Illinois wine
Encyclopedia
Illinois wine refers to any wine
that is made from grapes grown in the U.S. state
of Illinois
. In 2006, Shawnee Hills, in southern Illinois, was named the state's first American Viticultural Area
. As of 2008, there were 79 wineries
in Illinois, utilizing approximately 1100 acres (4.5 km²) of vines.
. The oldest recorded Concord vineyard in Illinois was planted in 1851 and is located in Nauvoo State Park; the vineyard is still producing fruit. By 1880 there were over 600 acres (2.4 km²) of grapes and 40 wine cellars in Nauvoo, and the town was known for its fine wines.
The oldest surviving family-owned vineyard in Illinois is also located in Nauvoo. Emile Baxter came to Nauvoo in 1855 to join an Icarian
commune and remained after the breakup of the group. Learning about grape culture from his Icarian friends, Emile planted 8 acres (32,374.9 m²) of vineyards. After Prohibition
in 1936, the Baxter family winery became Illinois' first bonded winery.
In a sharply different region of Illinois, the Shawnee Hills
, Guy Renzaglia founded Alto Vineyards in 1984. He planted new varieties such as Chancellor, Chambourcin
, Vidal Blanc
, and Villard Blanc. Renzaglia and two other growers founded the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail in the 1990s.
Winemaking expanded rapidly in Illinois from about 1990 onward. The number of operating wineries increased in Illinois from 3 in 1985, to 12 in 1997, to 63 in 2004, and 79 in 2008.
As of 2004, 63 Illinois wineries, working with 193 grape arbors, produce 451,079 U.S. gallons (1.7 million liters) of wine annually with an annual total positive economic impact estimated at $20 million.
, Chambourcin, Vignoles
, Traminette
, Concord, Foch
, Seyval, Norton
, Vidal Blanc, Frontenac, Niagara, and Cayuga White
.
Many of these varieties are "hybrid" varieties. These hybrids, which are adapted to the cold climates of central and northern Illinois, are grapes grown from vines that are hybridized descendants of both European vinifera
grapes and native American grape varieties. The Illinois Grape Growers Association informed wine critics for the Wall Street Journal in 2008 that hybrid wines were the state's "strong suit."
and Union County near Carbondale, Illinois
in far southern Illinois. This region was designated the Shawnee Hills AVA
in December 2006, becoming the first American Viticultural Area
within Illinois. Besides the benefits of appellation recognition, this designation allows wineries to use the term “Estate Bottled” for wines produced on the same premises on which the grapes are grown. As of 2006, the Shawnee Hills AVA included 15 wineries and 55 vineyards. Jackson and Union Counties were the two foremost wine-producing counties in Illinois.
Characteristics that contributed to this decision are the lack of glaciation, as well as the bordering rivers. The heightened elevation (400 ft above neighboring land) in concert with sandstone
and limestone
subsoil offers satisfactory drainage, and summer breezes reduce fungal infestation. The climate of the Shawnee Hills AVA, within the Illinois Ozarks region, resembles several areas in Missouri
known for their wine (see Missouri wine
). The climate also resembles certain regions in Spain
and Italy
.
, which primarily covers Driftless Area regions in Minnesota
, Iowa
and Wisconsin
, also covers the Galena
region of Illinois.
south of Carbondale, which passes through the Shawnee Hills AVA, has been designated by the Illinois General Assembly
as the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail.
The Northern Illinois Wine Trail passes through the Galena subdistrict of the Upper Mississippi Valley AVA.
The Illinois River Wine Trail centers on wineries in the upper drainage of the Illinois River
, and the Heartland Rivers Wine Trail centers on wineries in and around the mouth of the same river.
, operated by the Illinois Department of Agriculture, recognizes ten distinct categories of Illinois wine:
In addition to grape-based wine, several wineries in the Illinois Ozarks ( part of the Ozarks ) and other regions of Illinois make fruit wine from apple
s, peach
es, and berries
. Fruit wine is an officially recognized category within the Illinois wine industry.
in September 2008.
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
that is made from grapes grown in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. In 2006, Shawnee Hills, in southern Illinois, was named the state's first American Viticultural Area
American Viticultural Area
An American Viticultural Area is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States distinguishable by geographic features, with boundaries defined by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau , United States Department of the Treasury....
. As of 2008, there were 79 wineries
Winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...
in Illinois, utilizing approximately 1100 acres (4.5 km²) of vines.
History
Grapes have been growing in Illinois for over 150 years. One of the first areas to begin growing grapes was on the banks of the Mississippi in NauvooNauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Although the population was just 1,063 at the 2000 census, and despite being difficult to reach due to its location in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its...
. The oldest recorded Concord vineyard in Illinois was planted in 1851 and is located in Nauvoo State Park; the vineyard is still producing fruit. By 1880 there were over 600 acres (2.4 km²) of grapes and 40 wine cellars in Nauvoo, and the town was known for its fine wines.
