Illinois Wine Trail

Earlier this summer, we took a mini-vacation to downstate Illinois to visit the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail.  After several months of planning, we had our game plan in place and started the drive from the Chicago suburbs down to the Carbondale area.  The drive down I-57 was surprisingly easy, but this was surely due to the several stops we took along the way.

Our first detour off the highway was to the town of Stewardson, home of Vahling Vineyards.  Vahling is part of the Heartland Rivers Wine Trail, which is in the south central portion of the state.  We've tasted wine from Vahling at several different festivals, and we've alrways been pleased with their variety.  Their wines are crisp, flavorful, and pleasing.  Best of all, they're well-priced, which makes it even easier for us to support this winery.  We had a good time sampling the different wines and chatting with the owner.  So many of their wines are good: River Fizz, Leon Millot, Prairie Mist, Friar's Favorite, and Moonlight Bliss are all great.  After purchasing several bottles, we headed back towards the road.

Vahling Vineyards

We met back up with the highway in Effingham and went south to the town of Mt. Vernon.  Even before leaving the highway, we could spot GenKota Winery from the road.  The winery's huge wraparound porch is stunning; several rocking chairs and hammocks were put to test while we ate cheese and crackers.  Inside, GenKota has a small tasting bar, and less than a dozen wines on the tasting list.  One of their best sellers in their Three Dog Night, though we were all amused by the name of their apple wine: Thunder Chicken.

GenKota Winery and its huge porch

Approximately 20 miles north of Carbondale, we made another pitstop.  This time, it was Pheasant Hollow Winery in Whittington, Illinois.  This winery is located relatively close to the highway, but due to the dense forest surrounding it, we couldn't hear any cars at all.  The dense canopy of leaves kept the huge building well-shaded, as did the large porch on the front of the building.  Off to one side was a platform where they stomp grapes, presumably during festivals at the winery.  Inside, a large tasting bar lined the wall, and a stone fireplace loomed over the seating area.  The woman staffing the bar was quite nice, offering us tips on which wines were the best to try.  Their Black & Blue is a fruit wine created from blueberries and blackberries, and is one of their best sellers.  We also enjoyed their Gunn Creek White.  We purchased a few bottles, and then headed on to our destination...

Pheasant Hollow amongst the trees

Next up, the wineries of the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail!