Touring the Northern Illinois Wine Trail, 7/5/09

While I can't get enough wine tasting in one day, I think it would be adviseable for one to limit his or her number of wineries to three in a day. Anything more than that can simply overwhelm the palate. But even so, it's no less enjoyable to go to another new winery even if you've had three beforehand in one day!



I came to find this out yesterday as Doug and I celebrated our first real anniversary together doing the thing we like to do together most: taste wine! To celebrate, we decided to travel west along the Northern Illinois Wine Trail from home to Galena.



Famous Fossil Vineyard and Winery



Our first stop was Famous Fossil Winery in Cedarville, IL. Doug and I could tell from driving north on Route 26 why the winery had that name. We saw walls of limestone along some patches of that road. A good place to find fossils. Indeed, the owners did find fossils while digging the trelisses. These fossils are on display at the winery.



The grapevines we saw coming up to the winery were planted 5 years ago and harvested for the first time last fall. The winery opened in October 2008, which is why I hadn't heard of it before hand. It's quite new. Since the grapes are young, the winemaker Ken Rosmann has been buying grapes from local growers while he waits for the grapes to develop. It takes about 7 years from planting for the grapes to be able to have a "good" harvest.



All the wines Doug and I tried were excellent enough that I'd like to come back out to the winery again sometime soon. I was particularly impressed with the Make Me Blush and the Vignoles. I bought the Make Me Blush and wished to buy the Vignoles that smelled and tasted like sweet flowers... but Doug reminded me we had three more wineries to go today.



http://www.famousfossilwinery.com/





Massbach Ridge Winery



My younger and only sister has a college friend who is the niece of the winemaker Peggy Harmston at Massbach Ridge Winery. Since Laurie hasn't made her way to Massbach Ridge as of yet, I made it my mission to bring a souvenir or two back for her birthday next week.



You find the winery after driving for miles along the scenic Massbach Road that winds around and up the hills and ridges of an expansive countryside. The founders couldn't have found a more scenic location. What a view!



When we arrived Doug bought me a delectable chocolate covered cherry that went quite well with the Sunrise Red that we tried. I was delighted by the Marechal Foch I tried. I expected something oaky and spicy, filled with tannins. But instead my eyes saw a lovely a lovely rose color and my lips tasted a hint of sugar.



The Velvet Hour also surprised me. It is made in a "port-style," which prompted me to ask for less of the normal pour that I could share with Doug. It was quite delicious, to my surprise! And I'd rate it up there with the only other Port I'll drink: the Fresavino from Lynfred.

http://www.massbachridge.com



Rocky Waters Winery



To my delight we continued past Massbach Ridge to Hanover, IL along that same scenic route. Rocky Waters Winery is also a location with a view, and I later came to find out it was named by a grandson of the founder, after the waterfall nearby that passes over various levels of rocks, as well as for the rivers whose bottoms were also filled with rocks that the waters passed through rapidly. Doug and I found ourselves at the very edge, the only thing separating us from a great distance below were some large boulders scattered about. Easily we were looking into Iowa.

The main focus here was on the wine. I didn't find the usual accessories and gourmet foods from other tasting room gift shops, nor did I miss them. Here we had wine racks and stacks of different bottles sorted by variety.

The winery has smaller batches. 100% of the grapes are grown and made into wine here. They are dedicated to local varietals such as Marechal Foch, Leon Millot, St. Croix, LaCrosse, and St. Pepin. These grapes find harmony with the local soil and climate.

The only wines aged in oak were the Tower Red and Homestead Red. The rest of the reds and whites were aged in stainless steel. I was happy to try more local varietals.

http://www.rockywaterswinery.com/


Galena Cellars Vineyard And Winery

Last stop for tasting was the Galena Cellars Vineyard and Winery in Galena's charming downtown district. There were so many varietals to choose from, it was hard to pick just six! I did start with the pinot noir because I hadn't had a pinot noir in some time. It had been too long. The Oktoberfest blend pleased me as well. All the wines were served to customers in crystal Riedel glasses. These glasses, of course, are prone to breaking if they are dropped. Doug and I heard one drop and one of the attendants joked, "fourth today!" At least I hope she was joking around!

