Wineries of Indiana

Wildcat Creek Winery Opens!

Thursday, January 1, 2009

For Immediate Release

Indiana's 36^th winery opens in West Central Indiana

Indiana's wine industry continues to expand with the opening of a new winery in West Central Indiana.

Wildcat Creek Winery in Lafayette is owned by Rick and Kathy Black. Rick has been an amateur winemaker for many years, having earned over twenty awards as an amateur. One of his highest honors was the 2002 Indiana Amateur Wine Champion Award at the Indy International Wine Competition.

"Making wine has been a passion of mine" says Black. "Our mission is to bring the wine culture and tourism to Tippecanoe County by producing and selling the best quality wines. This winery is a dream come true and I look forward to being a part of Indiana's agritourism industry!"

Located in a restored 1900's farmhouse just off of Interstate 65 in Tippecanoe County, the winery is selling four varieties of wine with others to be released later this year.

"Seeing Wildcat Creek Winery open is very exciting for Tippecanoe County," says Jeanette Merritt, Marketing Director of the Indiana Wine Grape Council. "It's always exciting to see an amateur winemaker take that last step to open the doors of a commercial operation."

The winery offers free wine tastings, both indoor and outdoor seating, winery tours, a gift shop, periodic food and wine pairing events, and assistance in planning special occasions for their customers. Current hours are Saturday 11 am - 6 pm, and Sunday 12 pm - 5 pm. Please check the website at www.wildcatcreekwinery.com or call 765-838-3498 for spring and summer hours.

With the addition of this new winery, the Indiana wine industry has 36 commercial wineries and over 400 acres of grapes. Four more wineries are scheduled to open before the end of 2009.

About Indiana Wine Grape Council

The Indiana Wine Grape Council seeks to enhance economic development in the state by establishing a successful wine grape industry through research and marketing development. The program provides extension specialists in enology (winemaking), viticulture (grape growing), and marketing to assist commercial and amateur grape growers and winemakers. Since the creation of the Council in 1989, the number of Indiana wineries has increased from nine to nearly 40, attracting over 1,000,000 visitors each year and contributing millions of dollars to Indiana's economy.

Contacts:

Jeanette Merritt, Marketing Director, Indiana Wine Grape Council, (765) 496-3842, [email protected].

Rick and Kathy Black, Wildcat Creek Winery, 765-838-3498