WTN: Indiana Wine

While in NW Ohio this Spring I picked up a bottle of 2011 Oliver Gewruztraminer from Indiana, mostly because it boasted 12.5% abv and might have some guts to it. Well, I was a bit surprised last nite to find it had real Gewurz. character with some mild spicey grapefruit-like flavors and some viscosity giving it a good mouth feel. There was acidity to balance but could have used more. The down-side was it had quite a bit of residual sugar, maybe 3-4 %. This would be a wonderful summer sipper before dinner while out on the deck but with spicey chicken and cucumbers over cellophane noodles it did not quite get it. Too bad the winery couldn't have let the grapes ferment to dryness or nearly so but then the acidity would have probably bottomed out as I understand Gewurztraminer tends to do at some point. I'll pick up a bit more as non-meal sippers. (closed with cork) nice label with white egret on it

According to the web site it's only 1.5% RS. Also the website does not indicate that the grapes are imported so it seems like they are actually growing the Gewurtztraminer in Indiana. Back when I was there I don't believe there was any grown in the state. At that time Oliver was bringing its Riesling in from Yakama valley and I think its Gewurtztraminer also came from Washington. Good folks at Oliver and glad to hear they are still going strong.

High alcohol helps to mitigate the effect of low acidity in Gewurztraminer; in my view, that's much better than trying to do it with sweetness.

Thanks for the note. A few years ago I was given a bottle of Oliver Pinot Grigio and it wasn't half bad for a wine from Indiana. But just checked their website and the gapes were from the PacNW.

Jason

While in NW Ohio this Spring I picked up a bottle of 2011 Oliver Gewruztraminer from Indiana, mostly because it boasted 12.5% abv and might have some guts to it. Well, I was a bit surprised last nite to find it had real Gewurz. character with some mild spicey grapefruit-like flavors and some viscosity giving it a good mouth feel. There was acidity to balance but could have used more. The down-side was it had quite a bit of residual sugar, maybe 3-4 %. This would be a wonderful summer sipper before dinner while out on the deck but with spicey chicken and cucumbers over cellophane noodles it did not quite get it. Too bad the winery couldn't have let the grapes ferment to dryness or nearly so but then the acidity would have probably bottomed out as I understand Gewurztraminer tends to do at some point. I'll pick up a bit more as non-meal sippers. (closed with cork) nice label with white egret on it

Interesting note, Jim. Oliver is certainly the most credible of the S Indiana wineries, and Redwinger has praised their Creekbend label in the past. I suspect the RS in their Gewurz is by design. After all, this is the winery whose cash cow is their "Soft Red."

Mark Lipton

I met the original Mr Oliver many decades ago when I brought a team into the old Grissom AFB, We were promoting base clubs and package stores getting involved with local wineries. They put us in touch with Oliver and he met with us and base reps at Fort Benjamin Harrison for lunch. He brought a case full of his wares which we duly tasted. They were quite good as I recall. The base put in an order with him, and I got him to ship some to our home in Belleview, NE. Can't remember any details at this point, but remember enjoying them at lot.