Category Archives: Indiana

Huber sons could change Indiana wine, perception

15 Thursday Oct 2020

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STARLIGHT, IN. – Becoming a part of and eventually taking over a family business is a big challenge. Christian and Blake Huber are thriving and planning as they join the family’s day to day operations.

The Hubers have been on the same hilltop property near the little town of Starlight and just up that hill from New Albany since the early 1800s.

Huber Winery and Starlight Distillery have become industry leaders with the guidance of Ted and Dana Huber along with Ted’s cousin Greg and his wife. Dana and Ted’s sons have completed impressive wine education degrees and gained practical experience at a few of the world’s top wineries. The sons are ready to help the already-growing business and make their mark with a few bold new ideas.

Christian, the oldest of the two, is a graduate of Niagra University in its Viticulture/Oenology program at Ontario, Canada. He spent time at IU’s Kelley School of Business and has worked harvests for California wineries like Joseph Phelps. Younger brother Blake graduated early this year from Cornell University’s wine study program. Among his internships was time spent this summer at Petrus in Saint Emilion, Bordeaux, France. He’s currently working at Napa Cab powerhouse Dominus.

Christian Huber pours for our tasting

Christian is working at the winery now and Blake will soon join his brother in full-time status.

So the young men are more than ready to help the family move forward in exciting directions. And, it’s not like Dad has been standing still. Huber Winery’s production has grown over the past couple years from 50,000 to 90,000 cases. The relatively new spirits business has become very successful and nationally recognized for excellence. Last year the spirits business sold approximately 10,000 six-pack cases. Christian said that growth could reach 15,000-20,000 this year.

Two years back, patriarch Ted said the goal was to match spirits production to the wine number.

Walking the grounds Wednesday (Oct. 14) with Christian and tasting wines and spirits, his enthusiasm alone forecasts interesting things.

He has planted Chardonnay, not Indiana-grown hybrid Cshardonel, and Pinot Noir on a recently acquired piece of property. The vines must age before you can taste and buy the wines but it’s a challenge. Pinot Noir is notoriously difficult to grow.

I’ve long told others Hubers has the best vineyard site in Indiana. They are successfully growing Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Tannat, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. Right now the Cab Franc is the best of that lot. The vinifera blend Heritage is arguably  the best red wine you can buy grown and made in Indiana.

But the Huber boys, let’s call them that, have their eyes on becoming known for the vinifera grapes instead of the hybrids grown in most of the state. Christian wants to soon plan Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Riesling, and perhaps Syrah.

His dream is to develop the Knobstone area with the family’s Indiana Uplands property as it’s own Agriculture Viticulture Area (AVA) or as a sub region. Knobstone is a rugged geological region in southern Indiana which has potential of growing difficult grapes with a traditional vinifera taste profile. The Pinot Noir is planted within the area now on top a limestone base. Those grapes aren’t ready to make wine yet but could be in the next year or two.

Christian also sees a Chardonnay made as an unoaked Chablis-style wine which would please wine fanatics.

The big picture is to create a Knobstone winery with its own label and even tasting room. The wines would be a premium product, at a higher price, unlike anything in the state.

But with all of the ambition and big plans, reality sometimes bites. The late frost in early 2020 devastated the vineyards. A normal harvest of 250-300 tons of grapes was just 100 tons this year.

I’ve long thought Huber diversity, with a new generation coming on board, and Oliver’s explosive growth are the two best wine stories in Indiana and maybe well beyond Hoosier borders. Wednesday’s visit proved that’s still the biggest news in Indiana wine.

Distillery rivaling Huber’s wine success

24 Tuesday Dec 2019

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The explosion of the craft cocktail in bars and specialty distillers, driven largely by millenials and women, is skyrocketing the growth of distilled spirits.

It’s happening in across the globe, the U.S., and in Indiana. According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, whiskey and bourbon exports surpassed one billion dollars in 2015 and the three years prior.

Distilleries are certainly popular in the Hoosier state. Official statistics can be hard to track down but Indiana featured 25 distilleries as recently as last year. Kentucky, home of brown spirits, had 68 distilleries for an increase of 250 percent in the last decade.

