Indiana Hybrid Grapes Meet Bordeaux Imports
Southwest Fort Wayne · Fort Wayne · Winery with American Grill / Bistro Fare · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · June 26, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Vinland Reserve Winery’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
Walking into Vinland Reserve, you expect a predictable Midwestern winery pouring sweet Concord and calling it a day. Instead, the list surprises you — barrel-aged Catawba, a Cognac-finished Traminette, and a Crémant de Bordeaux sharing space with Indiana estate reds. It's a lot more interesting than the strip-mall address would suggest.
The estate side leans into Indiana's hybrid grape identity with Brianna, Catawba, Niagara, and Traminette — not just as novelties, but with real winemaking ambition behind them, especially the barrel-aged expressions. The Scotch Cab and Cognac Traminette show someone here is actually having fun with the program. On the import side, Château Sainte Marie's Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc and Crémant de Bordeaux give guests a legitimate old-world escape without jacking the price. The list is compact — maybe 20 bottles — but the gap between 'Indiana fruit wine' and 'French sparkling' is a fun one to navigate.
Glass pours run $8–$14, which for Fort Wayne feels almost suspiciously reasonable, especially on Wine Wednesday when everything is half off. We don't have a confirmed BTG count, but the range appears to span estate whites, reds, fruit wines, and at least a couple of imports. If they're pouring the Crémant de Bordeaux by the glass, that alone is worth the trip.
Sauvignon Blanc, Château Sainte Marie (2023) — $14
A legitimate Bordeaux Blanc from a respected producer at a price you'd normally see on a grocery store shelf. At a winery in Fort Wayne, this is punching well above its weight class.
Cognac Traminette
Most guests walk past this for the Chardonnay or a safe Cab, but the Cognac barrel finish on an Indiana Traminette is a genuinely unusual pour — aromatic, slightly exotic, and unlike anything you'd find on a standard restaurant list.
Peach (fruit wine)
Not bad for what it is, but if you're here to drink wine, this is dessert in a glass. It reads more like a novelty item than something worth the slot on the list — especially when you could be drinking the Château Sainte Marie Crémant instead.
Reserve Cabernet Franc + Tenderloin Sandwich
Cab Franc's natural herbal edge and lighter tannin structure don't bulldoze the beef — they frame it. The tenderloin's richness needs a wine with some backbone but not the weight of a full Cab, and the estate Franc hits that balance cleanly.
Wednesday — Wine Wednesday: 50% off all glasses of wine. Thursday happy hour also offers $5 glasses and 25% off decanters and bottles.
The Bottom Line
Vinland Reserve is the rare Indiana winery that earns a second look — barrel-aged hybrids, honest Bordeaux imports, and some of the most approachable pricing in the region. Wine Wednesday alone makes this worth adding to the rotation.
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