Tonne Winery

Brothers-in-law Larry Simmons and Kevin Tonne (rhymes with “sunny”) combined their respective talents in horticulture and food science to open Tonne Winery in 2009. Five years later, the wine-making duo won Winery of the Year at the Indy International Wine Competition.

“Kevin and I make all the wine right here,” Larry says. “Fruit wines can take anywhere from two to three months, whereas grape wines usually take us anywhere from four to five months to a year and a half on some of the dry reds.”

The idea to open Tonne Winery bloomed naturally, with Larry growing up on a farm and helping his family operate greenhouses and garden centers throughout Muncie, and Kevin graduating from Purdue University with a degree in food science. 

After the family purchased a greenhouse with eight acres, north of Muncie in the small community of Royerton, Larry thought it would be neat to sell wine made by his cousin at Simmons Winery, near Columbus — on the very same farm where he grew up.

“My cousin said, ‘You know how to make wine, why don’t you start one yourself?’” Larry says. So, that’s exactly what Larry and Kevin did.

Selling most of its wines through the Tonne Winery tasting room, the northern Delaware County winery’s rural setting offers a nice, relaxing atmosphere for customers to gather, and enjoy live music on weekends. 

The winery’s Concord grape-based wine, called Royerton Red, consistently remains its best seller. For Black Friday this year, Tonne Winery plans to offer specialty wines, Rudolph Red and Snow Angel.

“We’re very thankful we’ve been successful,” Larry says. “We’ve had a great time doing this. We’ve enjoyed the fruits, the labor, meeting new customers. It’s just been great fun.”