Lanthier Winery | Roadtirement

The Lanthier Winery and Distillery in Madison, Indiana is known not only for its award winning wines and distillery products but also for the magnificent gardens that surround the classic brick building . We visited this facility on Mother’s Day and walked the gardens. Our pervious visit was early in the season, and the weather was not conducive to an enjoyable stroll in the garden.

The gardens are known nation wide not only for the extraordinary variety of gorgeous flowers and vegetation, but also for a remarkable display of various art work in the form of paintings, sculpture and metalworks found throughout the grounds. There are so many unique creations in these gardens that you need to really keep your eyes open or you may miss something! The gardens are open seven days a week from sun up to sun down. There is never an admission charge.

The Lanthier Winery and Distillery in historic Madison, Indiana fits the tag ‘historic’ in several ways. The site of the facility has quite an interesting history going back to the 1700’s.

The stately historic building

Beautiful garden paths to the entrance

We made this winery a stop on a recent trip to southeastern Indiana. The path to the entrance door leads through a beautiful garden. The flowers had begun to grow, and a few daisies had begun to bloom.

Wine vats and start of bottling machine, right

Distilling column, gathering 94% ABV spirits

Once in the building we headed to the tasting counter where free tastings are offered. We tried 5 different wines and landed on two of the sweet wine offerings. While we were sampling I asked if the winery and distillery were operated on this site. Immediately a nice fellow said “We are making wine and distilling vodka here, would you like to see the operation?”

In the tasting room area

Our purchases after tastings

The fellow who offered us a private tour was none other than Chris Lanthier, Cellarmaster and, with his wife Tami, owner of Lanthier Winery and Distillery. Chris took us right back in the production area of wine making, bottling and the distilling of vodka products. He was most generous of his time as he explained, in detail, how the distillery works, and how it leads to their own brand of flavored vodkas.

We enjoyed the gardens, our tour, the tastings and the friendly staff of Lanthier Winery and Distillery. Chris was most generous with his time and all made us feel very welcome. Be sure to visit the Lanthier website here for more fascinating information about this wonderful winery.