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Thomas Family Winery

Winery

Madison

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7.5^/10

ratings

23 Photos

Our Wines 1Our Cider 1Music & Fun 1Our Rustic Breads 1Ephemera 3Our Cheeses and Charcuterie 2

Our Wines

Main

We feel that wine is food, and fills its greatest role as a mealtime beverage. We craft our wines in the European tradition of finesse, balance, and structure which particularly enhances the variety of flavors in meals

Gale's Hard Cider

4.5

Old timey apples fermented like an ale - flavors of apples, blossom and spicetangy, strong and dry- drink it like an ale!!!! Named for Gale Thomas! Wonderful with curries, spicy foods

"Partridge Eye" Sangria

Very light blush, fruity, lively spice, perfect over ice, even in Winter!

Niagara 2016

Flowery fragrances of white grapes, peaches, green apples and citrus peel! Rich entry of fruit, sweet flowers, noticable spices in the middle and a long finish of mineral and spice. Outstanding with spicy Asian and grilled foods!

Native American Blush

A blend of Niagara and Concord, intense fresh grape and pink fruit - strawberry cotton candy, peaches and watermelon- enjoy on the porch with fruits and cheeses, glazed poultry and salads

Extra-Aulde Gale's Scrumpy Cider "Liam's Hill"

11.99

Oak-aged 1 year, blend of cider apples, wild fermented like an "aulde scrumpy." Tangy yeast flavors, strong mid tannins, crabapple edges- earthy & oaky, very gentle fizz!

Seyval Blanc 2017

Soft and gentle flavors of ripe tropical fruits- kiwi and melon, with ripe yellow apples and madarin orange; very spicy palate with brugeoning fruit and wondefrul flinty earth aftertaste. Love with fish, grilled chicken, and anything with sauerkraut!

Rio Red 2016

A young wine brimming full of black raspberry, black cherry fruit with lots of chocolate and pepper in the nose; richly flavored entry of bramble fruits, black pepper and lots of cedar, cigar leaf and briar on the finsh! Must haves-grilled pork steaks, baked ziti, big time pizzas and bbq!

Our Cider

Main

My Grandfather Gale Thomas began making "cider" in his youth during prohibition. It was made in barrels, from craggy old cider apples, sold and drunk quickly. This tradition has passed to the third generation of his family. Today, the craggy old cider apples of yesteryear still grow in the Midwest. They are harvested, artfully blended, then ground and pressed. The cider is then put into old barrels, fermented and aged, crafting a strong, dry cider the old Celts would have been proud of. Enjoy a glass of Gale's with the family!

Gale's Hard Cider Pricing

Old timey apples fermented like an ale in old barrels- tangy, strong and dry- drink it like an ale!!!! Wonderful with curries, salsas and spicy foods.

Gale's Hard Cider

Traditionally-made, barrel-conditioned, strong, dry cider

Music & Fun

Music & Activities: Being traditionalists ourselves, what greater pleasure is there than listening to music that comes from people's roots - their culture, heritage and tradition? That's why we enjoy and feature acoustic, unplugged, real music from celtic and bluegrass to mountain and modern folk

June 2019

Sat 1St the Derby City Dandies

When: 8:00 - 11:00 pm. 1930's jazz & jug band madness, old timey swing and barrel house fun! First time at Winery!

Sat 15Th Tom Roznowski

When: 8:00 - 11:00 pm. This Grammy-nominated Bloomington artist delights you with homespun tales & personal stories- with Mike Lucas!

Fri 28Th Main Street Madison Fourth Friday!

The Mellow Soundz 7-9 pm & Pizze Night!

Riverroots Ohio River Valley Folk Festival

When: Fri-Sat 7th - 8th. Music, Storytelling, Folkart & FolkLife Regional Breweries & Wineries Celebrate the River with the whole family! Call 812-265-2956 for details

Sat 22Nd Clocgheann

When: 8:00 - 11:00 pm. Marvelous traditional Celtic folks, mixing ballads with fiddle & whistle tunes, jigs, reels, shanties and little beat poetry!

Sat 29Th Billy & Jimmy

When: 8:00 - 11:00 pm. Legendary guys. Together.

Our Rustic Breads

We love crusty, chewy, aromatic, Old World breads. Our rustic breads are baked in a 17th Century Welsh-style masonry hearth that we built with bricks recovered and repurposed from the 19th century sister building next door to ours. Breads are baked twice a week and we hope you enjoy them!

Main

Baguettes

4.99

Classically made, light crusty exterior, medium textured and lightly yeasty

Panne Rustico

6.99

Traditional Italian country bread, chewy and highly aromatic

Rosemary Olive

6.99

Rustic round loaf, dense, fragrant rosemary and wonderfully ripe olives

Focaccia

5.99

Rustic, chewy Italian flatbread, aromatic with garlic and Asiago cheese; other flavors occasionally available

Country Wholegrain

6.99

Dense loaf with thick, crusty exterior, chewy, highly textured with ancient grains and seeds throughout

Specialty Breads

Li'l Aplines, N'awlins, Lucianne, Ryes, Pumpernickels; Holiday Breads: Raisin-Pecan, Cranberry-Brandy, Welsh Bara Brith and Irish Brown Soda Bread occasionally or by special order

Ephemera

Ephemera, minutiea & details, details! God made Zinfandel to be red, and taste like barbed wire and pepper; humans made it pink and sweet. That pretty much sums it it up!

Visit Us!