The wine shop is almost a labyrinth as it winds around that lower level where we tasted our wines. If only my pocket book were bigger. There were lots of beautiful and humorous things! Next to the tasting bar there was a set of shelves devoted to winemaking chemicals. $18 later, I had a bag full of "a down payment" on my next hobby as Doug said. It was fun telling him what Campden Tablets and Citric Acid would be used for as were were driving toward the U.S. Grant Home down the street.

http://www.galenacellars.net/

So many after a couple of tasting rooms I have a little less to say about the wines that I tried. But would I limit myself? Perhaps not. The next wine trail I hope to try will have five wineries.... I just cannot pass any up!

Prairie State Winery, Genoa, IL, 7/4/09

I recently discovered Prairie State Winery while surfing the internet to find new winieries to visit. Coincidentally, Doug and I were going to Geneva to see his family for the Fourth of July, and Geneva is two towns away from the winery itself in Genoa. So we had to fit in a visit!

Turns out that on that day were were poured our complimentary samples by the winemaker himself, Rick Mamoser, who is also the owner of the winery. So we heard the history firsthand. Rick is a science teacher and an artistic mind, both of which make him a natural as a winemaker. He's been making Prairie State wines for 11 years now and recently expanded his location in charming downtown Genoa. Later this month he will start giving tours of the new expansion of the winery where the magic of the winemaking takes place.

Rick's Chambourcin and Cabernet Franc wines won Best in Illinois awards in 2007 and 2008, respectively. And from tasting both, I could see why! They were both excellent, a testament to his winemaking skills. Save for the Cabernet Franc, all of the grapes Rick uses are native or hybrid grapes, and all the grapes come from Illinois. And all of the grapes are organic.

A couple of wines I found especially unique were the Vignoles with its distinctive apple aroma and the Kishwaukee Blue that was sweet and delicious with an image of a heron on the label because the herons frequent that vineyard and call out to any human visitors.

Doug and I will definitely be back for the tour!

www.prairiestatewinery.com

Lynfred Winery. Wheeling, IL. 7/3/09

People are always fascinated when I tell them that one of my hobbies is "winery hopping." They are especially surprised when they realize I frequent two tasting rooms just down the road from work in Lincolnshire, IL. "But wait," I tell them, "there's more. There's a vineyard in Long Grove and another tasting room in my hometown too, not 20 miles away from work."

Today my fiance and I decided to make our way to Lynfred Winery in Wheeling, IL. It is one of the two wineries close to work. We've been there at least once monthly since our first visit on Valentine's Day this year, the day he proposed to me. Each month the 7 wine selections and 1 premium wine selection changes and we didn't want to miss a thing.

Today we tried the 2005 Chardonnay which really impressed me because it is aged partially in oak and partially in stainless steel. It exudes just enough oak to give it a bit of vanilla, but no more than that so it doesn't overwhelm as most Chardonnays do. We also tried a new varietal I'd never encountered before: the 2001 Carignane, which is a blend of Carignane from 100+ year-old vines, cabernet sauvignon, and grenache. I could definitely smell the cabernet in it, and it was unique for its light herbal aromas such as oregano. Johanna, a high school friend and the manager at Lynfred who was serving us today, said she's partial to this particular wine because it goes so well with pizza. I had to agree. I also recommend the 2006 Merlot and 2005 Petite Syrah we tried today. There were very good, simple as that. And any of the fruit wines from Lynfred are quite exceptional. The apricot wine we had today has such a wonderful, sweet candy sort of aroma.

Since we've been visiting quite regularly. I thought I'd ask Johanna about Lynfred's history. Lucky for me, she has given tours at Lynfred's original location in Roselle, IL, which is also open to the public.

The founder, Fred Koehler, was the son of fruit farmers in Germany. 35 years ago as a retiree he decided to make fruit wines as a hobby, to serve his friends and family. Popular man, I'd say. The State of Illinois stepped in and told him he'd either have to make less wine or incorporate. He chose the latter. Fred searched 5 years for the perfect location and found it at 15 S. Roselle Road in Roselle. He loved it because it was made of gorgeous oak and had stained glass windows with grapes, which he viewed as a sign.

He opened Lynfred on 10/14/1979, named after himself and his wife Lynn. In 1990 he expanded, building a separate building next to the original Roselle building because it is an historic building and he couldn't add right on to it. In the early 2000s Lynfred opened a bed and breakfast at the Roselle location with four suites honoring the four major wine regions of the world.

Today Fred is "somewhat retired," though still very active with the winery. It is a popular place, and the only advertising is word of mouth. Doug and I have been telling all our friends about it. You can visit the Wheeling location like we do, at 971 Milwaukee Ave, Wheeling, IL.

www.lynfredwinery.com