One loves white wines and the other red. Both provide their customers with insights into how wine is made and the pleasurable experience of wine tasting.
Upon entering the estate grounds, you immediately see Chambourcin vines growing to your right as you proceed to the tasting room. Walking through the winery’s door immediately places you into the tasting room. Looking about you’ll quickly notice there is direct access to the production area. This is done by design as Jim and Laura want visitors to experience first-hand, how their wines are produced. No hidden secrets here…
On busy weekends, an additional tasting area is set up back in production. This is Jim’s mancave where you’ll usually find him managing the bar. It’s here where you can personally get to know the wines and the winemaker!
Jim first studied wine at Miami of Ohio. How fondly he recalls that first class in which his professor, John Dome stated, “This is not a wine appreciation class. If you have come here to drink and sample wine, this is not your class. If, however, you want a thorough understanding of all things wine, from soil type and climate to grape growing and its inherent challenges, to winemaking techniques and aging and what differentiates good from great, and how it’s done, then this is the class you want to be in. By the way, the average grade is a high C, so this is not an easy course. Feel free to drop if necessary.”
The course opened Jim’s eyes to the difference between good and great wines, and what it takes to make exceptional quality wine – patience, precision, and no cutting corners. In time, Jim became firmly convinced that an untapped potential existed in the limestone hills of southern Indiana. The climate and soils simply reminded him of some of the very best vineyards in Europe.
No trip to Turtle Run Winery would be complete without Jim and Laura giving you an in-depth tour of the production area. If you’ve already visited the winery you’ll discover that no two tours are alike. Feel free to ask Jim your questions and see how the tour suddenly drifts in all sorts of directions.
Somedays, Jim talks barrels, then talks taste bud count. On other days, the health benefits of wine will be the subject. Catch Jim on a slow day and adventure along with him as he drifts into the inconvenient truth of Prohibition. And did you know that wine contains up to 1500 natural chemical compounds? Another tour possibility! Regardless, Jim will enlighten and engage you with a truly mesmerizing tour, whatever tour it happens to be, in an easy-to-understand format. Afterward, you’ll think, “aha, that makes sense!” Simply put, a Turtle Run Winery tour puts appreciation into wine.