News Release

NAPPANEE — The second annual tasting of Indiana wines in Nappanee will be held from 6-8 p.m. Aug. 9, 2022, downtown, sponsored by ACT Nappanee-Wakarusa.

This tasting features the wines of Fruit Hills Winery, and winemaker David Muir will talk about his grape-growing, wine-making and experiences in the ag/ag-tourism business. The event is open to the public, but advance RSVPs are required by email. Send RSVPs to [email protected]. There is a $10 event fee.

Fruit Hills Winery, based in Bristol, was chosen for its award-winning wines and for its importance as a family-owned enterprise in Elkhart County, located on a farm that’s been in the family since the 1850s. In addition to tasting four wonderful wines from Fruit Hills Winery, and learning about the winemaking scene in Indiana, participants will have an enlightening experience that will help them personally have more appreciation for wine and refine their own palate.

The featured wines are Itasca, a white wine with notes of pear and melon with a hint of green apple; Petite Pearl, a red wine with abundant, soft tannins and notes of black cherry and plum with hints of anise at the finish; Frontenac Gris, a sweet and fruity wine with aroma of peach and apricot and hints of enticing citrus and tropical fruit; and Marquette Port, aged in oak barrels and a perfect wine for after dinner or with a dessert.

The emcee for the evening will be wine book author Becky Kelley. Kelley has a unique perspective on the Indiana wine industry, gained as part of her recent travels and research for the book “Wine-ing Your Way Across Indiana.”

The event will finish with an opportunity for attendees to discuss inflation and its whys-when-wherefores and what’s possibly ahead with well-known Indiana economist Morton Marcus. Marcus has advised nine Indiana governors and is the author of the “Eye on the Pie” column published in many Indiana newspapers.

There are 116 wineries and tasting rooms in Indiana, which is an increase of 200% from 2006. Wineries contribute 3,900 full-time jobs to the Indiana economy, with an annual payroll of $120 million. This ag sector brings 630,000 wine tourists to Indiana wineries, contributing $94 million in tourism dollars to the state. The $95 million dollars of Indiana wine sold each year brings state and local governments $37 million in tax dollars, and $38 million in taxes are remitted to the federal government.