FOOD & DRINK

5 cool finds at Foyt Wine Vault in Speedway

The Foyt family has a long list of accolades, mostly in racing. But now they can add an award-winning wine and a cool Speedway wine bar to their inventory of accomplishments.

Larry and A.J. Foyt IV, son and grandson of racing legend A.J. Foyt Jr. run Foyt Wine Vault at 1182 Main St. Doors opened May 21, 2015.

AJ Foyt IV and Larry Foyt pose in their Foyt Wine Vault in Speedway.

The 3,000-square-foot former bank is attached to the A.J. Foyt Racing offices. The area was transformed into a tasting room and mini-museum for all things Foyt, namely A.J. Foyt Jr.

The bar features Foyt Family Wines, a collection created by Larry and Foyt IV in 2008 and produced in Sonoma, Calif. by winemaker Tom Meadowcroft. It will also serve local craft beers, a couple domestic beers and appetizers.

Prices for wine range from $6 to $9 per glass, or $30 to $100 for a bottle.

Here are five more things you can find at the Foyt Wine Vault:

1. A real bank vault

Hence the name. Because the space held a bank, the money vault is still there. Foyt IV told me they are still deciding what to do with it, but until then it serves as storage for Foyt Family Wines merchandise — wooden wine boxes, wine glasses and coasters.

2. Labels with a story

Each wine is named with a number significant to a milestone in A.J. Foyt's racing career. The back label tells the story.

Read the back of the bottle. Each wine is named after a milestone in A.J. Foyt's racing career. No. 61, a Pinor Noir, marks the year of his first win at the Indy 500. No. 77 celebrates the year that A.J. become the first driver to win the Indy 500 four times. This Cabernet Sauvignon won double gold medals in the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. They've always taken pride in making good wines, Foyt IV said, and not depending on the family name.

3. Small bites made for pairing

Meats from the Smoking Goose, cheeses from Tulip Tree Creamery, and chocolate from the Best Chocolate in Town don the menu. These local treats go well with wine. Foyt IV hopes the atmosphere is "laid-back," not "snooty," so the servers are happy to help with pairings. But, if you want to talk grape varietals, Foyt IV says they are prepared for that, too.

4. The No. 14 race car

The No. 14 that A.J. Foyt last drove at the Speedway is on display in the tasting room at Foyt Wine Vault in Speedway.

There it sits, the last car Foyt Jr. drove at the Speedway in 1992, before he really, really retired in 1993. That epic Indy 500 was the final race for other greats including Rick Mears, Tom Sneva and Gordon Johncock. Foyt finished ninth. Not bad for a 57-year-old.

5. A photo timeline

Larry Foyt replaces some of the Foyt Family Wines on a display that show the family history at the Foyt Wine Vault.

Follow the famous racing family, from the time Foyt Jr. first sat in a race car at age four to becoming a team owner, and more.

Foyt Wine Vault will be closed Monday through Wednesday for private parties, but open to the public Thursday to Sunday.

Follow Amy Haneline onTwitter,Facebook andInstagram. Call her at (317) 444-6281.