the teaching room at a wine shop,” says Benner.
You might think first of grapes when it comes to wine, but Benner says a lot of other Indiana-grown fruits are also used to make local wines.
“I think there’s something special about Indiana that we have the ability to grow outstanding fruit, whether that’s cherries, blackberries, [or] apples. We can harvest that fruit and our wineries can work with those fruit producers to make outstanding wine,” says Benner.
Wineries are one of Indiana’s fastest growing ag industries with locally-owned wineries now in 67 of Indiana’s 92 counties.
So, what advice does Benner have if you are considering making and selling your own wine?
“My biggest piece of advice is to take your time and do your homework and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Those that are very successful in the wine industry weren’t just handed a successful business. Many of them worked really hard from the ground up.”
Benner says Indiana’s wineries would not be available without the help of Hoosier farmers.
“We can’t make our great wine without our farmers, our vineyard managers [and] our viticulturists who are out in the field caring for those vines and looking after those berries. That all starts with agriculture.”
Benner says it’s easy to promote Indiana’s wineries and grape-producing industries because of the joy it brings to so many others.
“I like to say that Indiana wine is Hoosier hospitality in a bottle!” says Benner.
Click BELOW to hear C.J. Miller’s report on how Indiana’s wineries and grape vineyards are helping grow Indiana’s economy.
Click HERE to read more about the Indiana Wine Grape Council and the Purdue Wine Grape Team.
