| Much like the surrounding states of Missouri, Iowa, | | | | ponds and the surrounding countryside. Make sure to |
| and Indiana, Illinois offers several appealing | | | | visit the gift shop here, as there are all sorts of one |
| destinations to wine travel lovers. You'll find clusters | | | | of a kind gifts for those on your list! |
| of wineries in every part of the state, including | | | | We visited on a beautiful fall day, so we decided to |
| metropolitan Chicago. Grapes grow well here, and | | | | buy a glass of wine each and enjoy the deck. The |
| Illinois vintners display their creativity by making a | | | | two Star View wines we tried were Silver Star, a |
| tempting array of wines that are attracting national | | | | white, and Norton, a red. |
| press. | | | | Silver Star is an easy sipper, slightly sweet. It's a |
| Our destination for this trip, the Shawnee Hills Region, | | | | blend of white grapes, with Niagara in the forefront. |
| is an official American Viticultural Area, established in | | | | We were intrigued by the Norton, a style common |
| late 2006. It's the first AVA in Illinois. In essence, | | | | to nearby Missouri wineries. We found Star View's |
| designation as an AVA tells the general public the | | | | Norton exceptional, bursting with dark fruit flavors |
| grapes, and wines, are unique and special. Further, | | | | and complex on the palate. What a perfect happy |
| wines can be labeled Estate Bottled if 80% of the | | | | hour! |
| wine grapes originate from the AVA's region. | | | | There are numerous small towns in the area with |
| As of late 2008, Illinois boasts almost 60 wineries. | | | | local restaurants, so you'll have plenty of choices if |
| You're never far from a great wine experience here | | | | you want to wander. Also, it's well worth noting the |
| in Illinois! | | | | charming town of Cape Girardeau, Missouri is only 25 |
| All Aboard For Wine Country | | | | miles away. We visited there late Sunday morning |
| In the far southern part of the state, less than an | | | | and early afternoon. There's a French influence in |
| hour from the Kentucky border, you'll find the | | | | Cape Girardeau and it's well worth your time if you're |
| Shawnee National Forest region. This lush, green, | | | | a fan of historic river towns. |
| almost rugged territory stretches 80 miles east to | | | | Day Two On The Trail |
| west and about 20 miles north/south. The northern | | | | Saturday brought us the opportunity to visit the |
| gateway to the area is the college town of | | | | western side of the Shawnee Wine Trail. After |
| Carbondale, home to Southern Illinois University and a | | | | another brisk morning hike, our first winery of the |
| convenient Amtrak hub for travelers heading to | | | | day is Inheritance Valley in the small hamlet of |
| Memphis or New Orleans. We booked round trip | | | | Cobden. Cobden is 2 miles south of the more well |
| service on Amtrak's Illini line and relished the thought | | | | known Alto Pass, and 7 miles north of Jonesboro. |
| of relaxing with a good book and enjoying the Illinois | | | | Open since 2003, Inheritance Valley offers a pleasant |
| landscape on the way to Illinois' first wine country, | | | | tasting room and free tasting of six wines. We |
| the Shawnee Wine Trail. | | | | decided to splurge a bit and buy a wine glass and |
| Arriving in Illinois Wine Country | | | | unlimited tastings for $3 each. |
| With a late Thursday arrival and two full days of | | | | We really enjoyed our time here because Inheritance |
| wine touring ahead of us, we headed straight for our | | | | Valley offers a real sample of southern Illinois. Almost |
| lodging after arriving in Carbondale. Our choice, which | | | | all of their grapes and other fruits are locally grown. |
| we highly recommend, is the Giant City Lodge, 12 | | | | When you stop here, be sure to try the various port |
| miles from the Amtrak station. | | | | wines as they are a house specialty. |
| Giant City Lodge, located in Giant City State Park, | | | | Our favorite Inheritance Valley wine was Two |
| was originally built in the 1930's by the Civilian | | | | Worlds. This off dry red wine is a blend of two |
| Conservation Corps. Local building materials were | | | | grapes that do very well here, Cabernet Franc and |
| used, and the lodge itself is a sturdy structure of | | | | Norton. Another very enjoyable choice was Roadside |
| sandstone and white oak timber. One of the lodging | | | | Red, a little sweeter and softer on the palate. |
| options is the Historic Cabins, which was our choice | | | | Next on the agenda was the unofficial wine center of |
| for our weekend stay. | | | | southern Illinois, Alto Pass. Here you'll find three |
| The "historic" cabins are actually newer cabins which | | | | wineries - Hedman Vineyards, Alto Vineyards, and |
| sit on the sites of the original cabins built 70 years | | | | Von Jakob Winery. You can easily visit all three in one |
