Images provided by Pilgrimage Wine Company, Sarah Fields

CAMBRIDGE CITY, Ind. –  What started as a lineup of Saturday performers at Pilgrimage Wine Company has grown into a record celebrating local music.

Scott Eckart, co-owner of the Cambridge City winery, recently produced Treaty Line Records Sampler Vol. I, a vinyl compilation featuring eight regional artists. The musicians come together on Aug. 8 for the inaugural Treaty Line Music Festival, an event Eckart hopes will give them greater exposure and connect them with music industry professionals.

Treaty Line Records is an extension of the atmosphere Eckart and his wife, Emma, have built at Pilgrimage Wine Company, a winery and vineyard located on Scott’s family’s third-generation farm in Cambridge City.

“Pilgrimage Wine Company is a winery, a vineyard, tasting room here in Cambridge City, Indiana,” Eckart said.

The couple opened Pilgrimage to create Indiana-grown wines inspired by the European wine culture they experienced while stationed in Italy as Navy pilots.

“I was stationed in Italy and when you’re in Italy on your off days you usually will develop a taste for the wine and wine culture and just an easier pace of life,” Eckart said.

Eckart and Emma focus on producing wine grapes grown at the vineyard, following a more traditional approach to winemaking. The vineyard has been in development for nearly a decade, with the winery opening to the public in 2024. In its second year, the winery received recognition when its Traminette was named the state grape wine of the year at the Indiana State Fair.

“We are more modeled after the European style of wine because that’s what we drink,” he said.

While wine remains the foundation of Pilgrimage, live music has become an important part of the experience. Eckart, who has played guitar for 40 years, began hosting original musicians at the winery and eventually decided to record some of the artists he met.

“These were people that just came in and played, and I was like, man, really impressed,” Eckart said.

That interest eventually led Eckart to begin recording musicians at the winery and creating Treaty Line Records. Rather than charging artists, he views the project as a way to support musicians and help them take the next step in their careers.

The first compilation includes Eckart, The Mortonians, AJ Wetzel, Paul Anguiano, Two Jasons, Chad Wonsik, Rachel Appleby, and Jansen Duncan. Eckart said the project came together quickly, with the first recordings beginning in March and the vinyl expected to arrive about six months later.

“I truly hope that next year this time or sooner, or later, we’ll have eight other artists. There's plenty of really talented singers songwriters, not just in Richmond but Muncie, Cincinnati, Dayton through Greenfield.”

The Treaty Line Music Festival will give the artists featured on the record an opportunity to perform their songs in front of a larger audience. Eckart said he also reached out to music industry professionals, including representatives from venues, recording studios and labels, in hopes the festival creates new opportunities for the artists.

The festival will include 30-minute performances by each artist. The day will also include vendors, food, activities and a celebration of Pilgrimage’s second anniversary.

As Pilgrimage continues to grow, Eckert said he hopes the winery and music projects can continue developing together.

"I think I want people to maybe recognize the Pilgrimage brand and the experience that we're trying to create out there is something special and unique not just in eastern Indiana but probably in the entire region,” Eckart said.