Where do your grapes come from?
It is not uncommon to find surprise and skepticism when one presents the idea of a winery based in downtown Indianapolis. Many have a hard enough time imagining Indiana wineries at all. Isn’t wine supposed to come from California or Europe? However, many grape varieties grow extremely well in Indiana, and thanks to the passionate and skilled growers who provide our grapes, we are able to create excellent, authentic Indiana wines.
All of Easley Winery’s grapes are brought from the individual farms to our central grape processing / pressing area here in downtown Indianapolis.
Easley Winery started with Jack and Joan Easley, two home winemakers looking to expand their winemaking from out of their basement. They dreamed of creating and selling Indiana wine. Unfortunately, it was still illegal to make and sell wine in Indiana in the late 1960s, so Jack and Joan started their operation investment at a vineyard in southwest Michigan. Despite this investment, the two never lost their dream of making Indiana wine.
A morning walk in the vineyards
Jack and Joan were instrumental in creating and incorporating the Indiana Wine Growers Guild, along with 8 other Hoosiers, which reversed the Indiana winery laws in 1972. This opened the door for the Easley family and other Indiana families to pursue their dreams. Jack and Joan purchased the former Fertig Ice Cream factory in downtown Indianapolis and began making wine within the year. Throughout the next three decades, the Easley family produced Indiana wine with grapes from the family owned Cape Sandy vineyards in Crawford County.
The site of the Cape Sandy vineyard is high on the bluff overlooking the Ohio River. It was selected in the winter of 1970 / 1971. Cape Sandy is a perfect site for grape growing due to the great frost protection the river provides. The winds come across the river three or four times due to the horse shoe bends, before blowing through the vines. The cold Ohio River in the spring time chills the air and keeps the vines from budding out too soon. In addition to the frost protection of the River, Cape Sandy has deep limestone deposits similar to France. Cape Sandy was selected by Dr. Garth Cahoon from Ohio State University and proved to be a great location for growing French Hybrid grapes such as Foch, Seyval Blanc, Vidal Blanc, Baco Noir, Siebel 13053, Colobal, Chelois, Aurora Blanc, De Chaunac and GW-3 (Cauyga White). The first grape vines were planted in the spring of 1972.
Chilled Pink Catawba
The new millennium brought great growth for Easley Winery, and greater demand required the use of contract grape growers, beginning with the Tower Orchard Family in 2000. Located in Leavenworth, Indiana, Paul and Greg Tower provided grapes for the Easleys for three years such as Foch, Merlot, Chardonnay, Chardonnel, Catawba and Chambourcin. Today, Easley Winery is on long-term contracts with five primary grape growers. The high quality of Easley's wine is due in large part to the devotion and passion of our growers.
Nestled in the countryside of south central Indiana is Wahlman Farms in Jennings County. Richard Wahlman and his brother have been lifetime dairy and grain farmers. Though he is relatively new to the world of grapes, Richard’s experience and instinct for growing has allowed him to be remarkably successful and promises to make him an even more skilled grape grower in the future. Richard Wahlman cultivates four grapes for the Easley Winery including a new addition to the wine line up, Traminette.
Wahlman Farms, Jennings County
Posey County, Indiana is home to two more excellent Easley Winery vineyards. Tucked away in the corner of southwest Indiana, this area has sandy soils, is fairly warm and has two major rivers moderating the weather in the area, the Ohio River and the Wabash River.
Kauffman Vineyards is located on the Ohio River and is run by Harley Kauffman. Harley’s passion is grapes and he has been growing grapes just outside of Mt. Vernon Indiana since the early 1970s. Harley produces six grapes that are used in ten different Easley wines.
Kauffman Vineyards, Posey County
New Harmony Indiana is the home of Fragrant Farms, managed by Kathy Fridley and owned by the Owen Family. Fragrant Farms is more known for its production of peony flowers than grapes. However, the quality grapes that come out of this farm along the Wabash River are an invaluable asset to the Easley Winery. In the last few years this vineyard has really come into its prime under great stewardship from Kathy.
Not forgetting their past family grape growing roots in southwest Michigan, Easley Winery still has two wonderful and skilled grape growers in southwestern Michigan, just across the state line from South Bend Indiana.
In the end, it all comes down to wine quality when you sit down to dinner with a bottle of Easley Wine. It is universally recognized that great wine comes from great grapes. Easley Winery, along with our dedicated and hard working growers, continually strive to bring you the best bottle of wine that the mid-western sun, soil and climate can produce every single year. Enjoy the fruits of our labor!!!
