French Lick Winery

I went to French Lick Winery with a group of girlfriends for a free wine tasting and dinner. The wine tasting was so much fun. We had a 45 minute wait on a Friday night, which was a perfect amount of time to use the restroom and do the wine tasting.

For dinner, we started with the garlic bread.  I don't know how they do this. It's like they bake a loaf of bread just for you. It comes out piping hot with the delicious olive oil dip.

For entrees, I was not impressed with the selection. It's pretty much just pizza or pasta. I wasn't really in the mood for either one, but I decided on the lobster ravioli with alfredo sauce. It was pretty bland. The ravioli didn't have any flavor and I'm pretty sure the alfredo sauce was a out of a can.  

I had the wine cake for dessert and it was just okay. I probably wouldn't get it again.

Overall, come here to eat bread and drink wine.  The bread and wine do not disappoint.

Wine tastings are free!  BUT free wine tastes are stingy!  I like wine just fine but I am pretty clueless about it.  I don't drink it often and when I do I typically just buy a cheap bottle of white wine.  Yikes.  I do know that if I am going to sample some wine and potentially purchase a bottle or three that I would like enough of a sample to actually coat my mouth in flavor.  You don't get much liquid in the way of samples here so don't get excited.  They do, however, encourage you to try as many of them as you would like and they do have quite a few varieties.  I liked and purchased the Rhubarb, Blackberry, and their number one seller the French Lick Red.  I did have to try two samples each of the three I bought though...

Gift shop has a lot of wine accessories, a few snacks, clothing, and coffee/tea gifts.  You can buy bottles of any of their wines, either room temp or chilled.  They talk up their observation windows, which are located toward the back corner of the winery.  Sadly, on a Friday afternoon there was nothing happening behind these windows, it was completely dark in there.  Sadly, I did not see anything about winery tours.  They also have a "Vintage Cafe," that serves salads, pizza, and pasta.  I came on a bus trip with a few other people and several of them raved about how delicious the food was.  It smelled like an Italian dream, that much I know.  They have tables for dining/enjoying a glass of wine indoors as well as a few chairs and tables outside.  Staff was not overly friendly but knowledgeable nonetheless.

In the small town of French Lick, the dining options can mostly be placed into three categories:  wing joints, hotel restaurants, and the local watering holes frequented by town folk (in this case, American Legion Post #76.)

In a last minute act of desperation, I opened my Yelp! app to check out recently reviewed eateries when I noticed the yet-to-be reviewed Vintage Cafe nestled inside the French Lick Winery.  It serves Italian style food such as pasta and pizza, offers free wine tastings, and homemade fudge ranging in flavors from blueberry cheesecake to butter pecan.

Seating is open so we grab a table under the mock-gazebo adorned with faux-ivy. The menu (also available on their website) is to-the-point offering traditional pasta dishes, appetizers, and pizzas.

Most of the pastas are available with either marinara or Alfredo sauce and it's worth mentioning that both are made fresh to order.  I had the lobster ravioli with Alfredo and the homemade squares were packed with flavor.  The sauce was creamy and rich while the filling was comprised almost entirely of shredded lobster meat as opposed to any type of "fillers."

I was also able to try bites of the baked ziti, spaghetti and meatballs with marinara, and chicken Alfredo.  All deserve a nod and the marinara had a nice garlic taste to it.

Service was turtle-slow but we used the time to sample wines at the counter while we waited in between courses.  The whole experience was pleasant and the food is not to be underestimated.  

I would recommend the Vintage Cafe at the French Lick Winery to anyone who happens upon this revived town.  It's unlike anything else in the area and makes for a nice evening out for those looking to venture away from the hotels and casino.