New Wine Tasting Room Opens 40th Anniversary Of Amish Acres
Posted
Staff Report-
NAPPANEE - Amish Acres Historic Farm & Heritage Resort is celebrating its 40th anniversary during the 2010 tourist season.
A new wine tasting room opens the celebration this Saturday, with musical entertainment, complimentary Swiss Land cheeses, discounts on Threshers Dinner and The Taffetas in The Round Barn Theatre.
The tasting room will be in the Barn Loft of Amish Acres Restaurant. Hours of the tasting room will vary with the season, beginning with each Friday through Sundays, 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., Saturdays until 7 p.m.
The wine tasting room will feature the fruits of Indiana and Lake Michigan shore wines. Richard Pletcher, founder and CEO of Amish Acres, said, "Over sixty percent of our visitors come from outside of Indiana and regional wines have become the fastest-growing segment within the wine industry. Visitors coming to Amish Country to our farmer's markets in Goshen, Elkhart and Nappanee are looking for locally grown produce and domestic products. There is just as much interest among our visitors in regional wines as there is in Amish made cheeses, meats and baked goods."
In contrast to single winery tasting rooms, Amish Acres' Barn Loft Tasting Room will be unique in that it will feature wines from Indiana and Southern Michigan's best-known wineries.
"It will be like taking a wine tour without the travel and the advantage of tasting and comparing different varietals from more than one winery side by side," said Pletcher.
Unusual cheese and meat parings and specialty breads to accompany the tastings will come from the William H. Best Meat & Cheese Market located in a pre-Civil War log house restored on Amish Acres farm and Amish Acres Bakery.
Signature wines from six wineries will be featured in the tasting room.
Indiana wineries include Oliver Winery from Bloomington, French Lick Winery, and Huber Winery & Vineyards in Starlight.
Nearby Michigan wineries represented will include St. Julian Winery, Paw Paw, The Round Barn Winery, Baroda and Tabor Hill Winery in Buchanan. These will include honey mead, cranberry, cherry, Blue Heron, and demi-secs from several vineyards. The selection will also include merlot, cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay wines for those preferring more traditional wines.
Visitors will be able to taste five wines with the purchase of a glass. Featured wines may be purchased by the bottle or case with quantity discounts. The flight of wines available for tasting will vary by the day. The tasting room is designed to accommodate group tastings whether arriving by motor coach or local fundraising events.
All of the wines are available from the beverage menu in the Vittles Room of Amish Acres Restaurant and the lobby bar of The Round Barn Theatre. Special menus for wedding receptions have been developed with suggested wines parings from the Barn Loft Tasting Room.Details and group reservations for the new Barn Loft Wine Tasting Room and Amish Acres 40th Anniversary events are available at www.AmishAcres.com, AmishAcres@AmishAcres.com and 800-800-4942.
