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
Thank you for a fabulous post and for supporting local wines!
ReplyDeleteYour friends at Lynfred