Michael Tisma and Deanne Sasser first spotted the farmhouse at the intersection of County Roads 600 North and 300 East in Washington Township when they were looking for a place big enough for their blended family in Porter County.
That was around 10 years ago, and the five children the couple had between them didn’t want to live on a farm, so they bought another house in Valparaiso.
But Sasser kept the property in the back of her mind for fulfilling her longtime dream of opening a winery, though she and Tisma thought the asking price was too high.
The price dropped, the couple offered everything they had, and suddenly, Sasser had her farmhouse in October 2010, the former site of Keel’s farm stand.
“We were shocked,” she said on a recent afternoon, as she and Tisma sat at a round glass table in one of the home’s many rooms.
The 1870s house, which sits on almost 11 acres, was in bad shape. Working in their free time – Tisma owns a small business in Valparaiso and Sasser is an attorney – the two restored the home’s wood floors and painted them in spots with grape vines and replastered the walls, among other restorations.
In about a year, Tisma and Sasser expect the house, with its warm tones and exposed woodwork, to become a tasting room for Four Corners Winery.
They tore down an old pole barn on the property and put up a new one for production and while they have some grapevines, they expect to bring in juice to make their wines. They hope to restore an old barn to one day host weddings, which they plan to do in a tent in the meantime once they open, and have an area in mind for outdoor tastings.
For now, they are in the process of taking care of the federal and state licensing they will need for the winery, part of a learning curve that’s also included learning about agriculture from Purdue University and reaching out to other wineries in the area for tips.
“We make wine at home all the time as we’re experimenting with what we want,” Sasser said.
Four Corners is the latest in a growing number of wineries to take shape in Porter County, which is host to four wineries, with a fifth opening expected later this month.
“There’s obviously a market to support this growing number of wineries. Just a few years ago, we had one or two. Now we have five,” said Ken Kosky, promotions director for Indiana Dunes Tourism. “You used to have to go to Michigan (for a wine trail). Now people can do it here.”
He expects the wineries, which he said don’t see one another as competition but want to work together to create a wine trail, to attract both locals and visitors to the area who are planning trips and will come here instead of going elsewhere.
“People are looking for something unique, something local, something you can’t get anywhere else,” he said, adding each of the county’s wineries is unique and has its own story. “I think we’re in an experience economy, where people are not just looking for a product.”
Nicole Caylor of Chesterton and her cousin, Walter Novosel, who lives in Pennsylvania, opened Running Vines Winery in Chesterton almost a year ago and will open their next venture together, the cidery Aftermath, in Valparaiso later this month.
The two tossed around the idea of opening a winery together for years and, with the support of their spouses, went forward.
“We’ve had so much fun doing this, and the Duneland community has been very supportive,” Caylor said, adding she’s happy to be part of the county’s growing wine trail. “Local traffic keeps our lights on.”
Wineries have a high success rate, she said, and baby boomers are passing their love of wine on to younger generations.
That, combined with a growing movement for buying locally produced goods where consumers feel a connection with a vendor, is pushing the increase in local wineries, Caylor said, where people have the opportunity to find out how the wine is made and taste it before they buy it.
“I think all around people are getting into that local vibe,” she said. “They know what they’re getting when they open that bottle of wine. It’s that personal experience.”
Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Porter County wineries
Aftermath, 454 S. Greenwich St., Valparaiso; 219-390-9463, aftermathcidery.com; opening April 27.
Anderson’s Vineyard and Winery, 430 E. U.S. 6, Valparaiso; 219-464-4936, andersonwinery.com.
Butler Winery, 401 Broadway, Chesterton; 219-929-1400, butlerwinery.com.
Misbeehavin’ Meads, 65 Franklin St., Valparaiso; misbeehavin.com.
Running Vines Winery, 119 S. Calumet Road, Chesterton; 219-390-9463, runningvines.com.
Source: Indiana Dunes Tourism