The oldest surviving family-owned vineyard in Illinois is also located in Nauvoo. Emile Baxter came to Nauvoo in 1855 to join an Icarian
Icarians
The Icarians were a French utopian movement, founded by Étienne Cabet, who led his followers to America where they established a group of egalitarian communes during the period from 1848 through 1898.-European roots:Étienne Cabet was born in France in 1788...
commune and remained after the breakup of the group. Learning about grape culture from his Icarian friends, Emile planted 8 acres (32,374.9 m²) of vineyards. After Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
in 1936, the Baxter family winery became Illinois' first bonded winery.
In a sharply different region of Illinois, the Shawnee Hills
Shawnee Hills
The Shawnee Hills is a region of Southern Illinois that rests mainly in an east-west arc roughly following the outline of the southern end of the Illinois Basin. Whereas Mississippian and Pennsylvania Age rock layers are deep beneath the surface in central Illinois, these strata pierce the surface...
, Guy Renzaglia founded Alto Vineyards in 1984. He planted new varieties such as Chancellor, Chambourcin
Chambourcin
Chambourcin is a French-American interspecific hybrid grape variety used for making wine. Its parentage is uncertain. The hybrid was produced by Joannes Seyve who often used Seibel hybrids produced in the 1860s. The grape has only been available since 1963. Chambourcin has a good resistance to...
, Vidal Blanc
Vidal Blanc
Vidal Blanc is an inter-specific hybrid variety of white wine grape, a cross of Ugni Blanc and Rayon d'Or . It manages to produce high sugar levels in cold climates while maintaining good acid levels....
, and Villard Blanc. Renzaglia and two other growers founded the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail in the 1990s.
Winemaking expanded rapidly in Illinois from about 1990 onward. The number of operating wineries increased in Illinois from 3 in 1985, to 12 in 1997, to 63 in 2004, and 79 in 2008.
As of 2004, 63 Illinois wineries, working with 193 grape arbors, produce 451,079 U.S. gallons (1.7 million liters) of wine annually with an annual total positive economic impact estimated at $20 million.
Varieties
In 2004, twelve grape varieties accounted for 89% of grape area harvested in Illinois. The favorite varieties, in descending order by area devoted to production, were ChardonelChardonel
Chardonel is a late ripening white wine hybrid grape which can produce a high quality wine with varietal character. It is a result of a cross made by the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station of the popular French American hybrid Seyval and the classic vitis vinifera Chardonnay...
, Chambourcin, Vignoles
Vignoles (grape)
Vignoles is a complex hybrid wine grape variety produced from a cross made by J.F. Ravat of two grapes, Seibel 8665 and Pinot de corton....
, Traminette
Traminette
Traminette is a cross of the French American hybrid Joannes Seyve 23.416 and the German Vitis vinifera cultivar Gewürztraminer made by Herb C. Barrett ca. 1965 at the University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign. His intention was to produce a large clustered table grape with the flavor of...
, Concord, Foch
Marechal Foch
Marechal Foch , is an inter-specific hybrid red wine grape variety. It was named after the French marshal Ferdinand Foch , who played an important role in the negotiation of the armistice terms during the closing of the First World War. It was developed in Alsace, France by grape hybridizer...
, Seyval, Norton
Norton (grape)
Norton, a grape cultivar believed to be largely derived from Vitis aestivalis, is grown in the Midwestern United States, Mid-Atlantic States and northeastern Georgia. Norton was first cultivated in Richmond, Virginia and is the official grape of the State of Missouri and is considered the...
, Vidal Blanc, Frontenac, Niagara, and Cayuga White
Cayuga White
Cayuga White is a wine grape was developed from crosses of the hybrids Schuyler and Seyval Blanc done at Cornell University's New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York. It is a hardy vine with some bunch-rot disease resistance. It should be picked at low sugars to avoid...
.
Many of these varieties are "hybrid" varieties. These hybrids, which are adapted to the cold climates of central and northern Illinois, are grapes grown from vines that are hybridized descendants of both European vinifera
Vitis vinifera
Vitis vinifera is a species of Vitis, native to the Mediterranean region, central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern Iran....
grapes and native American grape varieties. The Illinois Grape Growers Association informed wine critics for the Wall Street Journal in 2008 that hybrid wines were the state's "strong suit."
Shawnee Hills AVA
One of the foremost grape-growing regions of Illinois is the Shawnee Hills, in Jackson CountyJackson County, Illinois
Jackson County, incorporated January 10, 1816, is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 60,218, which is an increase of 1.0% from 59,612 in 2000...
and Union County near Carbondale, Illinois
Carbondale, Illinois
Carbondale is a city in Jackson County, in the state of Illinois, within the Southern Illinois region. It is located at the junction of Illinois Route 13 and U.S. Route 51, southeast of St. Louis, Missouri, on the northern edge of the Shawnee National Forest...
in far southern Illinois. This region was designated the Shawnee Hills AVA
Shawnee Hills AVA
The Shawnee Hills AVA is an American Viticultural Area located between the Mississippi River and the Ohio River in southern Illinois. The wine appellation includes over of land in portions of Alexander, Gallatin, Hardin, Jackson, Johnson, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, Union, and Williamson...
in December 2006, becoming the first American Viticultural Area
American Viticultural Area
An American Viticultural Area is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States distinguishable by geographic features, with boundaries defined by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau , United States Department of the Treasury....
within Illinois. Besides the benefits of appellation recognition, this designation allows wineries to use the term “Estate Bottled” for wines produced on the same premises on which the grapes are grown. As of 2006, the Shawnee Hills AVA included 15 wineries and 55 vineyards. Jackson and Union Counties were the two foremost wine-producing counties in Illinois.
