The second part of my trip to Indiana...

Saturday afternoon i visited Easley Winery in downtown Indianapolis (downtown being very loosely defined, it is about 10 blocks from the center of Indianapolis). Walking into a winery in the middle of Indianapolis was kind of strange. The building blended in with the other buildings in that part of town, if it weren't for the signage announcing the tastings I would have never known it was a winery.

The vineyards for Easley were first planted more than 35 years ago near the Ohio River in southern Indiana. The area where the grapes are grown appears to be conducive to a wide range of varietals. Easley offers a wide range of wines from Chardonnay and Vidal Blanc to Merlot and Concord.

There were a couple of standouts, their Reggae Red is made from Concord Grapes, which makes a sweet red that is easy to drink and very light. They also have a nice Chambourcin, a grape that I don't normally think of as a stand-alone wine, but this was pretty good.

The tasting room was nicely laid out and the people doing the pouring were very knowledgeable about their own wines as well as the local wine scene, which was nice.

That night we had dinner with my friend's parents where we shared a bottle of 2002 Brane Cantenac and a bottle of Christopher Creek Reserve Petite Sirah. I had not tried anything from Christopher Creek prior to this wine and I was very impressed. it was a fruity wine, slightly tannic with a long finish.