Local couple goes into the wine business

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Tippecanoe County gets its first winery. For owners Rick and Kathy Black, the Wildcat Creek Winery was been a labor of love, nearly a decade in the making.

"It's been fun. We've had a lot of fun. It's really nice to have a product that will be part of celebrations with families and sharing with friends so creating that product has been a real pleasure," Kathy Black said.

Located off I-65 on County Road 200 North, the winery opened for business, two weeks ago.

"He always wanted to have his own business. He just didn't know what," Kathy said.

After the coupled visited Napa Valley and several Hoosier wineries, Rick decided he'd try his hand at the wine business.

"The whole concept I fell in love with when I started looking at wineries was the fact that it was a business that was interesting and unique there were only 20 wineries in the state. The fact that I could basically do all the manufacturing by myself was of particular interest. Although it's labor intensive, it doesn't require 25 people to make a few hundred gallons of wine," Rick said.

He works closely with the Indiana Wine Grape Council and has won awards on his wines at state competition--including the 2001 Indiana Amateur Wine Champion. He has created more than 20 wines.

"We'll bring in grapes and juice and other fruits depending on the varietal," Rick said.

The winery features four of those wines and they appear to be quite a hit with the customers.

"The fact that I could bring something of the wine culture and wineries to the county, especially where the Wine Grape Council is situated," Rick said.