Oliver Winery

 Happy Summer!

    Now that it is officially patio season, I have been wanting to review one of my favorite wineries since I started this blog 5 years ago-Oliver Winery. It is nestled in Bloomington, Indiana and is one of the largest wineries in the U.S. I have been coming here since I was a kid when my uncle worked there part-time while attending Indiana University. I remember him taking us on tours around the winery when we visited and I loved getting those rock candy suckers (which they no longer sell 😞). I vaguely remember meeting the original founder, Bill Oliver, a few times when I was younger. Ownership changed a few years back, though Bill is still a board member. One of things he was passionate about was ballooning, and he got my uncle into it. The logo has been changed to a hot air balloon, which I love because it plays into the story so well. 

    The property is absolutely stunning with a garden out front, a waterfall, a large deck and patio, and a pond with benches at the bottom of a hill. As a kid, I used to think I'd get married here because it's so pretty. Inside is a beautiful rustic-chic decor with a wine-tasting bar, a snack/charcuterie section, and all of their wines displayed around the room. There is also a refrigerated section if you'd like to buy the wines chilled, along with water and other non-alcoholic beverages. 

The entrance to the tasting room

View from the back patio

Back patio

    For wine-tasting, you walk up to the bar and they hand you a sheet of paper that has the wines currently available for tasting (see here for tasting hours or reservations). It is $15 for 5 wines, and I think that is reasonable for what you get vs. some other wineries I've been to. After making your selections, you pay at the registers while they get your drinks together, then you can stay inside or go outside. I decided to sit on the outside deck where I could hear the sound of the waterfall from the garden out front, and look out over the hillside. It was very relaxing and I could've easily stayed there all day. 

    Now onto the tasting. The first one I tried was the Beanblossom Peach Cider. It was sweet and had lots of peach flavor, which pleasantly surprised me. Very refreshing for a hot summer day. Next was the Melon Mint Moscato. This was sweeter than the cider, but crisp. Very subtle on the mint flavor, so don't let that deter you. You get watermelon more in the aftertaste than upfront. I really enjoyed it. As a coffee enthusiast, I had to try the Raspberry Espresso. Normally, coffee-related liquors are cream-based, or are part of a cocktail that is cream-based. Having this as a wine was confusing my brain, but in a good way. It was slightly less sweet than the first two, and had just a *kiss* of the espresso flavor. It is very well done. The next wine was the new Cosmoberry, and it smells like strawberry fruit snacks. It has a drier flavor than the others because of the cranberry in it. The aftertaste is a sweet red wine, which Oliver's Soft Red Wine is one of my favorites. Lastly, I tried the Sangria because I love it and have a hard time not ordering it whenever I see it. The smell was not as potent as the other wines I tried, but I could taste the pineapple, strawberry, and passion fruit. It is sweeter than other sangrias I've tried so I can't say it's my favorite, but it is a solid choice and I bought a bottle anyway. 

    One of the reasons I love Oliver wines is because the flavors are bold and I can always taste the flavors you're supposed to. I was surprised at how much I loved the new flavors, even though I was a little skeptical that they'd be far too sweet. I got a few bottles of the wines I tasted to take home, but one of the best things about their wines is that you can find them at most grocery stores. If you get the chance though, I'd recommend visiting the winery at least once. They also have a wine club which they offered me, but I'm sure it had nothing to do with my take-home haul 😬. They told me they can ship wine to most states and offer a few different club options. I will definitely be looking into that. 

    Have you tried Oliver wines or been to the winery in Bloomington? Let me know in the comments!