You'll find The Thomas Family Winery at 208 E. Second St. in Madison, Indiana — the most beautiful rivertown in America. We're open daily looking forward to meeting you! Our hours are: Monday – Thursday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday – Saturday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday – Noon to 5 p.m. If you get lost, call us at (812) 273-3755 or (800) 948-8466. Call us if you're not lost too! We can explain shipment options, tell you about our events or at the very least say "Hello!"

Things to Know About Us and Your Visit!

Tasting Ends At 5:00 Pm, After That, It's Time to Socialize!

We're Closed New Years Day, Maybe the First Week of January, Easter Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Other Than That, We're Open.

We Like Dogs; It's the Health Department That Doesn't.

"in-House Only" Means We Are Very Low On a Particular Wine, and It Can Only Be Consumed in the Winery. This Is How We Spread the Wealth So Everyone Gets a Taste of It At the End.

Don't Do Anything to Wine That You Wouldn't Do to a Puppy! This Includes Locking It Up in a Car in the Hot Summer Sun.

Please Don't Come to the Tasting Bar Chewing Gum, Drinking Soft Drinks, Eating Ice Cream, Or Anything Else That Temporarily Destroys Your Palate!

We Like Kids; If We Really Like Them, We Keep Them!

Seats Are First-Come, First Sit Down; If You Have Room At Your Table, We Hope You Don't Mind Sharing and Making New Friends!

God Made Zinfandel to Be Red, and Taste Like Barbed Wire and Pepper; Humans Made It Pink and Sweet. That Pretty Much Sums It It Up!

History

Built approximately in the mid-1850's and known as the Garlinghouse Livery Stable and Blacksmith Shop, the 3-story building was constructed in one of the oldest sections of Madison known as "Old Town†- a place where some of the earlier settlers lived prior to 1815.

The Owner, George B. Garlinghouse, Was a Patentee of Farm Equipment Including a Mowing Machine, Hay, Rake and Loader, a Stump Puller, Road Scraper, Grader and Ditcher and Notably the

This Building Continued to House Transportation Businesses Long After Horses Were Gone

Operating from its walls were automobile garages, bus stations, boat dealerships- until Steve and Elizabeth Thomas purchased it, and started The Thomas Family Winery in 1995.

The Winemaking Heritage Reaches Back to the 1930'S, When Gale Thomas Made Hard Cider.

Steve worked at his father's winery in Indianapolis for 11 years before he and Elizabeth chose Madison to start their own business and raise their family.

Themes Have Turned From Transportation to Socialization At 208 East Second Street These Days.

Walking into the Thomas Family Winery is like entering a cheerful Old World public house, where friends, visitors and neighbors come to relax. The tasting room offers hearth-baked breads, fine cheeses and salamis to compliment the wines and ciders. The Winery is open 7 days a week, except for major holidays.

Pitman Coupling Used in the Champion Mowing and Reaping Machines.

Steve, a Third Generation Winemaker, Has Heritage From Central and Southeastern Indiana.

He and his wife, Elizabeth, a tourism professional with a background in the Arts, teamed up to reha - bilitate this historic structure and turn it into an old world winery and gathering place.

Specializing in Traditional European-Style Wines, the Thomases Draw On Time-Honored Approaches to Their Wines.

This also includes being at the forefront of the renaissance of a great American product- Gale's Hard Cider, named for Gale Thomas, Steve's grandfather.

Our Cheeses and Charcuterie

We select our imported and local cheeses and charcuterie to compliment our wines, ciders and fresh baked breads. The following is a quick glance at some of the types of cheeses and charcuterie that we classically carry. Come see us for the current full menu!

Cheeses

Abergele with Portabellas and Chive

1.1

A full, fat and buttery cheese with meaty portabellas and chive

Brie

1.1

60+ double crème. Soft-ripened, buttery and rich.

Double Gloucester

1.1

A wonderfully sharp English cheese. Well textured and delicious!

Emmenthaler

A softer, mellow, young Swiss. A great sncker!

Irish Cheddar

1.1

A rich, earthy, buttery and sharp cheddar. Aged 12 months.

Saxonshires

1.1

A passionate layering of five British cheeses. Includes: Leicester, Double Gloucester, Derby, Cheddar and Cheshire.

Tomato Basil Cheddar

1.1

A young cheddar with sun-dried tomatoes and basil.

Stilton

1.35

"The King of the Blues" Rich, wonderful, aged blue cheese!

Caerphilly

1.1

A rich Welsh cheese. Sharp with a creamy texture, edgy and perfect with Gales Hard Cider!

Dubliner

1.1

A sharp, drier textured Irish cheese. A cross between cheddar and gruyere.

Goat Cheese

1.25

Delicious, creamy, young goat cheese.

Red Dragon

1.1

A rich Welsh cheddar blooded with ale and mustard seed. Creamy and delicious!

Tellegio

1.1

Aromatic, soft-ripened cheese from the Italian Alps. Buttery, soft, pungent and wonderful!

Wensleydale

1.1

A rich, creamy cheese with delightfully sweet and tart cranberries.

Charctuerie

Bresaola

1.5

Spicy, cured beef shoulder. Rich and buttery!

Genoa Salame

0.95

Large Italian salame with white wine and peppercorn.

Prociutto Americano

7.99

Rich, cured and thinly sliced, less salty.

Smoked Salmon

Silky, smooth, lovely smoke.

Cappocola Ham

0.95

Cured, spiced pork shoulder. Zesty!

Pepperoni

0.95

Authentic pepperoni. Dry, red pepper, very cured.

Smoked Duck Breast

1.5

Incredibly rich, silky, smooth and smoky.

Sopressa Salame

0.95

Large Italian salame with red and black pepper and garlic.

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