Local wineries on the rise

A couple stands in front of the tasting bar at Butler Winery exchanging wine stories with the owner and winemaker. She is swirling the semi-sweet wine, Indiana Blush, around in a stemmed glass. He is leaning against the bar, casually sipping the dry wine, White Select. With the average price of wine raging between $8 and $16, both wines the couple chose are moderately priced at $8.95 per bottle. \nJim Butler, owner of Butler Winery, 1022 N. College Ave., said, "people are drinking less, but drinking better." \nSherry Fisher, director of marketing and promotions for Oliver Winery, said the vast majority of customers are between the ages of 30 and 50. This couple is among the many baby boomers who are increasingly selecting mid-priced wines over cheaper alternatives.\n"Many people want to drink a tad better wine," said Fisher.\nIn the March 1996 edition of Management magazine, columnist Keith Stewart said "the drop in total per capita wine consumption of recent years has been matched by a rise in sales of better quality wine."\nThis rise of mid-priced wines, driven by the baby boomers, directly affects how small wineries like Butler and Oliver Winery, 8024 N. State Road 37, market their products. Small wineries, including Butler and Oliver, focus their marketing techniques on developing creative labels, promoting region loyalty and the expanding possibilities of the Internet. \nButler Winery recently developed a new label for its line of wholesale wine. The new label depicts a three-dimensional fruit and cheese basket drawn with bright, blending colors. \n"Wine labels increase in sophistication and complexity every five years," Butler said. "The baby boomers like to see pretty wine bottles with sophisticated labels sitting on their tables." \nWilliam Zimmerman, a local artist, continuously creates new labels for Oliver Winery. The Butterfly Series, which depicts Indiana wildlife and wildflowers, and the Kestrel Series, which depicts a type of falcon, are the two newest label additions to Oliver Wine bottles. \nThe youngest artists of Oliver Wine labels are the sons of the owner, whose finger-paintings and footprints decorate the labels of the Nouveau wine bottle. Fisher said Oliver Winery focuses on the image of the whole product, "from the label to the capsule to the cork." \nHighlighting the distinctive taste of Indiana wines is another way small wineries increase sales. Hoosiers' loyalty to local wineries plays a large role in what they choose to drink, local merchants said. \nIn a WTIU broadcast, Teresa Browning, marketing coordinator of the Indiana Wine Grape council said, "not many people know about the wines here in Indiana because it's a small industry, these are mostly Mom and Pop wineries. So when you visit a winery in Indiana you have the pleasure of meeting the winemaker, who grew the grapes, and also pouring the samples for you." \nHoosier baby boomers and other Midwesterners are turning toward wines of their homeland. \n"People are essentially getting tired of drinking California Chardonnay," Butler said. \nIncreased reliance of the Internet as a new media helps the Indiana wine industry thrive. Both Butler and Oliver Winery maintain Web sites to promote their businesses. With busy lifestyles and larger pocketbooks, baby boomers like the efficiency and ease of Internet shopping, local merchants said.\nFisher said many people find out about Oliver Winery from the Internet and stop by on their way through Indiana to pick up a few cases. Oliver Winery has plans to add a shopping cart to their Web site, making online shopping easier. Retail merchandise and wine accessories will also be added.\nThe baby boomers are driving the small wine industry to change. They're smarter buyers who want good quality and a moderate price. Fisher said, "people are much more wine-aware"