| ago. These one room cabins are charmingly | | | | afternoon, they are that close to one another. If you |
| comfortable and clean. For families, larger cabins are | | | | arrive at lunch time as we did, Hedman is a great |
| available. The only downside we saw is that pets are | | | | place to start. You can enjoy an old fashioned |
| not allowed, but if you want to bring your pet, there | | | | Swedish lunch at the Peach Barn, on the winery |
| are several other lodging options in the area. | | | | grounds and quite well known in these parts. |
| Day One On The Shawnee Wine Trail | | | | Hedman Vineyards is one part bed and breakfast, |
| The next morning, fresh off a great breakfast and a | | | | one part cafe, and one part winery. It's a unique |
| spirited hike in Giant City State Park, we headed off | | | | destination and one of the most popular attractions in |
| to begin our wine exploration for the weekend with | | | | the area. Do eat here if you get a chance. We |
| a stop at Owl Creek Vineyard. Immediately, we | | | | stopped for lunch and among other delicacies |
| learned why the Shawnee Hills Region is ideal for | | | | enjoyed the sampler platter. This Swedish delight |
| wine travelers. | | | | offered tastes of all the following: pickled herring, |
| All ten wineries are within 15 miles of one another, | | | | creamed caviar, Swedish meatballs, lingonberries, and |
| and while the roads are a bit winding, the scenery is | | | | hardboiled eggs. You can also indulge on a very good |
| so gorgeous and the air so fresh and clean, the short | | | | pecan crusted chicken breast salad, served with |
| drives are very enjoyable. | | | | warm homemade bread. |
| This beautiful region is bordered by the Ohio and | | | | The tasting room is adjacent to the cafe, and we |
| Mississippi Rivers, and the land is anywhere from 400 | | | | recommend the Chambourcin and the Tucker Hill Red. |
| to 800 feet higher here than the immediate | | | | Chambourcins are prominent here, and in neighboring |
| surrounding area. This in and of itself creates a unique | | | | Missouri. Full bodied, spicy, and smooth, this was a |
| microclimate. It's cooler in summer, warmer in winter, | | | | winner. For something slightly sweeter, Tucker Hill |
| and there's a longer growing season, along with | | | | Red fits the bill. It's a blend of Chambourcin and |
| consistent summer breezes which help dry out the | | | | Concord, with neither grape dominating the flavor. |
| grapes and vineyards. The soil drains well, and it's rich | | | | Alto Vineyards has long been on our radar. It's the |
| in sandstone and limestone. In short, a perfect area | | | | oldest and largest winery in the area and one of the |
| for growing grapes! | | | | most well known and respected in Illinois. This |
| There are 10 wineries on the Shawnee Wine Trail, | | | | pioneering winery was the first to plant grapes for |
| and a little simple math told us we could visit them all | | | | commercial wine production in the early 1980's. |
| in 2 1/2 days. Both Friday and Saturday called for | | | | We noted the Alto wines are widely available around |
| four winery visits each, with two left over for early | | | | the area, but you really should stop here if you're in |
| Sunday afternoon. This is an ideal schedule for the | | | | this neck of the woods. There's a relaxed, peaceful |
| dedicated wine tourist. A good, hearty breakfast | | | | vibe and it's a great place to spend an hour or two. |
| followed by two late morning winery visits. Then, a | | | | The gift shop is stocked with unique specialty foods |
| stop for lunch and sightseeing, and two more | | | | and you can relax on the grounds with a glass of |
| wineries in the afternoon. | | | | Alto wine for only $3. |
| And so, our day one agenda consisted of visits to | | | | We particularly enjoyed the white wines here, |
| Owl Creek Vineyard, Blue Sky Vineyard, Orlandini | | | | perhaps because we focused on reds at Hedman. |
| Vineyards, and finally Star View Vineyards. This | | | | Nonetheless, you won't go wrong with Heartland |
| makes for a leisurely, interesting day, with plenty of | | | | White, a semi dry offering with the pleasant scent of |
| time to enjoy the scenery and a local lunch stop. | | | | lemon petals and apple palate. Another favorite was |
| Our first stop on the trail is Owl Creek Vineyard, | | | | Wiener Dog White, a charming blend of several |
| located just over 4 miles from Giant City State | | | | grapes with pear and mango tones. If you're so |
| Lodge. Open since 1995, this family operated vineyard | | | | inclined, buy a few bottles to go. Prices are |
| and winery uses grapes that are well known in this | | | | reasonable! |
| region, like Chambourcin, Norton, Seyval Blanc, | | | | Saturday afternoon's last winery was Von Jakob |
| Chardonnel, and a new favorite of ours, Villard. Owl | | | | Winery, where you can cozy up to the indoor or |
| Creek is a true taste of southern Illinois, as all wines | | | | outdoor fireplace and sample any of their 20+ wines. |
