A Hometown Partnership: Oliver Winery Is Now a Proud Sponsor of IU Athletics

BLOOMINGTON, Ind., September 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Oliver Winery today announced a new three-year partnership as a Proud Sponsor of IU Athletics, formalizing a connection to Indiana University and the Hoosiers that dates back to the winery’s beginning.

Oliver Winery was founded in Bloomington in 1972 by Indiana University law professor William Oliver. More than 50 years later, Oliver has grown from a small hometown winery into one of the largest wineries in the United States, with its wines now available in 43 states and counting. Through it all, Bloomington has remained home.

That IU connection continued into the next generation. William’s son, Bill Oliver, met his wife, Kathleen, while they were MBA classmates at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. Together, Bill and Kathleen led the winery through decades of significant growth, helping transform Oliver from a small local operation into a nationally distributed brand.

The partnership launches on the heels of defending national champion Indiana Football’s season-opening victory over North Texas at Memorial Stadium.

“Oliver’s connection to Indiana University goes back to our beginning,” said Patrick Brown, Chief Executive Officer of Oliver Winery. “William Oliver was an IU law professor when he founded the winery, and supporting the Hoosiers has long been part of who we are. This partnership makes official something our team and our community have felt for years. We are proud to be from Bloomington, proud to support IU Athletics and excited to celebrate alongside Hoosier fans.”

Fans will first see the partnership come to life on Saturday, September 12, when Oliver Winery serves as the featured game sponsor for Indiana Football’s matchup against Howard University. The sponsorship will include an on-field game ball presentation and prominent recognition throughout the game.

Beyond Memorial Stadium, the game day spirit will continue at Oliver Winery’s Bloomington tasting room during IU home game weekends with themed Friday happy hours, trivia and limited-time Tailgate Tastings pairing five Oliver wines with five game day favorites. Event details and reservations are available at oliverwinery.com/visit/events

Oliver will also serve as presenting sponsor of the Oliver Postgame Show on the Indiana Sports Radio Network. The show will reach fans across more than 35 statewide affiliates, IUHoosiers.com, the Learfield Varsity Network app and SiriusXM, alongside legendary Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer, a 28-time Indiana Sportscaster of the Year.

The year-round partnership will extend across IU Football and include men’s and women’s basketball through in-venue visibility, radio, digital content and fan experiences. Additional events and activations for the upcoming football and basketball seasons will be announced soon.

The announcement also comes as Oliver expands its portfolio into new, occasion-ready formats. Blood Orange Spritz and Italian Lemon Spritz will arrive nationwide in new four-pack cans at select retailers this fall, giving fans another way to bring Oliver to tailgates, watch parties, and gatherings throughout the season.

“Oliver Winery is woven into the fabric of Bloomington and the history of Indiana University. Formalizing this relationship as a Proud Sponsor of IU Athletics celebrates a shared local legacy of excellence, community, and tradition,” said IU Vice President and Director of Athletics Scott Dolson. “We are thrilled to partner with a world-class hometown brand as we kick off another exciting year of Hoosier sports.”

The sponsorship agreement was secured by IU Sports Properties, the locally based Learfield team and exclusive multimedia rights holder for Indiana University Athletics.

About Oliver Winery

Founded in 1972, Oliver Winery has evolved into one of America’s largest wineries, with national distribution across 43 states. The company specializes in fruit and flavor-forward wines designed to welcome new consumers into the wine category. The winery welcomes more than 150,000 visitors annually and was recently ranked the No. 2 Best Tasting Room Experience in America by Newsweek.
https://www.oliverwinery.com/

About Learfield

Learfield is the leading media and technology company powering college athletics. Through its digital and physical platforms, Learfield owns and leverages a deep data set and relationships in the industry to drive revenue, growth, brand awareness, and fan engagement for brands, sports, and entertainment properties. With ties to over 1,200 collegiate institutions and over 12,000 local and national brand partners, Learfield’s presence in college sports and live events delivers influence and maximizes reach to target audiences. With solutions for a 365-day, 24/7 fan experience, Learfield enables schools and brands to connect with fans through licensed merchandise, game ticketing, donor identification for athletic programs, exclusive custom content, innovative marketing initiatives, NIL solutions, and advanced digital platforms. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed Learfield Directors’ Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.
https://www.learfield.com/

About Indiana University Athletics

Indiana University Athletics fields nationally competitive programs in front of one of the most engaged fan bases in college sports, with more than 3.3 million social media followers and more than 40 million nationally televised home-game viewers across its 2025-26 athletics season. Indiana Men’s Basketball leads the Big Ten in home attendance, and the Hoosier Football program enters 2026 following a historic 2025 season that included a Big Ten Championship, a Rose Bowl victory and the program’s first national championship.
https://iuhoosiers.com/