Family farm shifts from Belgian horses to Indiana wine

MIDDLETOWN, Ind. (AP) - Driving down the small country roads outside of Middletown, you might be likely to drive right past Belgian Horse Winery, but the country feel to the old farm property adds to the vineyards and sprawling winery.

Opening two years ago at 7200 W. County Road 625 N, the project had been a passion project for nearly seven years by Jerri Harter and his son Kris Harter. Both father and son worked in the family's tech business together when Jerri pitched the idea of opening a winery to his son.

"I think at first they thought I was crazy," Jerri said.

"No, I just continued to think he was crazy," Kris responded, laughing.

Jerri wanted to start in on the winery business because of the people and the atmosphere they build.

Wineries build a certain kind of patron that is unlike a tavern crowd, according to Jerri, and each individual business sets itself apart from each other, offering a unique experience and product for those looking for something entertaining.

"We really try to make people feel welcome," said Kris, who helps manage the winery.

The sprawling refurbished farmhouse is the center of operations for the business, and was converted by Jerri and Kris, the latest in a six-generation family that has owned the land since the mid 1800's.

Originally, the family raised Belgian racing draft horses. It's where the name for the winery was inspired from, with the logo of a man and a horse coming from a photo hanging inside the winery.

"It's not only good wine, but we try to celebrate history and family," Kris said. Different wines are named for family members like the "Uncle Fred", a peach wine, to even the family dog with "Sophie," a cranberry riesling wine.

The lists of wines that the winery offers is fairly extensive, ranging from standard California cabernet to more creative wines like a pineapple or peach.

Experimenting is something the father and son duo enjoy doing with their wine maker on staff, by working to figure out what customers might want to try. The two said that the chance to try new things keeps their customers coming back.

"We try to do things that aren't standard, especially in our blending," Jerri said.

"We do a good job, though, of having a variety of sweet wines, dry wines and those in the middle," Kris said.

Another unusual product at the winery would be wine slushies, which are a big hit during the summertime, according to Jerri.

Belgian horse isn't going to be the wine "purist" paradise because of their experimentation but with 15-20 different wines up for purchase, they try to offer something for everyone.

"Our unique stuff actually tends to be our most popular," Kris added.

While the winery does have its own vineyard, only a handful of the wines actually use what they can produce because of the high production needs.

Since opening, the two have learned a lot about making their venue a destination for entertainment as much as the product. They've added live music on Wednesday nights, and that has contributed to it becoming one of their busiest nights.

They say the entertainment has changed the atmosphere and brought in a lot more foot traffic to the business. The business on a busy night can see nearly 400 people filter through the winery, with even more coming to special events and festivals throughout the year.

The winery runs operations year-round with the loft of the barn serving as a large seating area with a music stage used for the entertainment. Outside patio seating helps expand the amount of people that they can serve in the summertime as well.

"People like to come out here away from the hustle and bustle," Jerri said.

Belgian Horse Winery has a multitude of different events each month that it hosts, from wine and canvas, to wine yoga and even a murder mystery event. The summer weather also brings in food trucks to the winery.

The Harters have seen almost as much interest from the public as a music venue as well as a place to find good wine. So much so, that they will be expanding the music to Fridays during the summertime as well, making it a weekday and weekend affair.

The events and the wine work side by side. While the product itself would sell, they've boomed far faster than the two ever expected.

Jerri's business model was looked at being a series of small retirement projects, where people could talk about wine and enjoy the calm atmosphere. But as business boomed, he and his son have sold upwards of five times what they had initially expected.

It's a trend the two hope to continue as they plan more events and produce even more wine.

Two events that the winery has planned this year include a large festival on July 4 and on Oct. 5-6 for the 75th anniversary of Harry Harter's World Championship win in 1943.

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Source: The (Muncie) Star Press

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Information from: The Star Press, http://www.thestarpress.com