More than 100 years ago, Illinois was the fourth largest wine-producing state in the nation. Now the Treasury Department holds Illinois responsible for just 72,000 of the more than 41 million gallons bottled in February of 2010. While other states may have surpassed ours, the industry in Illinois is actually a growing one. Thirteen years ago, there were 14 wineries and 150 growers in The Land of Lincoln. Now, there are 86 wineries and 450 growers. Several new and established vintners have set up shop in and around central Illinois. Their grounds provide many opportunities for budding sommeliers.
Loren Shanle is one of the region’s newest winemakers and also the closest to Springfield. A former insurance salesman (who still works at that part-time), Shanle converted his old Rochester office into (309 S. Walnut, Rochester). Shanle’s passion for wine started in 2007 when he received a winemaking kit on his birthday. He made several batches before applying for a license and eventually convincing the dry town of Rochester to let him open shop. Walnut Street houses nine 300-litre tanks that each yield almost 30 cases of wine. Visitors to Rochester shouldn’t expect to witness a harvest, as the small property doesn’t have room for vines or crushing. Instead, Shanle imports concentrate, fills his tanks, adds yeast and makes his special recipes. In early May, he finished more than 1,000 bottles of wines like Crantastic (a cranberry shiraz), Blackjack and Pinot Noir. Other popular selections include Rosie Red, a black raspberry merlot named after Shanle’s mother.
Walnut Street has an inviting wine garden with a bocce court (summer leagues now forming) and stage for live music. Two local restaurants provide food, patrons can access free Wi- Fi, and a tasting bar offers three samples for $3. Additionally, Shanle wines are sold at Andiamo and Augie’s Front Burner in Springfield. More information at walnutstreetwinery.com.
Menard County’s Oakford village boasts a population of 309. The rural setting is the perfect place for the (23753 Lounsberry Rd., Oakford), where Mark and Connie Lounsberry operate in a structure built by J.C. Lounsberry in 1911.
The current owners are the fifth generation to farm the site; they offer family favorites like Prairie Dew, Autumn Spice, Prairie Barn Red, and Crimson Moon.
Amidst a flurry of new local wineries and vineyards, Hill Prairie stands out as an experienced operation. The nine-acre vineyard opened in October of 2004. A tasting room and several seating areas, including seating for 300 in a new pavilion, provide a welcome respite for guests. There, the family serves a lineup of 15 dry white, dry red and sweet wines (which Lounsberry says Midwesterners prefer the most). This season, Hill Prairie will offer River Bluff Red, a special reserve wine made with Norton grapes.
Popular musicians fill the stage each Sunday afternoon, and Hill Prairie hosts a series of mystery theater shows year-round. Details online at hillprairiewinery.com.
Wine enthusiasts need only travel 40 miles south of Springfield to discover another of Illinois’ most recently opened wineries in (3225 Honey Bend Ave., Litchfield).
The site is an extension of the Crown Valley Winery in St. Genevieve, Mo., and sells 36 company wines, 5 sparkling wines, 12 beers, 3 ciders, grape juice, root beer and bison meat. While the Wooden Nickel just opened in mid-April, Crown Valley is a well-established Midwestern label whose land is comprised of houses, inns, a restaurant, a brewery, vines and a herd of 350 bison.
Manager Jared Wirth says his Litchfield facility, built in a 1960s-era barn, is the perfect setting for a weekday jaunt or weekend getaway. “We’re not a bar, we’re a destination. People are welcome to come out to the Wooden Nickel for good live music, great drinks and beautiful scenery,” he says. Back and side patios abut two ponds and hiking trails, and will provide excellent views of vines once they mature. Wirth and his colleagues planted 250 vines that will produce in later summers. For now, he performs aging on-site with four vats, a label maker and a corking machine. By next spring, he’ll be pouring the Wooden Nickel’s first homemade wine. Until then, he sells several varieties, including a Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon released in April.