OUR VINEYARDS

"To Friends, To Family & To the Good Earth !"

Our Vineyards

"A man who could sit

under the shade of his

own vine with his wife

and his children about

him and the ripe clusters

hanging within their

reach in such a climate

as this and not feel the

highest enjoyment, is

incapable of happiness."

- James Busby

There's no secret. Great wine begins in the vineyard.

After a two-year search for the perfect

conditions to establish their vineyard, Steve, Sandy

and Michael Palmer selected a hillside site four

miles north of the Ohio River and the historic town

of Madison, Indiana. The soils were right: well

drained and sloping gently to the south. The

climate was right: moderate winters and a long,

warm growing season. And in 1995 they planted

their first vines. Today American, French Hybrid,

and classic European Vinifera varieties greet

visitors from around the world to MADISON

Vineyards.

Please be patient. The pictures on this page may take a moment to load.

We hope to be adding
more photos very soon to
give you a glimpse of
Madison Vineyards.

You are encourged to visit
and take as many photos
as you like.

For those of you who may
have a special vineyard
photo, please send it to us
and you may see it on our
web page.

Sweet Maya Reilly Palmer (age
one) helping in the planting of the
first Syrah(shiraz) vines in Indiana.

They grow so fast, and so do the
vines.

It's Spring time. A small Cabernet
Sauvignon grape vine in early June, .
The Cabernet vines took off in June
and July and were cut back to two
shoots at least four feet tall. A great
start.

May is a time for early shoot growth.
This is a early spring photo of our 7-
year old Seyval Blanc vines just after
flowering.

After a wet spring in 2000 all is
green. These are our lush Cayuga
White vines which were planted in
1997. They prodcue lovely, large
clusters of grapes which are used to
produce our Kleineweiss and, French
cousin, Petite Blanc.

Early July in the vineyards. A time
of prunning, weeding, positioning &
sweating. After a wet spring the
vines really take off and if not
controlled daily can run away from
you. Leading to dense canopies and
shaded fruit. Michael Palmer, seen
here, tieing up and spreading the vine
out for opptimal sun & air exposure.

November is a time of racking and
blending. Here is Steve Palmer
testing the newest vintage of estate
wines.

Winters in the Ohio River Valley
rarely produce much lasting snow, so
I had to take this picture quickly. A
view from the front of the Seyval
Blanc vineyard, with the Winery in
the distance. All the leaves have
fallen and the grape vines hang
dormant, waiting to be pruned in
February .

In the north eastern United States there are three principle grape families
used in the production of wine: Vitis Labrusca, also know as the "fox"
grapes; Vitis Vinifera; and the French/American/German Hybrids. At
Madison Vineyards we grow all three groups. The majority of our vines
and wines are French Hybrids: Seyval Blanc, Vidal, Marechal Foch,
Vignoles, and Rougeon. We have one American Hybrid: Cayuga White,
and one Native American Labrusca: Niagara. In April of 2000 we
planted our first Vinifera, the classic European Bordeaux varieties. This
year we planted Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. The
following spring we added Cabernet Franc and another section of
Cabernet Sauvignon. Why Vinifera? They are difficult to grow, don't
produce large crops, and can easily be killed during a severe winter. The
answer is simple: Great grapes make great wine. And those particular
varieties make some of the greatest red wines in the world. We plan to
make two wines from our Vinifera. One will be labeled Cabernet Franc
and will be a blend dominated by Cabernet Franc, but with a bit of Merlot
and Petit Verdot thrown in to add more dimension. The other wine will be
a Meritage (rhyming with "Heritage"). Meritage is a rather recent term
used for both red and white wines, which are blends of the classic
Bordeaux grapes. For a white Meritage the blend would be of Sauvignon
Blanc and Semillon. For a red Meritage the blend would be�.well, what
we we've planted. Our Meritage (tentatively named "Montage"), will
blend Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
"Montage" will be the top of the line, our ultra-premium wine. For those
of you who want a bit more detail, the planting consisted of the following
varieties, clones and rootstocks. Cabernet Sauvignon, clone 337, on 3309
rootstock. Merlot, clone 181, on 3309 Petit Verdot, clone 2, on Riparia
Gloire. The next year we added: Cabernet Franc, clone 327, on 101-14
Cabernet Sauvignon, clone 191, on 101-14 and Syrah 174/ 101-14.