Indiana wineries make strong showing at INDY International

Story by Maureen Manier

June 6, 2019

Several Indiana wineries were honored during the 28th annual INDY International Wine Competition, which took place in late May at Purdue University. Satek Winery of Fremont earned the Governor's Cup as Indiana's winery of the year.

Huber's Orchard & Winery of Starlight received Indiana Wine of the Year for its 2017 Vignoles. The award for Indiana Traminette of the Year went to Butler Winery of Bloomington, while Daniel's Vineyard of McCordsville was recognized as the 2019 Indiana Small Farm Winery, which is awarded to the top winery producing less than 50,000 gallons of wine annually.

Other winners were:

* Rosé Wine of the Year – 2018 Vista Rose', Brown County Winery, Nashville.

* Dessert Wine of the Year – 2017 Creekbend Vidal Blanc Ice Wine, Oliver Winery, Bloomington.

* Wine Label of the Year – The Riveter, Daniel's Vineyard.

Fourteen Indiana-produced wines were named Best of Class, and Indiana wineries tallied 28 double gold awards and 36 gold medals in the competition.

'It's exciting to see humble, unpretentious wines from the Midwest and new cold-hardy grape varieties like La Crescent win big at the INDY," said Jill Blume, enology specialist and member of the Purdue Wine Grape Team. "In the final best of show round, the judges did not know the wine's variety, packaging, vintage, price or region. The winners were chosen solely by the judge's senses (sight, aroma and taste)."

The INDY International Wine Competition has been organized by the Purdue Wine Grape Team since 1992. It is the largest independently organized wine competition in the country, drawing both commercial and amateur entries from 13 countries and 36 states. In the 2019 competition, 75 wines were named Best in Class and 1,620 medals were awarded.

For a complete list of winners, go to www.indyinternational.org.

Featured Stories

Sam and Kelly Williams are pictured on their farm in West Virginia’s South Branch Valley.

Community Champions

Sam and Kelly Williams, alumni of Purdue’s agricultural economics program, are hometown...

Dr. Abhinav Tyagi talks to forest managers and scientists in a forest in India.

Tyagi to Study Otters, Fish Genomics as Smith Fellow

Dr. Abhinav Tyagi, who is the first Smith Fellowship honoree from India, will be studying river...

Dr. Abhinav Tyagi speaks to scientists and forest service personnel in India.

Dr. Abhinav Tyagi Set to Study River Otters, Fish as Smith Fellow in FNR

Dr. Abhinav Tyagi's past work has focused on applying genomics to wildlife conservation and...

Drs. Mike Saunders and Zhao Ma pose with the Family Forests Comprehensive Education Program Award presented by National Woodland Owners Association (NWOA) and National Association of University Forest Resources Programs (NAUFRP).

FNR Extension Team Receives Family Forests Comprehensive Education Award

The Purdue FNR extension team was named as a recipient of the Family Forests Comprehensive...

yuliia khoma poses with ferns in the greenhouse

Second plant, second chance, second home: Ukrainian Scholar Yuliia Khoma

Khoma relocated to the U.S. with her son and husband through a scholar support program offered by...

From farm roots to future agronomist: Finding a home at Purdue Agriculture

Growing up on a farm in Greensburg, Indiana, Purdue sophomore Justin Bedel developed a love for...