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Ted Huber

Ted Huber, of Huber Orchard and Winery along with Starlight Distillery, was and continues to be one of the pioneers in the Indiana artisan distiller business. Huber, whose family has roots in Southern Indiana near New Albany, leads one of the state’s most successful wineries. Adding a distiller was a natural part of his ever-continuing growth. He started with fortified wines in 1998 and started distilling in 2001. Changes in Indiana law now has Indiana distilled spirits on shelves across the state but only a handful of wineries have made the leap.

The iconic winery, situated in the rolling hills near Starlight, In, produces approximately 60,000 cases of wine. Three years ago Huber said he’d like to grow the distillery to about 50,000 cases. But the two products are different. Any given year’s grape harvest will produce a wine to go on the market within one to three or four years. Spirits take longer from a few years to 10 or more.

The distillery’s signature product is Carl T. Bourbon. The whiskey is named after Ted Huber’s grandfather Carl. Ted is the sixth generation winemaker and now distiller on the family farm. The Carl T. represents a growth product. It sells for $34.99 on the distillery’s website.

Production-wise Huber is making almost 50,000 cases but not yet selling nearly that much. “What we produce in the distillery is mainly bourbon (corn whiskey),” Huber explained. “After the bourbon comes rye and malt whiskey. So those finished products are a blend of four to six year barrells. So with the age requirements there is still another three years before we have enough product in the pipeline to hit those kind of numbers (50k).”

Huber said he wants to develop Carl T. with blends of 6-7-8 year old whiskeys. During a walking tour of one of his giant aging facilities, he poured several examples of bourbons aged and blended in several different ways.

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Huber discusses aging his whiskies.

“We need that age,” he said. “We were patient with our brandies. When they first came out we sold only 10- to 20-percent before upping production. Even today with our brandy production, even though we’re going on 18 years, we will never sell the same amount that we make. We’re getting older and older barrels in our warehouse for blending. And we plan to do that for several more years with our whisky.”

Huber has been a major player in numerous national and international brandy competitions winning top awards and awards for best in specific categories. His whiskeys are beginning to be recognized by top spirits critics as well. One critic wrote that Huber’s bourbon was one of the top 10 in the nation not made in Kentucky that afficionados must sample.

The boom in female brown spirits fan is not lost on the veteran winemaker. He said it’s been the biggest surprise during the growth of his spirit sales.

“Our clientele who came here for an experience of wine and spirits had the women dominate with wine and the men the spirits,” Huber said. “That is long gone over the past four years. We have as many women, or more women, coming here to enjoy and taste the different bourbons or whiskeys. The women who absolutely know their whiskeys from a quality standpoint has blown my mind.”

As a result of that burgeoning interest from women, Huber adjusts some single barrel whiskey’s to full cask strength (110-120 percent alcohol) and unfiltered. “And when we have clients come here from all over the United States to pick out barrels they are looking for products they think women will like. They’re looking for a little more complexity, a little bit more fruit and less oak.”

Huber wines are distributed in five states while the spirits are sold in 12 states. The Huber product line includes several whiskies, straight and flavored brandies, infusions and ports, rum, gin, and vodka.

Ind. legislature and silly wine restrictions

14 Thursday Feb 2019

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Every time I read about proposed laws relating to alcohol in Indiana I come away shaking my head in amazement at the stupidity and greed.

There are at least two bills in the legislature getting some consideration that might help. I’m posting the links here so you can share in my frustration and amazement.

House Bill 1422 – From the Indiana Business Journal story: “one barrier for wineries and distilleries that include restaurants is that they are not allowed to take alcohol produced on their properties directly to their restaurants. Instead, they have to sell it to a distributor, the distributor has to take it to a warehouse and then return it and sell it back to the winery or distillery. Then the product can be sold in the restaurant.”

You might want to read that again to fully understand the greed written into Indiana law. Read the entire IBJ story here.

