Our Story
Est. 1852
Welcome
Welcome to Fruit Hills Winery and Orchard! We are David and Michele Muir, and in 2010, we opened a new farm winery in Northern Indiana with the encouragement of our son, Nathan, and daughter-in-law, Brittany.
Our winery is located 2 miles south of Bristol on State Road 15 on the Judson Fruit Farm.
The farm has been in David’s family since 1852, where it began producing fruit around 1898, and we continue to grow fruit to this day.
We currently have approximately 4 acres of vineyards planted, and we continue to expand.
We focus primarily on newer cold-hardy grape varieties. We’ve planted the University of Minnesota’s Marquette, Frontenac Gris, and Itasca. Tom Plocher’s Petite Pearl, Crimson Pearl, and Verona. We also grow a couple of older varieties, Vignoles and Brianna.
We purchase grapes and juice of varieties that are not feasible to grow in our locale, such as Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Tempranillo, etc.
We also produce a Blackberry fruit wine we call Black Velvet and two hard ciders from our apples. Just Peachy is an apple hard cider that has a little peach flavor added and is sweetened and carbonated Triple Hop is a dry hard cider that is infused with three different hops and then carbonated.
In the fall, we offer apples fresh from our orchard as we have done for over one hundred years.
You will be greeted warmly when you visit our winery in the scenic fruit hills of Bristol. We have an attractive and inviting tasting room where you have the opportunity to sample any of our different wines. You may also step outside onto our large deck or front porch and enjoy the view while having a glass of wine.
David's Great- Great-Grandfather Purchases the Farm
In 1852, William Judson purchased land in Bristol, Indiana.
Fruit Production Begins
The original Judson Fruit Farm was established by James’s brother, Charles E. Judson. Where a variety of fruits and vegetables were produced.
Family Trip to Mt. Dora , Florida
We believe that when one door closes, another is opened. Our journey of opening this winery started on a family trip to Florida for a wedding. We stopped at a boutique winery that produced wines in a small room in the back of the shop.
David had just lost his job of 15 years and commented that maybe making wine for others is something he could do since he had been making grape and fruit wines for many years for our family.
We came home and got to work.
We Break Ground
Tasting Room Opens
On November 27, 2010, David and Michele, their son Nathan, and daughter-in-law Brittany opened their tasting room.
This followed the culmination of a year and a half of planning, building, and struggling with governmental red tape on every level.
We also added in the processing and fermentation of about eight tons of various varieties of wine grapes which were obtained from some of our friends in Michigan and Indiana.
Let's Grow Some Grapes
While some wineries do not grow their own grapes, as fruit farmers, we knew we had to establish a vineyard. However, (even though we were fruit farmers) we didn’t know how to grow grapes!
We began with 80 Traminette, 50 Marquette, 50 Fontenac Gris, 50 Reisling, and 50 Cabernet Franc grape vines.
First Crop of Grapes Is Harvested
In 2012, we harvested our first crop of grapes. The first vineyard was meant to be a learning vineyard to discover what worked and what didn’t. We immediately learned they needed more vines!
170 More Traminette Vines Are Planted
Winery is Completed
More Vines are Planted
We kept adding to the vineyard. In 2013, 260 Marquette and 140 Frontenac Gris vines were planted.
In 2015, we pulled out the original Traminette vines and replaced them with Vignoles.
In 2016, we planted 400 Petite Pearl vines.
Two hundred Brianna vines were added in 2017.
In 2021, we planted 150 Itasca vines.
In 2022, 270 Crimson Pearl and 190 Verona vines were planted.
Samples are well received at the IN Horticulture Congress
In January, we took samples of the Noriet and Cabernet Franc that we made in Fall 2010 to the IN Horticulture Congress. It was a blind taste and they were both well received.
We also had a few events during the winter that everyone in attendance enjoyed.
All this led up to our Grand Opening on April 30.
The Deck Gets a Roof
Another Deck is Added
We added a 30’x40′ deck that allows for special events and live music during the summer.
The Orchard
While the orchard has diminished in size over the years, we continue to produce around 600 bushels of apples.
The Winery
At Fruit Hills Winery and Orchard, we currently produce around 1,000 cases of wine per year. We grow around 15,000 lbs of grapes per year and purchase any additional grapes that we need.