WHITE OWL WINERY ­ PURGATORY CELLARS

From A Wine Kit To A Winery

It's amazing where your hobby can take you.  Take White
Owl Winery, for example. The idea of White Owl actually began from a home winemaking kit.

It was in the early nineties when Brian Neighbors gave his father, Ken, a boxed wine kit as a gift. After making kit wine for a few months, they decided to try their hand at fruit wine. One thing led to another and by 1999 the father and son
team had received over 50 international awards as private wine-makers.

Brian and Joy Neighbors and Brian's parents, Ken and Pat, opened White Owl Winery in November 2000. In 2006,
Ken retired from the winery. Brian and Joy are now the
driving forces behind White Owl Winery and Purgatory Cellars, their new high-end wine line.

White Owl's forte' has always been fruit wines such as
Cherry Pie, Spiced Pear, Elderberry, Paw Paw and Persimmon. This is the only Paw Paw wine commercially produced in the world! Wines are also produced from traditional grapes like Merlot, Chardonnay, Vidal,
Traminette, Concord (Sweet Liberty) and Seyval. Blends
such as Snowy White, Chard-n-Apricot, Purgatory Red
and Raul's Ripple have been great sellers. The ever-popular "Sparkling" wines, including Holiday Sparkle, Strawberry Sparkle, Pink Grapefruit Spumante' and Spec's Spumante'
are always holiday favorites.
Purgatory Cellars offers one-of-a-kind Dessert wines-
Old Blue Port and Persimmon Solera (formerly Grand Persimmon Sherry), winner of the 2007 Illinois Governor's Cup for Best Dessert Wine in the state and Best of Class winner in the dessert wine category this year.

From 2001 to 2008, White Owl Winery/Purgatory Cellars received almost 200 national and international awards for
their outstanding wines.  Seven wines have received the coveted wine rating numbers.  These include PINK GRAPEFRUIT SPUMANTE and PERSIMMON
SOLERA has received 90 points each, designating them
as exceptional wines. PAW PAW has an 87 point rating of"³Highly Recommended." SPICED PEAR has 86
POINTS and "Highly Recommended" designation. OLD BLUE PORT has 85 points and CHERRY PIE has a rating
of 82 points. WATERMELON received a rating of 80
points. Pink Grapefruit and Watermelon were rated this
year. The others were rated in 2007, all by Beverage
Tasting Institute in Chicago.

White Owl Winery is located one mile from the Wabash
River, on the Illinois side, in the former Purgatory Swamp region.  Nestled in a picturesque 50 year-old wooded area, visitors can escape from the day-to-day hustle and enjoy
the peace and quiet of the country. It is a common
occurrence to see wildlife from the winery's front porch. 
But it's not always quiet here.

White Owl Winery is known for special events. W.O.W. Murder Mystery Dinners and W.O.W. Comedy Improv Dinners are performed by V.A.M.P Shows and held throughout the year. Reservations are required for these
one-of-a-kind shows. Private Murder Mystery and
Comedy Improv evenings and Holiday parties may be scheduled at the winery. Dinner is an option with these
shows, but wine sampling and winery tours are always included.

White Owl Winery has been the home of Second Sunday Celtic Music for seven years. The music begins at 2:00
and continues until 5 p.m. (all Central Times,) the second Sunday of each month. Plan to spend the afternoon
enjoying live Irish music in a gorgeous country setting or in
their comfortable tasting room. Wine tastings are available
and wine is for sale by the bottle or glass. This event is free!

White Owl wines are available at the winery and at various retail locations throughout Indiana and Illinois. Check our
map for a location near you.

With all of the successes of W.O.W.'s first eight years, it's
easy to see why White Owl Winery is the home of
"Quality Wines, Great Times!"