Patoka Lake Winery in Birdseye, Indiana

Indiana winters can be brutal, but that was the perfect excuse for me to gather up my girlfriends for a wine weekend at Patoka Lake Winery!

It also happened to be right around my birthday and Valentine’s Day, but I rarely need an excuse to visit a winery.

My friends were thrilled to tag along for this Traveling Tanya adventure.

Patoka Lake Winery is in southern Indiana, making it a doable drive from parts of Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Missouri as well. I know most people think of the west coast when it comes to wine trips, but the Midwest knows how to do wine too.

Patoka Lake Winery is a must-do for Midwest wine enthusiasts like me!

Wine Tasting

Wine tasting at Patoka Lake Winery runs $8 for 10 tastes, but tastings are included if you are staying in one of the suites. (Read about our overnight adventure at PLW right here!).  The tasting also includes a free PLW wine glass, so you walk away with a great souvenir!

While 10 tastings may sound like a lot, the wine list was pretty extensive so there were still hard decisions to be made. And the pours were pretty generous so you will want to pick a designated driver or better yet, do what we did and spend the night at the winery!

Be sure to go to the winery’s website to grab the latest wine tasting list if you want to study your options before arriving.

Wines

I definitely gravitate toward the sweet wines and there were lots to choose from. But my friend Jennie enjoys the dry variety, and she found plenty of options to please her palate as well.

There are many fruit wines to choose from including Apple, Peach, Blackberry, and Cranberry. Rhubarb was actually a favorite of mine and a variety you don’t see at every winery.

I made a point to try several of their award-winning wines and was not disappointed. Patoka Lake Winery’s most celebrated wine is the Biker’s Black and Blue. It is a blend of blackberry and blueberry wine, and I agreed with the critical acclaim.

I always like to ask the staff about their favorite wine and that lead me to try the Catawba. She didn’t steer me wrong!

Hearing that the Sunset Red was another popular option I added that to my tasting menu. And it joined the other three I already raved about in the box that traveled home with me! (I’m clearly a faster drinker than I am a writer because the bottle of Sunset Red was gone before I even got around to writing this blog post.)

One of Patoka Lake Winery’s more unique options, due to its creative bottling, is the PBRX. This is a blueberry pomegranate wine that comes in a squared-off glass bottle complete with a prescription label. It might be just what the doctor ordered for a night out with friends!

We even got a sneak peek during our tour (another perk of staying in a winery suite) of a festive blend that will be coming out soon for the Easter season. Drunken Bunny Pee is an acquired taste, akin to a bloody mary, and not quite my speed. But the name and the bottle design still won my heart!

I’m a sucker for a hot mulled wine so that made it on my tasting list as well. This hot aromatic adult beverage hit the spot on that cold February night. So I ordered a full glass and let it warm me up inside and out as my friends and I found a quiet spot to sit at one of the many tables tucked away from the main tasting area.

With plenty of truth serum now running through us, it was time for some girl talk. But as the saying goes, what happens at Patoka Lake Winery stays at Patoka Lake Winery. So I’ll stick to sharing details about the beverages!

Wine Slushies

Always one to light up at the thought of wine slushies, I didn’t let the cold weather deter me. Patoka Lake Winery is known for a wide assortment of wine slushies, and these frozen concoctions can be part of your selections when doing a wine tasting.

Wine tends to heat me up and flush my cheeks anyway, so why not try a wine slushie cool down even in the frosty months! I didn’t make my way through all the options, but the ones I did try were top-notch.

After falling in love with bellinis on my first trip to Venice, I couldn’t resist the peach bellini wine slushie. It was so good…I bought a mega bag to take home.

The frozen hot chocolate wine slushie seemed like a perfect choice for the winter weather, and 3 of us were willing to order a full “glass” before we even tasted this one. Made with the moonlight white wine and served in a large plastic pouch with a straw, I felt like I was drinking an adult Capri Sun!

I’m guessing this particular option is only available in the cold months, but it is tasty enough to enjoy year-round if you ask me!

Munchies

As experienced wine tasters, we know it isn’t a good idea to drink on an empty stomach. The restaurant next door was closed for the season, but the winery sells an assortment of meats, cheeses, and chocolates to accompany the wine and extend your winery experience.

Hot soup was also available with the day’s option being chili. All four of us ordered up a steaming bowl of chili, which hit the spot and accompanied the wine beautifully.

I’m not sure if this one should be considered a food or a beverage, but jello shots were also on the menu. And I rarely pass up a jello shot!

These Valentine’s inspired, limited-time treats were made with PLW strawberry wine and strawberry jello and had a Hershey’s kiss inside. Yum!! My friend Debbie may have purchased some strawberry wine just so she could make more of these fabulous little treats at home.

Gift Shop

Since I never met a gift shop I didn’t love browsing, I spent some time perusing the unique finds right next to the tasting bar.

Patoka Lake Winery has plenty of accessories for your bar as well as clothing and drinkware with just the right wine puns to have you laughing out loud.

If you are in a buying mood, you can of course buy bottles of wine as well. Having my wine-loving friends along on this wine excursion paid off in more ways than one. We created some amazing memories and pooled our wine purchases in order to get the 15% discount on a case!

So Much More To Explore

You can easily spend several hours at the winery, but with so much to explore at Patoka Lake why not hang around a bit longer.

Patoka Lake Winery is the only winery in Indiana with onsite lodging.

Be sure to read this article detailing our overnight stay in the winery suites!

We visited Patoka Lake in winter so many local activities were closed for the season. But in peak season you can enjoy all kinds of fun on the water. Rent a pontoon boat, take a sunset wine cruise, stay in a floating cabin and so much more at Patoka Lake.

I’m pretty sure I won’t have to twist my friend Sunny’s arm to get her to load up the mini-van again for a return trip to Patoka Lake.

This may have been our first trip to Patoka Lake…but it won’t be our last!

Nearby French Lick is a popular Indiana tourism destination as well, and wouldn’t you know it…they have an awesome winery too! Bet you can’t guess where my friends and I stopped on the way home!

Have you been to a unique winery recently? I’d love to hear about it, so comment below. Your favorite winery just may show up in a future blog post!

Wherever the road takes you, make it a joyous journey,
Traveling Tanya

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