Night of wine and roses for Oliver, Almost Home

Saturday, February 14, 2015

For a couple of hours Thursday night, Almost Home restaurant in Greencastle might as well have been "almost Bloomington" as Oliver Winery shared its history, tastes and even a few secrets.

A pre-Valentine's Day crowd packed the center room at Almost Home/The Swizzle Stick to enjoy an Oliver Winery "signature dinner," which paired four Gail Smith-prepared courses with the same number of libations from Indiana's oldest winery. All the while revealing how those wines were conceived and refined.

Addressing a packed house at Almost Home restaurant from the middle of the room Thursday night, Bill Oliver of Bloomington's Oliver Winery discusses some of his company's newest varieties during a signature wine dinner at the Greencastle eatery.

Bill Oliver, the second-generation owner of the Bloomington vineyard started by his father -- Professor William Oliver, a law instructor at Indiana University -- literally jumped feet first into the wine-making business.

"I got started at age five, stomping grapes for my dad," he told the Almost Home gathering as it dined on lobster bisque, bruschetta and cheese, Oliver red wine-marinated grilled beef tenderloin (with garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli) and a sweet dessert of red velvet cupcakes -- all paired with an appropriate Oliver creation.

At the time, his dad was into making wine at home as a hobby, purchasing grapes from an Ohio vineyard.

The Oliver family's thirst for wine was cultivated when his father spent a year at Cornell University in New York.

"If they can do this in New York," he said, "we thought, 'Why can't we do it in Indiana.'"

In the 1960s Prof. Oliver purchased land near Bloomington in order to grow his own grapes, and by 1970 operated some 30 acres of vineyard. Oliver Winery began operations in the spring of 1972 and opened its first tasting room to the public in 1973.

The Olivers bought 100 acres along the east side of State Road 37, north of Bloomington -- "the smartest investment we ever made," Bill Oliver assured.

"Now we're celebrating 43 years," he added Thursday night, noting that he became involved in managing the winery in 1983 when he graduated from the Kelley School of Business at IU.

Oliver Winery owner/manager Bill Oliver autographs a couple of bottles of wine for a table full of guests at Almost Home.

The younger Oliver introduced the use of grapes from outside Indiana into Oliver wines in 1988. On his watch, annual production exceeded 100,000 gallons by the late 1990s, and 500,000 gallons by 2007.

The first course Thursday evening paired the lobster bisque with an Oliver Sauvignon Blanc, followed by an Oliver Vineyard Series Chardonnay paired with a plate of assorted cheeses and bruschetta.

That Chardonnay is somewhat new to the Bloomington winery.

With Chardonnay arguably the most consumed wine in America, Oliver mused, "How can Indiana's largest winery not sell the most popular wine?"

The third course paired Oliver's red blend with beef tenderloins grilled by Chef Smith.

"We weren't into this blend idea initially," Oliver said, noting its popularity elsewhere, especially in France.

Oliver Winery was originally set on making its red wine quite dry with "minimal residual sugar," but opted for a blend that is "approachable, fresh and drinkable," Oliver said, echoing a website pronouncement that the winery's goal is "to make approachable and satisfying wines that capture the flavor of high-quality fruit."

The newest Oliver wines are apparently finding a receptive market.

"In terms of the Chardonnay and the red blend, this is the one that's really taken off," he said of the new red before adding that "most of the wines I drink are fairly young."

The dessert course paired red velvet cupcakes with the ubiquitous Oliver Soft Red served as a cocktail teamed with Starlight Vodka from Huber Winery in Starlight, Ind.

The popularity of Soft Red around the room was obvious when Oliver mentioned it and proceeded to autograph about a dozen bottles for Almost Home diners.

"Soft red," he simplified, "it's what pays the bills."

Meanwhile, Almost Home owner Gail Smith reminded the diners that her restaurant is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year with a series of special events planned for the 25th of each month, as well as the annual Greencastle Music Fest set for Aug. 29.

Also planned is a "memory cookbook" with recipes for famous Almost Home dishes along with documenting customer-provided special memories from the restaurant.

Smith said she also plans to spice up the cookbook with nuggets like how much broccoli cheese soup and chicken salad has been made and consumed at Almost Home over the past 25 years.

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