Meet the Team!
Our Story
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.
Why "Glacial Till"?
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.
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.”
Wine Crafting
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.
Starting Cider
In 2016, an untimely frost devastated Glacial Till Vineyard, wiping out nearly the entire grape harvest and marking the worst season in our history. Faced with the challenge of a lost vintage, co-founder Craig had a bold idea: hard cider. To offset the loss, we began importing apple juice from Kimmel Orchards, blending our wine-making expertise with Nebraska-grown fruit to create a cider that would reflect the same care and craftsmanship as our wines.
Because our cider is fruit-based, it’s legally classified as a wine—giving us the unique ability to distribute and sell in ways most ciders can’t. It was a natural extension of our commitment to innovation and quality.
But our journey into cider didn’t begin in isolation. Back in 2011, we launched Fermented Fridays, casual gatherings "in the vines" that quickly became a local favorite. What started as an evening of wine and live music grew into a beloved tradition - complete with visiting distributors bringing in craft beers and now, our own line of cider.
With the Tasting Room already welcoming guests since 2010, the introduction of cider brought a new energy and flavor to Glacial Till - proof that even in the hardest seasons, new growth is always possible.