Category: Illinois

14931 State highway 37

Whittington, IL 62897

618-629-2302

This winery is NOT part of the Shawnee Hills wine trail but was further north just a short jaunt off of Highway 57.  Nice location and grounds and set back in a wooded setting.  They manufacture all of their wines but do not grow any grapes of their own.  They receive many of their grapes locally and are famous for some of their fruit wines, with Black and Blue, being one of the most popular sellers.  (I had to buy it to try it, even though I know it will be very sweet.)  The Black and blue is made from blackberries and blueberries grown locally.  I also tired their Rend Lake Red, an oaked Chambourcin, and the 2011 Cabernet, which was a very lighter style cab.

 

The establishment does offer some light snacks for sale on site.

The lovely tasting room

 

The back drop of the tasting bar.

 

This lovely server was quite knowledgeable on all of the wines.  Tasting fee was only $5.00 for 5-8 wine choices or free if you chose to only try 2 wines.  What a sweet deal!

The winery offered 19 various wines, classified by Dry, Off Dry, Semi-Sweet, Sweet and Fruit Wines.  See their Tasting Guide below.

 

410 Thorn Lane

Makanda, IL

618-995-2307

 

–Part of the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail in Southern Illinois

 

Roots date back 30 years from this family owned winery.  As Southern Illinois became more known as a wine growing region, so did Gary Orlandini.  The Feather Family purchased this property in 2017, after Gary’s passing and Renee and Randy Feather are the proud new owners.   All Chambourcin and Viognier are grown right here.  All of their red wines are made from Chambourcin.

 

Winery offers snacks and cheeses for purchases and has a pond and grounds for events.  Most grapes come from their vineyard, although some do come from Michigan (the Riesling).

Some wines are:

1. 2017 Vidal Blanc—very popular, buttery and great with fish
2. 2016 Chaucer Blanc—Viognier and Traminette. Traminette gives floral
3. 2016 Vignoles-a late harvest estate grown vintage
4. Saluki White-Reisling grapes from Michigan
5. 2014 Chambourcin Reserve
6. Amaigam-blend of Chancellor Noir wine and unoaked Chambourcin—a very good seller
7. Rose-lighter and made from Chambourcin—you will start seeing more Rose’s from Chambourcin
8. Rosso Gustoso-also very popular and good seller
9. Saluki Blush
10. Saluki Red-sugar added to Chambourcin

The grounds of Feather Hills

The entrance to the winery, tasting room and where their wines are made.

 

The back of the tasting bar area.

Saluki Red is a one of the sweetest versions, from Feather Hills of their Chambourcin grape.  Nose gives some spice and cherry with dark plum.

Even though quite sweet for my taste, (note sugar added), I purchase a bottle of this to complement my BBQ on an extremely hot evening.

 

3150 S. Rocky Comfort Road

Makanda, IL 62958

618-995-wine

–Part of the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail in Southern Illinois

 

In the fall of 2000, the first seeds were planted; since 2005 there doors have been opened.  I love this winery, filled with an exquisite tasting room, knowledge staff, great at handling crowds of people, beautiful landscaped property, outside and inside tables, bread with olive oil and spices and other food choices or simply grab some cheese curds or craft cheese from the refrigerator.   It was Labor Day weekend and traffic in the winery was heavy, yet I was served immediately as there were tastings available at the bar area, wines by the glass sold inside and out and staff running around to please their customers and not have them wait long.

 

I cannot say enough about this winery, as its charm and wine selections reflect Illinois so very well.  The tasting fee was nominal ($ 2.00) and tried some great Chambourcin, Riesling (from New York), Norton grapes. Seyval and Cab Franc (lighter than usual, but interesting). I purchased several bottles and particularly enjoyed the Seyval wine, as it was a 90+ temperature day.  (Illinois is known for grapes that can handle cooler climates such as Chambourcin, Norton and Seyval varietals.)   My wine consultant was very knowledgeable about what grapes were grown on their land and which grapes came from other regions.  The wine cellar is downstairs within this building and this charming young lady understood and worked several aspects of this winery.  Having someone so personable and knowledgeable only makes your wine tasting experience a positive experience.   A must to go visit when down in our state of Illinois, as folks have commented that this is one of the best wineries on the wine trail.

 

 

The grounds at Blue Sky Vineyards.

 

So a hidden gem or fun long weekend trip to Southern Illinois’ wine region called the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail.  12 +  wineries strong and still growing around the area, this unique area in southern Illinois has some wineries with great charm that you would find in Woodinville, WA.  Several of the wineries have outdoor seating, music on the weekends, lakes and grassy umbrella’d areas to sit outside and sip your favorite choice.  See the map of the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail below.  While you are down there, why not go explore the Shawnee National Forest, or Ferne Clyffe State Park and take a breathtaking, medium effort hiking trail to burn some of those wine calories off.  Another hidden gem in this area is Lake Egypt and a resort called The Resort at Egyptian Hills, where you can rent a chalet and get the nicest folks around to help you with your stay, renting a boat, discovering places around the area, seeing some music concerts on site in summer or enjoying some free water sports of a canoe, kayak or paddleboard.  The Lake is winding and has branches all off of the main rectangular freeway.  You can easily get lost seeing all the homes and boating to all the branches on this large lake.  Slowdown in the no wake areas and be careful not to go where too shallow waters are, to protect your motor, but also to protect the Eagle’s nests in the shallow parts of the lake. 

5175 Aptakisic Rd, Long Grove, IL 60047
Long Grove, IL
(847) 634-2831

Schedule a tour to have Rudy, the winemaker explain his business to you and the labor intensive work he puts into his vineyard. I love folks who have passion, and Rudy’s passion for what he does comes through instantly when he starts his presentation. You can choose the wines you would like to taste in the tasting room. Search the web, as sometimes they offer a ‘groupon’ or another deal for the full tour or just the tasting.
Loved the Seyval Blanc 2016. See this wine reviewed under the Blog section.

 47W614 IL-38, Maple Park, IL 60151

Notes:  More info coming

15 S Roselle Rd, Roselle, IL 60172

Notes:  More info coming

 222 W Main St, Genoa, IL 60135

Notes:

Oldest winery in Dekalb.  A very nice selection to taste. They also offer a wine club.

Pioneer Red-Sweet Table Wine-purchased