Foundation of a Nebraska Wine
In the spring of 2003, we planted the first vines on our property located southeast of Lincoln, Nebraska, in Otoe County, near the township of Palmyra. The vines took root in our terrior, known as glacial till and have been growing strong ever since. Glacial till is a fertile, rocky soil that was deposited thousands of years ago when the glaciers that covered North America receded. Terrior not only describes the soil, it is also reflected in the orientation of the land, micro climate, viticulture practices and wine making process.
Our vineyard and winery, Glacial Till Vineyard & Winery, takes its name from our soil. Additionally, our terrior can further be defined as a north sloping hillside, providing a cooling effect on the grapes during the hot dry summer; and both water and cold air draining to creeks and ponds located nearby at lower elevations. All of these factors add up to what we call the terrior of Glacial Till Vineyard & Winery, as well as our mission, “crafting unique and quality wines from the ground up.”
Crafting Beautiful Wine
In our efforts to craft unique and quality wines, we have selected French American grapes for our estate. Initially, we planted six varieties, three red grapes and three white grapes, all trellised on an acre of land. Through the years, we’ve added more vines and more varieties. Currently, our vineyard grows nine different grape varieties on six acres of land.
The red grape varieties on our estate include: Frontenac, Chambourcin, St. Vincent and Marquette. The white grape varieties include: Vignole, Seyval Blanc, Lacrosse, Traminette and Edelweiss. As we expand our production, we will look to quality growers in close proximity to Glacial Till Vineyard & Winery sharing the same passion for quality fruit production. Put quite simply, when crafting quality wines from the ground up, you cannot make good wine from bad grapes.
Share Our Passion
When we planted the first acre of grapes, we were looking for a hobby that would provide fruit for amateur winemaking. Mike Murman, the owner of Glacial Till Vineyard & Winery, has always had an interest in winemaking and has been making small batches of wine in his basement for the last thirty years. With an interest to improve the quality of wine he could make, he turned to growing his own fruit. In subsequent years, Mike’s belief in quality grapes, coupled with his skill in winemaking, has resulted in several silver, gold and best-of-show amateur winemaking awards. The evolution of the vineyard and winery has been a direct reflection of the hard work of Mike’s three sons; John, Tim and Craig have put in over the years prepping the soil, planting, pruning, trellising, mowing, caring for the vines and helping with the winemaking process.
What started as a hobby, quickly turned into a passion when a record harvest in 2006 produced more wine than one family could drink. With a surplus of wine, we decided to share our love for crafting quality wines with others. In 2007, we constructed a building for Glacial Till Vineyard & Winery operations. In 2008, GTV became a bonded winery and was open to the public in the summer of 2009. We would love for you to visit us, check out the terrior and taste quality Nebraska wines crafted by Glacial Till Vineyard & Winery.