Indiana Uplands AVA

For decades, we’ve produced special wines in south-central Indiana. These days, it’s official.

The Indiana Uplands is a federally recognized grape-growing region, known as an American Viticultural Area, or AVA. In fact, ours is the first AVA entirely in Indiana, established in early 2013.

With 4,800 square miles to our name, 17 wineries and 19 vineyards with about 200 acres under cultivation, there’s much to explore. And, there’s room to grow.

Nine wineries are members of the Indiana Uplands Wine Trail, a way to get a taste of the Indiana Uplands AVA.

An AVA means that the region has a unique blend of geography, soil and climate, which gives its wine defining character. Simply put, the Indiana Uplands is markedly different from its surroundings when it comes to growing grapes.

LOCAL GRAPES    |     The Indiana Uplands AVA gives our wines a true origin. Vintners have a meaningful way to describe where their wines come from, and wine-drinkers can easily spot local varietals at stores and restaurants.

When you see the Indiana Uplands name on a bottle, it means that at least 85 percent of the wine inside is from grapes grown within the area.

LOCATION    |    Where is the Indiana Uplands AVA? Think of the region as a vertical rectangle in the south-central part of the state. But, we can certainly be more specific: The Indiana Uplands AVA spans 110 miles north to south, bound to the north by the line that separates Morgan and Monroe counties and to the south by the Ohio River at the Kentucky border. At its widest point, the region is 63 miles across, from Clark County to Martin County.  The Indiana Uplands AVA spreads across 19 counties.

Geographically, the area has been known as the Indiana Uplands since 1920, making it a fitting name for the grape-growing region, too.