Spring is a magical time of the year. The trees and flowers awake from their winter slumber and slowly lift their heads from under their earthly blanket. Drive along Indiana's highway and back roads and you'll catch the farmers plowing and tending the fields. In the vineyards across Indiana new life is starting to bud and before we know the winemakers will be ready to harvest the season's grapes.

Indiana's Winemaking History

It may be surprising to know that Indiana has a long winemaking history. Travel to Switzerland County in Southeast Indiana and you'll find yourself in the birthplace of the American wine industry. It was here that the first successful winery was established in America.

Dufour's winery, founded by Swiss immigrant Jean Jacques Dufour, known as John James, harvested their first grapes sometime around 1806 or 1807. In those days the town of Vevay, New Switzerland where the Dufour Winery was located was known as the Indiana Territory. Other wineries in the area were not as successful because they used imported European varieties of grapes. Dufour's success came from his research into the art of viticulture (wine growing agriculture) and the use of a native grape, the Vevay Alexander, which he nurtured.

In the early 19th-century, the wine industry in the Ohio River Valley grew by leaps and bounds, and became the largest wine-producing region in North America. By mid-century the art of winemaking became a victim to the Civil War when many of the wine growers and winemakers left their fields to fight in the War. Left unattended the vineyards were later devastated by mildew and degenerative crop disease, and then came Prohibition. Not until the emergence of many family-owned wineries in the 1960s did the Ohio River Valley reclaimed its reputation as a top wine-producing region. Today, with a total 16 million acres encompassing four states, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky, the Ohio River Valley is recognized as the largest designated wine area in the U.S.

The Lanthier Winery

As we travel along Indiana's Wine Trail we come upon the Lanthier Winery located at 123 Mill Street in Madison, Indiana. Lanthier Winery's history in Indiana dates back to the uncertain times of the Indian Territory in the mid 1700's when early trappers and settlers built the original 24 inch thick stone walls of the old 18th century building as a haven from the then wild west. Ask about the Lanthier Winery's intriguing history and you'll learn that the Cellar Tasting Room is believed to be an old fort or outpost created by the settlers. There are many tales to be told, yet it is the Lanthier Winery's award winning, hand-crafted wines which draw thousands of guests to their doors today.

Along with Lanthier Winery's selection of fine wines, they also hold exciting events throughout the year like the 3rd Annual Summer Artist Showcase held from June 1st-30th. Meander Lanthier Winery's "Loft Gallery" and enjoy the "Dimensions In Art" exhibition, a grand showcase of fine art & craft. Each year Lanthier Winery supports enhancement of the arts by sponsoring the premier exhibition of an "up and coming" young artist. Call 1-800-41-WINES or 812-273-2409 to request an invitation to the grand opening! Or view this exhibit at The Loft Gallery, located at 123 Mill Street 11am to 5pm Wed- Sun. Free Admission.

Great Friends and Great Wine

Our next stop along Indiana's Wine Trail is Wilson Wines in Modoc, Indiana, located 30 minutes from Richmond, Muncie and New Castle, where we meet the Wilson brothers, one a wine maker, and the other a visionary. John and Jim Wilson's Winery's humble beginning started in 1996 when with the help of their father, Richard (Dick) Wilson, they planted grape vines in their mother Ella's old garden patch. To their father's surprise what blossomed under the nurturing care of the Wilson Family became known as some of areas finest wines.

The family lost Richard in October 1999, yet his memory lives on today at Wilson Winery. The Wilson brothers named a sweet red wine in memory of their father. Today, Richard Red is one of their best selling and award winning sweet red wines. As children John and Jim remember their father playing a great game of croquet which is why they are creating a croquet court to be named The Richard Wilson Croquet Field.
What makes Wilson Wines one of our favorite wineries? Perhaps, it is the welcome we received, which made us feel like we're joining old friends we have not seen in years. My husband says the Wilson brothers are "Good, down-to-earth people!" This is the heart of Wilson Wines, and what keeps guests returning year after year to sample from their award-winning wines and enjoy good times in a family-friendly environment.
Among the annual events held at the Wilson Winery, rain or shine, are the BYOM (Bring Your Own Meat) Theme Nights, July 14 starting at 6:00pm, and concerts featuring Indiana artists like Jennie DeVoe and Duke Tumatoe and The Power Trio.

Wilson Wines is located on 10137 S. Indian Trail Road, the first road east of Modoc, Indiana on State Road 36. Turn south on Indian Trail Road and go 2.1 miles - the farm is the first place on the east side. (look for the big sign.) To leave Wilson Wines a message or hear information on upcoming events call (765) 853-5100 or visit http://www.wilsonwines.com. Join the Wilson family for the weekend and enjoy the festivities at Wilson Wines by camping out at Kamp Modoc. For details on Kamp Modoc call (765) 853-5290.