Then there is this one – a bill allowing wine sales on golf courses. If you’re a golfer you’ve seen the beverage carts on the links. The carts always feature cold beer and many include wine, illegally. Damn them!

A proposal to allow wine sales on the links passed the Indiana house just a week or so ago 92-4. You can read the short Associated Press story here.

You can’t make this stuff up if you tried. Geez!

Oliver in accelerated growth period

31 Monday Dec 2018

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There are many compelling wine stories happening in Indiana including improving wine quality and the explosion of new wineries. There’s never been a better time for Indiana’s signature Traminette and Chambourcin.

The Indiana Wine and Grape Council is now counting 116 Indiana wineries. But there is no more fascinating story than what continues to happen at Indiana’s largest and arguably best-known winemaker, Oliver Winery near Bloomington.

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Oliver talking wine

The iconic Hoosier business has long been known for its Camelot Mead and Soft Red and White wines. In recent years, Oliver’s Creekbend vineyard has produced one of the state’s best Chambourcin, some vinifera, and a Catawba that makes delightful Rose.

But the employee-owned company has big – really big – goals. Bill Oliver has not been shy in recent years to admit the team ownership would like to grow the winery to 1 million cases. Attainment of that lofty figure would make Oliver the USA’s biggest winery not located on the West Coast.

“We were producing 7,000 cases when I took over (from his father, one of the founders of the Indiana wine industry,”) Bill Oliver said. “We’ll be around 460,000 cases this year.”

He acknowledged the 1 million goal and that the company is on track to reach it in a few more years. “We’re in 27 states now. We like to talk about what we sell not just what we produce. It’s a lot easier to make wine than sell it. We have some long-term goals and we would like to be considerably larger. It wasn’t too long ago we talked about being a half million cases. That’s going to happen next year. A million cases would be nice. It seems a little grandiose but it would be nice.”

Oliver is making substantial investments to see that the 100 full-time employees can get there. He dded a 30,000 square foot facility two years ago with a new one for sweet wine production now under construction. He has outdoor tanks which can hold 1.6 million gallons of juice. The production area for sweet wines will add another 1.6 million gallons of capacity.

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On a rainy Oct. day, Oliver stops to check out the fall pumpkins.

Oliver is talking about retail partners like the HEB ops to grocery chain in Texas. The Indiana winemaker produces thousands of cases of Porch Swing for the Texas market powerhouse. Porch Swing is a version of soft red and white with a bit of effervescence.

He has expanded Porch Swing to several other states in the last year accounting for part of the company’s growth.

But two wines really kicked things into high gear. Cherry Moscato is in its second year with 50,000 cases produced while the popular Apple Pie wine, 60,000 cases, has taken even the Indiana icon by surprise. “I didn’t see that coming,” Oliver admitted. “These two wines account for 22 percent of our total production and they didn’t exist two years ago. That’s accelerated growth!”

The other driving force behind the growth is an emphasis on sales and introducing Oliver wines in the southeast. With a stronghold now in Texas, the Oliver brand has swept across the lower states connecting to Florida where Oliver sees major growth potential.

While spreading the Oliver name across the country, the state market isn’t forgotten. Oliver has zeroed in on a couple of wines that have done well in his 50-acre vineyard. The Catawba Rose’ represents the biggest part of his vineyard. He makes, arguably, one of the best Chambourcin wines in the state.

The other quirky wine is Crimson Cabernet, a very soft and delicious wine that doesn’t taste much like Cabernet but is easy to enjoy.

Despite what always seems like a full tasting room, and Oliver welcomes more than 400,000 visitors annually, retail sales amount for just seven percent of Oliver’s total sales.

Oliver admits a personal interest would be an improved and larger retail facility perhaps in the more distant future.

This story was first published in Madison Magazine, Anderson, In. It was then shared with the more than 20 newspapers which carried the Grape Sense column over a 10 year period.