Characteristics that contributed to this decision are the lack of glaciation, as well as the bordering rivers. The heightened elevation (400 ft above neighboring land) in concert with sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
and limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
subsoil offers satisfactory drainage, and summer breezes reduce fungal infestation. The climate of the Shawnee Hills AVA, within the Illinois Ozarks region, resembles several areas in Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
known for their wine (see Missouri wine
Missouri wine
Missouri Wine refers to wine made from grapes grown in the U.S. state of Missouri. German immigrants in the early-to-mid-19th century, founded the wine industry in Missouri, resulting in its wine corridor being called the Missouri "Rhineland". Later Italian immigrants also entered wine production....
). The climate also resembles certain regions in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Upper Mississippi Valley AVA
The Upper Mississippi Valley AVAUpper Mississippi Valley AVA
The Upper Mississippi River Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area covering 29,914 square miles located along the Upper Mississippi River and its tributaries in northeast Iowa, northwest Illinois, southeast Minnesota and southwest Wisconsin...
, which primarily covers Driftless Area regions in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
and Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, also covers the Galena
Galena, Illinois
Galena is the county seat of, and largest city in, Jo Daviess County, Illinois in the United States, with a population of 3,429 in 2010. The city is a popular tourist destination known for its history, historical architecture, and ski and golf resorts. Galena was the residence of Ulysses S...
region of Illinois.
Wine trails
As of 2009, there are four wine trails in Illinois. Part of Illinois Route 127Illinois Route 127
Illinois Route 127 is a north–south highway in central and southern Illinois. Its southern terminus is at Illinois Route 3 near Olive Branch and its northern terminus at Interstate 55, along with the southern terminus of Illinois Route 48 in Raymond. This is a distance of .- Route description...
south of Carbondale, which passes through the Shawnee Hills AVA, has been designated by the Illinois General Assembly
Illinois General Assembly
The Illinois General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois and comprises the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Illinois has 59 legislative districts, with two...
as the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail.
The Northern Illinois Wine Trail passes through the Galena subdistrict of the Upper Mississippi Valley AVA.
The Illinois River Wine Trail centers on wineries in the upper drainage of the Illinois River
Illinois River
The Illinois River is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the State of Illinois. The river drains a large section of central Illinois, with a drainage basin of . This river was important among Native Americans and early French traders as the principal water route...
, and the Heartland Rivers Wine Trail centers on wineries in and around the mouth of the same river.
Categories
The Illinois State FairIllinois State Fair
The Illinois State Fair is an annual festival, centering on the theme of agriculture, hosted by the U.S. state of Illinois in the state capital, Springfield. The state fair has been celebrated almost every year since 1853. In 2008 there were more than 700,000 visits, up five percent from 2005,...
, operated by the Illinois Department of Agriculture, recognizes ten distinct categories of Illinois wine:
- Dessert wineDessert wineDessert wines are sweet wines typically served with dessert.There is no simple definition of a dessert wine. In the UK, a dessert wine is considered to be any sweet wine drunk with a meal, as opposed to the white fortified wines drunk before the meal, and the red fortified wines drunk after it...
- Fruit wineFruit wineFruit wines are fermented alcoholic beverages made from a variety of base ingredients ; they may also have additional flavours taken from fruits, flowers, and herbs. This definition is sometimes broadened to include any fermented alcoholic beverage except beer...
- Generic blended wine
- Hybrid red
- Hybrid white
- Native American red
- Native American white
- Sparkling wineSparkling wineSparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it making it fizzy. The carbon dioxide may result from natural fermentation, either in a bottle, as with the méthode champenoise, in a large tank designed to withstand the pressures involved , or as a result of carbon dioxide...
- Vinifera red
- Vinifera white
In addition to grape-based wine, several wineries in the Illinois Ozarks ( part of the Ozarks ) and other regions of Illinois make fruit wine from apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
s, peach
Peach
The peach tree is a deciduous tree growing to tall and 6 in. in diameter, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae. It bears an edible juicy fruit called a peach...
es, and berries
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
. Fruit wine is an officially recognized category within the Illinois wine industry.
Promotion
In addition to the Illinois State Fair, the Illinois wine industry has developed independent promotional pathways. The first Chicago & Midwest Wine Show was scheduled to be held in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in September 2008.