- Joan, Mark, and Meredith Easley
It is not uncommon to find surprise and skepticism when one presents the idea of a winery based in downtown Indianapolis. Many have a hard enough time imagining Indiana wineries at all. Isn’t wine supposed to come from California or Europe? However, many grape varieties grow extremely well in Indiana, and thanks to the passionate and skilled growers who provide our grapes, we are able to create excellent, authentic Indiana wines.
All of Easley Winery’s grapes are brought from the individual farms to our central grape processing / pressing area here in downtown Indianapolis.
Easley Winery started with Jack and Joan Easley, two home winemakers looking to expand their winemaking from out of their basement. They dreamed of creating and selling Indiana wine. Unfortunately, it was still illegal to make and sell wine in Indiana in the late 1960s, so Jack and Joan started their operation investment at a vineyard in southwest Michigan. Despite this investment, the two never lost their dream of making Indiana wine.
A morning walk in the vineyards
Jack and Joan were instrumental in creating and incorporating the Indiana Wine Growers Guild, along with 8 other Hoosiers, which reversed the Indiana winery laws in 1972. This opened the door for the Easley family and other Indiana families to pursue their dreams. Jack and Joan purchased the former Fertig Ice Cream factory in downtown Indianapolis and began making wine within the year. Throughout the next three decades, the Easley family produced Indiana wine with grapes from the family owned Cape Sandy vineyards in Crawford County.
The site of the Cape Sandy vineyard is high on the bluff overlooking the Ohio River. It was selected in the winter of 1970 / 1971. Cape Sandy is a perfect site for grape growing due to the great frost protection the river provides. The winds come across the river three or four times due to the horse shoe bends, before blowing through the vines. The cold Ohio River in the spring time chills the air and keeps the vines from budding out too soon. In addition to the frost protection of the River, Cape Sandy has deep limestone deposits similar to France. Cape Sandy was selected by Dr. Garth Cahoon from Ohio State University and proved to be a great location for growing French Hybrid grapes such as Foch, Seyval Blanc, Vidal Blanc, Baco Noir, Siebel 13053, Colobal, Chelois, Aurora Blanc, De Chaunac and GW-3 (Cauyga White). The first grape vines were planted in the spring of 1972.
Chilled Pink Catawba
The new millennium brought great growth for Easley Winery, and greater demand required the use of contract grape growers, beginning with the Tower Orchard Family in 2000. Located in Leavenworth, Indiana, Paul and Greg Tower provided grapes for the Easleys for three years such as Foch, Merlot, Chardonnay, Chardonnel, Catawba and Chambourcin. Today, Easley Winery is on long-term contracts with five primary grape growers. The high quality of Easley's wine is due in large part to the devotion and passion of our growers.
Nestled in the countryside of south central Indiana is Wahlman Farms in Jennings County. Richard Wahlman and his brother have been lifetime dairy and grain farmers. Though he is relatively new to the world of grapes, Richard’s experience and instinct for growing has allowed him to be remarkably successful and promises to make him an even more skilled grape grower in the future. Richard Wahlman cultivates four grapes for the Easley Winery including a new addition to the wine line up, Traminette.
Wahlman Farms, Jennings County
Posey County, Indiana is home to two more excellent Easley Winery vineyards. Tucked away in the corner of southwest Indiana, this area has sandy soils, is fairly warm and has two major rivers moderating the weather in the area, the Ohio River and the Wabash River.
Kauffman Vineyards is located on the Ohio River and is run by Harley Kauffman. Harley’s passion is grapes and he has been growing grapes just outside of Mt. Vernon Indiana since the early 1970s. Harley produces six grapes that are used in ten different Easley wines.
Kauffman Vineyards, Posey County
New Harmony Indiana is the home of Fragrant Farms, managed by Kathy Fridley and owned by the Owen Family. Fragrant Farms is more known for its production of peony flowers than grapes. However, the quality grapes that come out of this farm along the Wabash River are an invaluable asset to the Easley Winery. In the last few years this vineyard has really come into its prime under great stewardship from Kathy.
Not forgetting their past family grape growing roots in southwest Michigan, Easley Winery still has two wonderful and skilled grape growers in southwestern Michigan, just across the state line from South Bend Indiana.
In the end, it all comes down to wine quality when you sit down to dinner with a bottle of Easley Wine. It is universally recognized that great wine comes from great grapes. Easley Winery, along with our dedicated and hard working growers, continually strive to bring you the best bottle of wine that the mid-western sun, soil and climate can produce every single year. Enjoy the fruits of our labor!!!
- Joan, Mark, and Meredith Easley