Lots of new good eats in Indy

17 Tuesday Jul 2018

Posted by in Food & Travel, Indiana, Newspaper Column 2018, Uncategorized, Wine Education/News/Updates

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Indianapolis continues to be a food hotbed and even if you only get into the capital city a time or two a year there is something for everyone. And lots of new places to try out.

grape-sense-logoBeholder, the brainchild of Milktooth super chef Jonathan Brooks, is now open and wowing local upscale diners. Brooks has been lauded by Food & Wine magazine, Eater magazine, and mentioned in many other national food publications. Food scene people know Brooks.

His newest venture is something of a gambler’s visit to Indy’s old eastside just beyond the entertainment and restaurant laden Mass Ave. Beholder sit on 10th St., near historic Woodruff Place’s Victorian homes. Brooks is risking name, reputation and a lot of dollars that Beholder can become a destination restaurant that will draw people to the sometimes seamy east side. The immediate neighborhood is changing in the area, and a big thanks goes to Beholder.

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Chef Jonathan Brooks

The restaurant has a modern ubran décor and an eclectic menu which can change day to day. Brooks takes his diners on an amazing array of tastes and textures throughout the meal. My dining partner and I enjoyed eggplant tartar, rye pasta with chicken liver pate’, pork tenderloin slices with pickled onion, BBQ octopus and more Since a year or so ago Grape Sense has occasionally delved into food and even Indy-area restaurants.. It was amazing – even some of the things we didn’t think we’d like!

Two glasses of bubbles, two appetizers, one medium plate, two glasses of wine, two entrée, and one dessert came to $185. That’s certainly a high-end price but within the range of dinner for two, with wine, at other top Indy dining spots. Beholder sets a very high bar.

There are lots of other new things to try. The big news of early summers was the arrival of Kimball Musk’s two new Indy dining spots – the more upscale Hedge Row on Mass Ave and Next door at College and 46th. Must is known not just as the brother of Tesla founder Elon Musk but as an entrepreneur and philanthropist.

His business focuses on community, local ingredients, and even bringing affordable foods to food islands like the College Avenue location.

Fried Chicken seems to be new again, often with a hint of spice, Martha Hoover’s food empire just keeps growing. The woman known for the fabulous, and nationally recognized, breakfast at her flagship Café Patachou is all in with her son on fried chicken. Crispy Bird is the small restaurant just off Pennsylvania Ave at 49th.

Another chicken-serving hot spot is The Eagle on Mass Ave. Eagle’s chicken comes out each time tasting like it’s freshly fried and with a hint of spice. Beer is a big deal at the Eagle so the combination draws mature diners and lots of young patrons. It has a youthful vibe that makes it simple fun to enjoy the dish grandma used to do so well.

Bill Oliver leading one sweet life

14 Sunday Jan 2018

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Bill Oliver is leading a sweet life. His family’s namesake winery is known primarily for sweet wines Oliver Soft Red and White.

grape-sense-logoHe jokes about world domination when asked about his expansion plans. While world domination might be out of reach, many might be surprised to learn dominating 47 states isn’t out of the question. He’d easily achieve that milestone if he reaches his longer-term goal of one million cases of Oliver wine produced annually.

Few wineries outside of California, Washington state or Oregon produce more than 250,000 cases. St. James Winery in Missouri produces over 200,000 cases annually. Leelanau Cellars and Chateau Grand Traverse in upper-state Michigan are both well over 100,000 and pushing 200,000 cases. Texas has the Ste. Genevieve winery and 200-acre Mesa Vineyard, which produces about 600,000 cases each year.

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Oliver Tasting Room north of Bloomington

Oliver is positioning his Bloomington operation to become the biggest winery in the U.S. not located in California, Washington or Oregon. Wine production reached 400,000 in 2016, and Oliver expects to hit the half-million case mark in 2018.

“I don’t think there is anything wrong with saying we want to be a one million case winery,” Oliver said, after being reminded he shied away from sharing that number publicly two years ago. “It might be eight years or so to get there.

“We don’t know what the competition is going to do. We don’t know what the economy is going to do, so we set our sights on that and go for it. All I can ask is we put our best foot forward today, and whatever numbers happen, happen. It’s how we operate I’m concerned about. I judge success by how much we’re trying.”