To find out more about Indiana's Wine Trails which include Oliver Winery in Bloomington, Indiana visit: http://www.indianawines.org/index.cfm.

About the Author

Iris Dean is a Feature and Travel Writer for USA Travel Magazine where you can Explore America's Backyard: http://www.usatravelmagazine.com.

Organic Wine and More

California Wine Country Gift Baskets - Gift to Show Your Feelings


California Wine country gift baskets enable you to express your feelings, messages in style and lively. Wine has been a very essential item in every o...


Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

Organic Wine Items For Viewing

Diamond Creek -


"From the 5-acre Gravelly Meadow Vineyard, the 2002 Californian Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon (the 30th vintage of this wine) exhibits a deep ruby/purple color in addition to a smoky, Graves-like nose of earth, hot rocks, and sweet currant and cherry fruit. Medium to full-bodied, with undeniable elegance and sweet, pure fruit, this beauty benefits immensely from 60 minutes of aeration. This dry red wine is spicy, impressively concentrated, and long, but promises to age nicely for 10-15 years." RP - 90 (Subject to Availability) DCGM02 DCGM02


Price: 309.99 USD



Current Organic Wine News

Red wine compound may kill pancreatic cancer cells - Reuters

Red wine compound may kill pancreatic cancer cells Reuters - Apr 14, 2008 He and his colleagues report the findings in the journal Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. What the results mean for cancer patients is not yet ...

Special to the Daily Journal/Messenger Daily Journal, SC - 8 minutes ago April 18, “Friends of the Garden” Preview Plant Sale will run from 2:30 to 6 pm A “FRIENDS” wine and cheese reception will be held. ...

Women Wine Drinkers Less Likely to Suffer Dementia Wine Spectator (subscription), CA - Apr 14, 2008 The research, published in the March 15 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology, followed 1458 women in Sweden, between ages 38 and 60, for 34 years, ...

Labels: Wine Yeast

Posted by Steven Ramsey | 0 comments

When you are passionate about wine you begin collecting it ... and when you begin collecting it you need a place to store it.

A closet can easily be turned into a mini wine cellar to store your growing wine collection.

Before you construct your wine cellar consider the position of the closet in relation to the rest of the house.

Avoid converting a closet against an outside wall into a wine cellar. The outside walls of your house or apartment can be subject to wide fluctuations in temperature.

Choose an internal closet where your wine can be stored in a more stable atmosphere.

The degree and the speed of the temperature change are critical to successfully storing and aging wine. A gradual change of a few degrees between summer and winter won't matter. The same change each day will harm your wines by ageing them too rapidly.

The most important rule when storing wine is to avoid large temperature changes or fluctuations. You'll notice damage of this nature straight away from the sticky deposit that often forms around the capsule. Over time the continual expansion and contraction of the wine will damage the integrity of the cork. It's like having the cork
pulled in and out again every day. When this happens, minute quantities of wine may be pushed out along the edge of the cork (between the cork and the bottle neck) allowing air to seep back in. Once the air is in contact with your wine the irreversible process of oxidation begins and your wine is ruined.

At 55? to 58?F the wine will age properly, enabling it to fully develop. Higher temperatures will age wine more rapidly and cooler temperatures will slow down the ageing process. Irreversible damage will be done if your wine is kept at a temperature above 82?F for even a month.

The most difficult part of converting a closet to a wine cellar can be finding other places to store the original contents of the closet! Be ruthless ... sell / give away / move all the present contents and start with a blank slate!

Purchase some inexpensive wine racks from a hardware store, online retailer or storage shop and you'll have a simple but very effective mini wine cellar.

Wine rack designs will vary in bottle density; Price variations are more to do with aesthetics than efficiency.

Individual racking is the most convenient for selecting bottles. If you have racks against only one wall of the closet you may still have floor or shelf space available for wines that you purchase by the case.

About the Author

Chris Miley makes it easy to build your own wine cellar. Discover the secrets to wine cellaring success at http://www.winecellarsecrets.com and for more information on mini wine cellars visit http://www.miniwinecellarsite.com

Wine Magazine and More

A Guide To Home Wine Racks


A Home winerack....
Home wine racks make storing wine a breeze. With a home winerack, you can conveniently store several bottles or tens of bottles ri...


Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

Recommended Wine Magazine Items

Champagne and Caviar Celebration Bucket Deluxe


Two champagne flutes, dark chocolates, water crackers and Caviar. Add a bottle of bubbly and this bucket turns any occasion into a celebration, (Bucket color may vary). Includes Cristalino Sparkling Brut which is sure to be a pleasure for most folks. CCB04 CCB04D


Price: 87.95 USD



News about Wine Magazine

New Cuisine & Vins website

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 08:43:50 PST
The prestigious Cuisine & Vins magazine has just opened its new site. It envolves a greater section division including:CuisineVinsCuisine TVand much more.If you are a lover of wine, gourmet food and good living, you'll love this website!The website is in Spanish.

Free Linux 3D Games Top Ten]

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 01:50:57 PST
Addictive 3D games for Linux users to fill their time with. These games are really good and some have won awards or have been featured on magazines. Most are cross platform and all of them completely free. You don't have to use 'Wine' to be able to play as they come with Linux installers.

And the winner is...

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 04:12:24 PST
The Clos des Papes, a French grand cru produced by Paul-Vincent Avril, was named "wine of the year" by the US magazine Wine Spectator.

Wine Spectator: The Best Online Magazine for Wine Aficionado

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 05:45:03 PST
Wines are without a doubt, one of the most popular drinks around the globe. Right now, more and more people are venturing into the industry of wine making and because of this, it is only natural for us to see different kinds of people all over the world who are very much passionate about wines. On the other hand, there is also a great way in which

Australian Wine Looses its Personality - What Personality??

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 18:22:20 PST
A recent article in the Grapegrowers & Vignerons Magazine, Year of change for Aus in the UK by Shay Bayly last month pointed out what is fast becoming an oozing sore for the reputation of the Australian Wine Industry abroad. Tesco’s in the UK it seems have asked the producers of Australian wine to retain the personality it once had.

Wine review - d'Arenberg Fortified Shiraz

Sat, 05 Jan 2008 10:33:39 PST
Wine review on Brand: d’Arenberg , Type: 2004 Vintage, Region: McLaren Vale, South Australia, Grape: Shiraz as appearing on All Things Local Community magazine, Derbyshire, UK.


Wine Regions
Wine Cup
Tags: Wine Guide | Wine History

Labels: Wine Products

Posted by Steven Ramsey | 0 comments

There are a variety of products available in the market that helps you remove various types of stains. But did you know that stains can be removed even without using expensive chemicals at all? The best solution in minimizing stains or totally remove them is simply by cleaning the spills and dirt the moment they crop up. Moreover, cleaning them will not even require you to leave the comforts of your home just to buy expensive cleaning products. There are ways of cleaning up stains simply by using products readily available in your homes which you use regularly such as detergents, rubbing alcohol, vinegar, lemon juice, et al. It's just a matter or knowing how to use these household products and the procedures to go about cleaning out the stains. Now here are just some tips that will provide you with an excellent, immediate yet economical solutions in handling carpet stains.



For Pet Stain:



Option 1:

Use Ammonia solution: One teaspoon of clear, household type ammonia to a half of a cup of water. This solution can be used in a spray bottle or be applied to the carpet directly. It is important not to wet the carpets backing when apply. After applying solution, use white paper towels to blot. Allow to dry completely.



Option 2:

Use Detergent solution: A detergent solution can be made of hand soap or dish soap. The combination is one quarter of a teaspoon of detergent to one quart of water. Make sure the soap does not contain bleach or lanolin.



1. Blot the stain with white paper towels to remove as much of the solution as possible.

2. Apply detergent solution from a spray bottle.

3. Rub the area.

4. Blot out the stain and detergent.



Option 3:(the best solution)

Often, good old fashioned water can re-hydrate the stain to help with removal. Most of the pet stains can be cleaned up with a use of steam cleaner. Then dry as thoroughly as possible.



For Ink Stain:



1. Isopropyl rubbing alcohol can be purchased at your grocery store or department store.

2. Apply it by pouring some onto a clean, white towel or other cloth. Paper towels can be used as long as they are white.

3. Blot until as much as possible until stain is removed.

4. Be careful. If the stain is small, blot in one direction only so that you do not spread the stain.



For Beers and Wines Stains:



1. Make a solution of one part of white vinegar with one part of water.

2. Apply to the stain using a spray bottle to saturate.

3. Allow the stain to sit about ten to fifteen minutes.

4. Use a sponge to clean in a rubbing motion.

5. Rinse with warm water.

6. Brush the pile back into the natural direction is has.

7. Using layers of white paper towels, place paper towel on top of area, place a book on top of that. Allow to sit like this until it has dried.

About the Author: Rodel Garcia is currently working as a housekeeper @ BC Children's and Women's Hospital. Webmaster and owner of this website : http://www.carpet-cleaning-tips.com/ For more tips on carpet stain cleaning please visit: http://www.carpet-cleaning-tips.com/cleaning-carpet-stain.html