| are made with grapes grown in this area. | | | | We split the difference between red and white here |
| For starters, we liked ChardonOwl, a toasty white in | | | | and enjoyed Von Jakob's White Chambourcin, and |
| the Chardonnay style and made with Chardonnel | | | | fun and fruity blush. We also picked up a few bottles |
| grapes. From the red side, try Owl's Leap, a great | | | | for home and can definitely recommend Chateau |
| Chambourcin style wine with hints of clove and anise. | | | | Red, a real bargain at $11. This deep, complex red |
| Every wine here is filled with depth and intrigue. We | | | | bursts with flavors of black cherry and pairs |
| recommend you find out if Owl Creek can ship to | | | | wonderfully with a grilled rib eye! |
| your state, as their wines are great examples of the | | | | And On The 7th Day ... We Drank Wine |
| Shawnee Region AVA. | | | | With our Amtrak departure scheduled well into the |
| When you leave Owl Creek, proceed three miles up | | | | afternoon, we were able to visit the final two |
| Water Valley Road and you'll arrive at Blue Sky | | | | wineries on the Shawnee Wine Trail. Our first, |
| Vineyard, our second stop of the morning. This is one | | | | Pomona Winery, is quite near one of the most well |
| of the most beautiful winery settings on this or any | | | | known natural attractions in the area, Little Grand |
| other wine trail. A large Tuscan style winery building | | | | Canyon. |
| and tasting room set the stage, with two outdoor | | | | We arrived at Pomona Winery just after noon, ready |
| terraces overlooking row after row of vines. | | | | to sample some of Pomona's unique apple wines. |
| We were a bit early for lunch, but Blue Sky is a | | | | Wine lovers often look down their nose at apple |
| perfect stop if you're hungry. Items like pulled pork | | | | wines, but we've always been fans. The combination |
| on a croissant, pizza, and chicken salad round out a | | | | of tart and sweet is a delight, and we've been |
| nice menu, and of course, there are numerous wines | | | | intrigued by the various blends and styles. Our |
| for you to taste! | | | | favorite here was the Jonathan Oak Aged Reserve, |
| Our favorite was Infinity, a semi dry white made | | | | kind of combination chardonnay and apple wine. You'll |
| with Geisenheim grapes. All sorts of fruit flavors will | | | | note the delicious apple taste along with the oakiness |
| dance with your taste buds - we sensed ripe melon | | | | found in the chardonnay style, balanced with the |
| and grapefruit. Perhaps even more outstanding was | | | | mellowness of aging. This wine has won several |
| the Chambourcin Reserve, a multiple award winner | | | | Midwest wine competition medals and is one of the |
| that just might be the best of this style we've had. | | | | most unique apple wines we've ever tried. |
| We loved the dark cherry flavors mingling with rich | | | | Pomona offers nine other wines, including some |
| dark spices, along with a burst of vanilla mid palate. | | | | interesting port style and dessert wines. All are made |
| Now it was off to Orlandini Vineyard, where we | | | | with fruit grown in the immediate area. |
| planned a picnic lunch by their peaceful vineyard pond. | | | | From here, it was on to Kite Hill Vineyards in |
| Orlandini's location is atop one of the highest ridges in | | | | Carbondale. This was our last stop as it's not far |
| southern Illinois, so be prepared to be impressed by | | | | from the Amtrak station. It's a beautiful setting, with |
| the view. | | | | a charming bed and breakfast just waiting for you to |
| With plenty of time on our hands, we decided to split | | | | visit. Stroll around the adjacent lake or sidle up to the |
| a bottle of Orlandini's White Chambourcin. A white | | | | expansive outdoor deck and enjoy a glass of |
| chambourcin is created by removing grape skins | | | | Traminette or White Chambourcin. We took a bottle |
| during the early part of the wine making process. | | | | of each to go, and headed to the Amtrak station for |
| The result is an almost blush colored wine with all the | | | | our journey back to Chicago. |
| spicy fruit stylings of a good Chambourcin. We left | | | | The Shawnee Hills Wine Trail is ideal for a weekend |
| with two bottles to add to our Illinois wine collection, | | | | escape. You'll enjoy the abundance of nature and a |
| along with a bottle of Vidal, a semi dry white full of | | | | blossoming array of unique wineries to tempt your |
| grapefruit flavor. | | | | taste buds. And if you don't want to drive, Amtrak |
| Later on Friday afternoon, we visited our final winery | | | | takes you right to the trails front door. |
| of the day, Star View Vineyards. This is another | | | | We encourage you to visit southern Illinois wine |
| perfect place to enjoy a glass of wine outdoors. | | | | country and relax in the natural splendor of the |
| There's a large, expansive deck that overlooks koi | | | | Midwest! |