Longtime Oliver staples Soft Red and White still drive sales. But new products like cherry Moscato and even newer Blueberry create growth. Last year, Oliver introduced Apple Pie wine made from apples and with a distinctive taste of – you guessed it, apple pie. The 10,000 cases made all sold and led production to ramp up to 25,000 cases in 2017.

Those wines accounted for 10 percent of Oliver’s growth last year. Oliver has products most Hoosiers never see. He added a line called Porch Swing that he offers exclusivity to large supermarket chains as his sales force goes state to state. He describes Porch Swing as similar to the Soft wines but with a bit of effervescence. HEB, the largest grocery chain in Texas, was the first to snap up Porch Swing.

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Bill Oliver

According to Oliver, sales were brisk. Oliver has had his entire line of sweet wines repackaged for the modern consumer’s eye. Even the landmark Camelot Mead has a funky new label. Mead started Oliver’s success in the 1970s.

“That goes way back for us,” Oliver said. “At first we were making that wine in volume, and it really kept the doors open. It was well before this craft mead phenomenon we see now. Back then we were the only ones doing it.

“We made it 45 years ago before it was cool. We’ve gotten good at it. It’s tricky, and we’ve figured a lot of the pitfalls out. We make this really clean, really fresh aromatic pure kind of mead from orange blossom honey.”

Additionally, the winery has four new secret wines in test production. He believes a couple of those wines have potential for huge sales. He’s quick to add that growth is not about ego, it’s about sales. “We’d like to be a lot bigger than we are, but I think we’ll get there,” Oliver said. “It’s more challenging than it once was. There’s a lot more players in the market we play in, which is sweet wine, and a lot more players in grocery stores. Groceries would rather deal with fewer suppliers; it’s just easier for them.”

A new 30,000-square-foot Oliver production facility is the first step in ramping up production and sales. That building has a bottling line and considerable warehouse space for mountains of sweet wines. A second production building of similar size is planned.

Oliver’s wines reach 22 states. The company’s sales focus has been the Southeast, with strong markets in Texas, Florida and Tennessee. Oliver said the sales staff is concentrating now on Georgia and the Carolinas. It could take up to eight years to reach one million cases, Oliver said.

He admits it doesn’t really matter whether they hit it, as long as they’re developing new products, maintaining quality and giving it all a good effort. He denies that distribution in all 50 states is a goal. But if Oliver was the biggest wine producer in 47 of those 50, he’d consider it one sweet deal.

Vintage Indiana still packing them in

04 Sunday Jun 2017

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INDIANAPOLIS – Don’t let anyone unfairly bad-mouth Indiana wine based on what any observer would see at the annual Vintage Indiana festival.

Hoosiers still turn out by the thousands the first weekend of June at Indy’s Military Park for a sip of Indiana wines. They turned out Saturday despite the warmest day of 2017 and the usual wait in line to get that sip.

 

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A busy day for Indiana wine!

I had not visited Vintage in several years due to a work conflict, as I mentioned in my Vintage preview post on this site. I was a bit shocked Saturday by the number of “artisan booths,” as the Vintage website calls them. It seems as though they could be better vetted. There are some which felt appropriate but apparently if you’ve got the check you’ve got the space. It makes for a sprawling array of tents. There were far more ‘artisan vendors’ listed on the Vintage website than wineries.  Additionally, there are food trucks and food stands galore.

 

Now, this isn’t an effort to trash the wine fest – it’s clearly a huge success. I have always called it Indiana wine’s biggest moment in the spotlight. But it’s gotten a bit too big for all the wrong reasons. And, the number of wineries participating is slipping – down to 23 this year. Indiana now has 92 wineries. Even its most ardent supporters would have a hard time arguing that something is amiss when two of Indiana’s biggest three wineries are missing – Oliver and Easley.

 

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There is a considerable wait in most lines.

