The Crabapple tree is in full bloom! We are so happy to replace Indiana snow with falling Crabapple blossoms outside our windows. Spring is erupting here at the winery. Take a look!

Perhaps you have taken your own photos in front of the Crabapple tree at our main entrance. Bill Oliver planted this tree in 1983, adjacent to the block building that was the original winery. That, and cutting barrels in half and planting Marigolds in them, was the first small step toward establishing the beautiful gardens we have today. We now have a team of talented landscapers — led by Marian Keith, who took today’s photos — to keep our grounds beautiful all year. Because who doesn’t want to enjoy a glass or bottle of wine, surrounded by blossoming trees and colorful floral arrangements?

Come enjoy spring with us!

Do you remember when we first met?

You walked in, thirsty and curious. We offered all your new favorite things: a wine flight, a plate of gourmet cheeses and local meats, a slice of Chocolate Port Pecan Pie, mood lighting.

You told your friends. You took a photo of your Tomato Basil Jam. You came back, and here we are, marking our six month anniversary on the square in Bloomington.

Celebrate with us this Wednesday, April 24 through Sunday, April 28 at Oliver Winery Downtown. We’ll have a new wine flight, new cocktails, all our newest wine releases, and a chance to win FREE DESSERT for the next six months!

Thank you for making our downtown adventure such a success. Cheers!

Drew Kincius, Downtown Manager

It’s Spring Break here in Bloomington, Indiana. The students have gone home. The professors are on beaches. We’re lonely. It’s snowing. But, the parking downtown is great. It’s almost Saint Patrick’s Day. And we have all this wine.

So we decided to make a cocktail.

Let’s talk for a moment about Honey Wine. We’ve been making our Camelot Mead for four decades, as long as Oliver Winery has been making wine in Indiana. Our newest batch is made from premium grade orange blossom honey and comes in four natural fruit flavors. It is light, fresh, and versatile in making cocktails and spritzers. Our March cocktail features Peach Honey Wine, a big favorite in the tasting room and double gold medal winner. It’s also very easy to make, with only four ingredients.

Tickle Me Peach
- Spring Break approved!
5 frozen peach slices
3 oz Oliver Peach Honey Wine
3 oz orange juice
4.5 oz ginger beer

Layer a Collins glass with frozen peach slices, about 5. Fill with ice. Combine Peach Honey Wine and orange juice in a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake. Strain into glass. Top with ginger beer.

Let us know how this tastes from wherever you are. Especially if you are on a boat, in a lake, eating a taco, wearing sandals, etc.

Post by Marian Keith, Landscape Supervisor

I’ve come to expect warm temperatures and blooming things by early March after the oddly mild winters of the recent past. This year, persistently frigid weather has kept spring at bay, at least for now. In fact, we just finished shoveling a healthy load of snow as I write this on March 6th. Still, there have been signs of hope: we’ve spotted several flocks of sandhill cranes passing over Oliver Winery on their annual journey northward, cardinals and titmice have begun their predawn serenades, and the crocuses, snowdrops and hellebores are ready to burst open on the next warm, sunny day. Spring is at the doorstep.

By mid-March, the first daffodils should start opening, providing the first big splash of color. We have dozens of varieties representing a wide spectrum of colors, sizes and personalities, and add a few new ones each season. One of our newcomers, daffodil ‘Exotic Mystery’, bears pale, greenish-yellow, split-corona flowers that bloom in clusters atop tall stems in mid- to late April. Another new one, ‘Galactic Star’, promises long, flaring, creamy-white trumpets with ruffled edges that melt into rounded, slightly backswept, primrose petals. Sounds sweet, huh? It should begin blooming by mid- April.

Crocus ancyrensis ‘Golden Bunch’ smiles on a sunny day in late winter.

Tiny but magical, daffodil ‘Hawera’ is one of my favorites.

Daffodil ‘Ambergate’ is unusual for its orangey-buff petals complemented by a dark orange cup.

Tulip ‘Black Parrot’, one of our staples, looks terrific with pale yellow daffodils.

Despite the extra effort they require, I can’t resist tulips for their big, lush flowers and delicious rainbow colors. We take special pains to protect them from deer and voles for your viewing enjoyment. This year I’ve aimed for some different combinations that depart from my usual “color recipes” of the past. One particular large sweep blends shades of scarlet, burgundy, and maroon with accents of white and cream, with a few other bulb varieties in complementary shades. Bet it will be beautiful!

Large-flowered alliums carry the show through May, bringing structural drama to the garden that is equaled by few other flowers. This year, look forward to the debut of Allium ‘Spider’, a hybrid between A. atropurpureum and one of my favorites, A. schubertii. Its large, violet starbursts should look just dreamy amid the warm blossoms of our amber Flower Carpet roses. Also new is ‘Summer Drummer’, with sturdy stems that can reach an incredible height of four to seven feet! Both these varieties are expected to bloom in June.

Come visit our main tasting room soon and treat yourself to a glass of delicious Oliver Wine and a stroll or a picnic amid the fresh flowers of spring. We cannot wait to see you!

Allium schubertii, a favorite of ours and a parent plant of the new hybrid, Allium ’Spider’. Photo by Jessie Keith

Statuesque Allium ‘Mars’ highlights the gardens in May

Photo by Lyndsey Caird

February was a long, cold month here in Indiana. We invented cocktails to pass the time, but what really got us through the snow and ice were the warm, loving photos that poured into our first ever online photo contest. We wanted to know how people enjoy our wine, and where. We found out, “a lot,” and “everywhere.” At bridal showers and beaches, weddings and campsites, in both of our tasting rooms, among friends, spouses, flowers and animals. It was hard to choose our favorites.

These 20 photos won the contest this round, and will appear on Oliver store displays in supermarkets and liquor stores across the country. Thank you for representing Oliver Winery, a real place with real winemakers and real fans. Everyone loves Oliver — especially these people!

See all winning entries below the jump.

Linda Mills

Amy Swaim

Heather Brinkmann

Vanessa McKinney

Jenna Quill

Caitlin Stanfel

Brian Straley

Sheila Hass

Lori Peter

Karissa Clodfelder

Andrew Redman

Malena Zook

Mia Schrader

Myriah Greiner

Geoffrey Ralston

Amy Swaim

Roxanne Michels

Connie Etter

Linda Harrison

Naturally, we like Valentine’s Day over here. It involves a lot of our daily activities, such as drinking wine, eating chocolate, and being sweet to each other. You might say it’s our office culture. Simply drinking wine and eating chocolate and being sweet to each other on Valentine’s Day would actually be cheating. So we upped the ante and made a cocktail.

Cupid’s Crush is:

6 strawberries, stems removed, halved
2 Tbsp honey
1 basil leaf
3 oz Oliver Shiraz 2010
2 oz cranberry cocktail

Muddle strawberries, honey and basil in a cocktail shaker. Add ice, Oliver Shiraz and cranberry cocktail. Shake vigorously and strain into a sugar-rimmed glass. Garnish with sliced strawberries and basil.

If you’re staying in tonight, make this at home and tell us what you think.

P.S. Will you be our Valentine?