Our Story

A legacy of great wines from great fruit.

From our family, to yours, for 50 years.

Oliver Winery started from modest roots back in the 1960s, as a hobby of Indiana University law professor William Oliver. His enthusiasm for the craft led him to establish a vineyard northwest of Bloomington, in the Indiana Uplands AVA. Soon, the flourishing vines produced grapes far in excess of his needs as a hobby winemaker, so he began plans to open a commercial winery.

Professor Oliver was instrumental in passing legislation allowing for the creation of small wineries in our state. The Indiana Small Winery Act passed in 1971, and Oliver Winery opened in 1972. Sales took off with Camelot Mead, and we've been growing ever since. Today, we distribute our award-winning, fruit-forward wines to more than 40 states and ship across the country. In 2022, we celebrated 50 years of bringing people together through wine.

Wine Collections

1970s

Professor Oliver's son, Bill, took over the winery in 1983. He focused on enhancing the guest experience by increasing wine quality and variety, establishing beautiful gardens, and providing great customer service. Sales grew steadily in the 80s, reaching 25,000 cases per year by 1990.

1990s

In 1993, Kathleen Oliver joined the winery as General Manager. Bill turned his attention to winemaking and viticulture at Creekbend Vineyard, which was planted in 1994. Retail sales climbed, and our tasting room was built in 1997.

A world-class wine experience and destination.

2000s

Major facility expansions occurred in 2002 and 2007, making Oliver Winery one of the largest and most modernly equipped wineries in the eastern U.S. In 2002, Kentucky became the first state outside of Indiana to offer Oliver wines. In 2006, Oliver became the only 100% employee-owned winery in the U.S. Together, we built a better, stronger company.

Today and Beyond

Today, Oliver Winery is one of the top 30 largest wineries in the U.S.

We're also a world-class destination, rated by Travel + Leisure as a top 25 winery to visit in the U.S. in 2017. We offer best-in-class service, beautiful scenery, and an approachable wine experience to thousands of visitors each year.

In early 2021 — just one year before our 50th anniversary year — we started a new partnership with NexPhase Capital to help us continue to scale up and accelerate our future growth. “This is the beginning of a new, exciting chapter for our team," Oliver President Julie Adams said. "We are thrilled to continue to build on our strong foundation and keep growing together.”

We honored our past in 2023 with newly-designed labels featuring our iconic hot air balloon and focus on fruit-forward flavor. Dreams took flight, and hot air balloons, too.

In 2024, we return to our roots of innovation and we are excited to bring our new products and flavors to you!

Through the decades, quality has been our currency. We're proud to continue that story.

Meet the Team