Vintage is put on by the Indiana Wine and Grape Council and it creates revenue. The Council needs the revenue to promote Indiana wine. The festival is well organized and seems to run smoothly. The fest also brings in an impressive number of volunteers. The long lines at the winery tents is a difficult problem to solve. I stood at one winery’s booth while six people blockaded the pouring table for 15-20 minutes sipping wine after wine while a crowd behind them waited. I don’t have a great answer – maybe you get one pour and go to the back of the line. While on the surface it seems like a petty problem, go stand in line over and over in early summer heat and get back with me.

 

I was not able Saturday to taste much wine as I recover from some recent personal health issues. I tried to take a few small sips and say hello to some of the Indiana winemakers and owners I know and enjoy catching up with. Unfortunately, the heat and a couple of hours on my feet was a bit taxing.

Vintage Indiana is a great wine fest. I think it could be better if it would re-focus its efforts. I’m going to ask some Indiana winemakers what they think. We’ll see how many are willing to go on the record and offer ideas.

New faces score at wine competition

02 Friday Jun 2017

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Indiana wines performed well in the 2017 Indy International Wine Competition at Purdue University. Nearly 2000 wines were entered from 11 countries and 40 states were considered, according to the competition’s website.

The competition has become something of a measuring stick for Hoosier winemakers as they stack up their product against other states not named California, Oregon, or Washington. Wines do come into the competition from the big three but not in significant numbers.

The competition, hosted by Purdue, does have Indiana categories as well as national award winners. Many Indiana wineries scored multiple medals from the 50 judges from across the country. You can go online to look up the wins for your favorite Hoosier winery.

With Vintage Indiana in downtown Indy tomorrow (June 3), I checked out some top winners and whether they’ll be at Vintage this year.

 

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Country Heritage wines scored big.

Top honors – or the Indiana Governor’s Cup – went to relative newcomer Country Heritage Winery and Vineyard, LaOtto, In., (near Fort Wayne.) Heritage had won Indiana Farm Winery of the Year the past two competitions. Heritage won three double gold medals (top honor), 12 Golds, 15 silvers, and 12 bronze.The farm winery award is for wineries producing less than 50,000 gallons of wine annually. This year’s Farm Winery of the Year was Buck Creek Winery, just south of Indianapolis along I-74.

 

The Indiana Wine of the Year was won by French Lick Winery for their estate-bottled Cabernet Franc. The Indiana Traminette of the Year (the state grape) was Tonne Winery’s CF2016 vintage. Tonne is located just north of Muncie.

Buck Creek won best dessert wine of the competition with its 2014 Vidal Blanc Ice Wine. Brown County won the contest’s best fruit wine with its 2016 Strawberry Wine.

A few of the usual suspects did well as expected. Huber Winery, which has claimed several Governor’s Cups, won 23 medals. Oliver Winery claimed 28 awards.

The competition also has a category for amateur winemakers. The amateur Wine of the Year was won by David Phillips of Sugar Creek Vineyards (just outside Crawfordsville). Phillips’ winning entry was a 2016 Chambourcin Rose’.

Of those winning awards, Buck Creek and French Lick are the only two pouring at Vintage according to the Vintage website.

Many Indiana wineries won multiple awards. Check out the details online.

 

Take time to explore Indiana’s wine

30 Tuesday May 2017

Posted by in Indiana, Newspaper Column 2017, Uncategorized

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Vintage Indiana has been a grand idea to introduce the Indianapolis market to Indiana wineries. It remains a great Saturday event but it also appears to be facing challenges in its 18th year.

grape-sense-logoThe Indiana wine event is set for noon to 6 p.m., Saturday, June 3, at Indianapolis’ downtown Military Park. Tickets are $30 in advance and $40 at the gate. A VIP, early entrance, ticket sells for $50. The festival features more than 20 Indiana wineries, almost as many food options and a bevy of ‘artisan vendors.’ Those wishing to attend can search the internet for Vintage Indiana and get the link to order tickets before the event.

The festival has long suffered from overcrowding which leads to long lines for a one-ounce pour of Hoosier fermented grape juice. There have been years, particularly with nice weather, that the lines to get in the door have been longer than anyone could have expected.

