Turtle Run Winery

Tucked away down winding roads in Corydon, IN, Turtle Run Winery is a hidden gem that, if you blink, you will miss the attraction signs on the highway. The oldest vineyards in Harrison County reach across the landscape before you arrive at the location.

The colorful hanging sign reading “Turtle Run Winery: Open” greets guests are they turn onto the gravel driveway. The signs with turtles and arrows guide you to the concrete pathway leading to the building that, from the outside, looks like an ordinary house. The concrete turtles embedded into the walkway remind you that you are about to enter the tasting room.

The small tasting room lets guests see into the production room from the front door. Barrels lay stacked in the back, while bottles of their products line the racks out front. They have a small gift shop as well, offering items ranging from T-shirts to sand buckets, all bearing the Turtle Run logo.

Owner Jim Pfeiffer is a hospitable person, making sure everyone who comes to call is comfortable. He is passionate about wine, and has been since studying wine making and grape growing while he was in college at Miami University.

“That was what got me hooked, the science of it. The art of it,” he said. “Creativity and freedom of expression. Being able to create something.”

Pfeiffer and his wife, Laura, not only own the winery but also make the wine themselves. Pfeiffer said that their winery follows the European guidelines in winemaking, which happens to set them apart from other wineries in the area. Not being the same as any other Southern Indiana winery makes Pfeiffer proud.

“I’m not a ‘me too’ person,” he said. “I’m an individual. I forge ahead.”

While Pfeiffer said that there will always be common areas when it comes to making wine and competing with other wineries, there are multiple assets, in addition to their guidelines, that set this hidden winery apart from others in the Southern Indiana area.

The lack of sugar in their products, for example, sets them apart by making them chemically different from wines that do use sugar.

After studying fermentation, Pfeiffer decided that his products would contain no sugars. His research is even included in the 2013 Tim Hanni book, “Why You Like the Wines You Like: Changing the Way the World Thinks about Wine”, of which Pfeiffer has a copy displayed in the tasting room.

“When sugar is added into a beverage, such as wine, it breaks into one part glucose and one part fructose. Our number one problem is that we consume too much sugar,” he said. “From a health standpoint, I can’t morally add sugar to our wines. There is a distinct marketing advantage that we have because of that.”

Turtle Run was the first winery in the Southern Indiana area to offer outdoor concerts, which is another feature that sets them apart,

“It was our desire to bring in big bands and play music on Sunday afternoons when it’s warm outside.”

Along with concerts in the warmer seasons, Turtle Run also hosts events during the rest of the year, like a wine appreciation class and a chocolate lover’s weekend.

The tours offered at Turtle Run are, in themselves, a unique experience, as they are not rehearsed or planned. In fact, Pfeiffer said that the tours are always customized to each customer request, and that no tour is ever the same. By asking their consumers questions when they arrive in the tasting room, he is able to build impromptu tours fitted to each group.

“I have no idea what we’re going to talk about [on tours],” he said. “That makes it fun, because then I’m not boring [people]. I usually customize them to what the consumer wants. Sometimes I’ll do history tours, you just never know. That keeps them [tours] lively.”

As for where Turtle Run is headed in the future, Pfeiffer said that they are always trying to grow the business. They currently distribute to businesses throughout Indiana, and have been in talks with places as far away as Ontario, Canada.

“You’re either, in life, growing or, at least, trying to not stay the same. If you stay the same, you’re going down, that’s an absolute truism. Anyone who is trying to maintain status quo is shrinking. Anyone who is trying to grow may be growing or staying the same.”

Turtle Run Winery is open daily from noon to 6 p.m. and is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.