Additionally, Indiana winemakers have privately grumbled about their cost to participate in the annual event. A quick glance at sites like Yelp shows a mixture of high praise and grumbling about long lines from several different years. Indiana’s Wine and Grape Council sponsors the event with proceeds going to the council charged with promoting Indiana wine.

I have not attended because of an annual work conflict for the past several years. I hope to visit June 3 but probably won’t be tasting. The Vintage Indiana website shows only 23 wineries this year. Last year, with a bit of searching on the web, there was approximately 30. The state’s largest winery, Oliver Winery, no longer participates. Indy’s only downtown winery, Easley, is missing from this year’s list as well. That means two of the states three biggest wineries opt out. Huber Winery will be pouring.

Again, if you’ve never attended or enjoy the event it’s a must. But there are some signs that it may be time to re-imagine Vintage Indiana.

Tips for attending would include getting there early, drink lots of water, and bring your patience. A tip for sorting through 200-some wines is simple. Ask the booth attendants if their winery grows their own grapes and taste those wines.. After all, its an Indiana wine fest. I do that when I visit Indiana wineries. There are lots of wineries buying juice or fruit from out of state and there is nothing wrong with that. But if I’m sampling Indiana wine, with few exceptions, I want to taste Indiana grown grapes.

There are quite a few wineries on the list I have not visited. But if a visitor wanted a couple of don’t miss recommendations I’d suggest Butler Winery, French Lick, Huber, Turtle Run, and Winzerwald.

I hope to see you there.

Email legislators to stop terrible bill

02 Sunday Apr 2017

Posted by in Indiana, Uncategorized, Wine Education/News/Updates

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What is it with many state legislatures passing bills best described as a solution looking for a problem?

The Indiana legislature has two such bills under consideration right now. Wine lovers and those who believe in free enterprise need to react now. It’s just not looking for a problem but these two bills will cause substantial harm to several successful Indiana businesses.

So, this requires a short explanation. Senate Bill 358 and House Bill 1496 would essentially require specialty or gourmet food and wine stores to have 51 percent of their annual sales attributed to food. That change in the law would cause several stores to close almost immediately.

Grapevine Cottage of Zionsville, Tasteful Times in Fishers, and Broad Ripple’s Cork & Cracker would face immediate closure or bankruptcy. The Senate reported the bill out of committee with a House committee scheduled to take it up Monday morning.

The chairman of the Public Policy Committee due to hear the bill is Rep. Ben Smaltz (h52@iga.in.gov). Write him immediately to stop this bill that’s bad for small business. It’s also a good idea to write your own local representative. Then, copy your email to Senate President Pro Tem David Long at senator.long@iga.in.gov  and House Speaker Brian Bosma at h88@iga.in.gov

A brief bit of back ground is essential. The discussion started when state officials learned that Ricker’s gas stations found a legal way around the law to open a small “restaurant” in their stores in order to sell cold beer.

Pause for a second to understand and recall Indiana has some of the most restrictive laws regarding alcohol sales in the nation. Our legislators were upset someone found their way around the law. They were outraged with the State Alcoholic Beverage Commission for issuing the licenses. Interestingly, Gov. Eric Holcomb defended the agency for following the letter of the law.

And now the real crux of the issue for those who don’t keep up on such things – it’s about lobbying and candidate cash. The package liquor lobby and wine/beer distribution lobby own our state legislators. They get their way on every major issue. The lobby restricting alcohol laws has prevented Sunday sales, direct wine shipment, and continue to protect decades old ‘blue laws.”

Any reasonable Hoosier must guess reasonable heads will prevail and legislators will fix this terrible bill before legislating wrath against Rickers.

It’s all so silly but all paid for by those protecting their greed – legislators and the anti-free market distributors and package liquor store owners.

Write your reps today – not tomorrow. If you don’t give a hoot about beer or wine sales that’s fine. Write your representatives to protect these good small businesses.

I always through the GOP stood for the small businessman? Perhaps not when a big business man is filling their pockets.