Mara Visits Murphysboro

Remember Mara from Florida? She is Joey's girlfriend and helped orchestrate the proposal. Well, she and Joey made the drive up here to visit. With just one day to explore, we took her out on the wine trail. Our first stop was Kite Hill Vineyards. Their wine slushy is the best. One of these days I'll buy the mix. Since I am now a wine cork collector, these birdhouses caught my eye:

Our next stop was Pomona Winery, still my favorite winery to visit, hands down. While, you do have to pay a $2 tasting fee, you really get your moneys worth. You get to taste all the wines and get to learn as you go. Plus, Becky is always there and she is still the best. I bought a bottle of Kir to take home. Our next stop was Von Jakob. We always order food here. Brandon and I shared the BBQ pizza. It was just ok, but hey it came with a side salad. I love their Red Oak Port Vinaigrette Dressing. Our friend, Christian, is the wedding coordinator there. She pulled out some of her wedding magazines and we looked through them. She has offered her wedding planning services, wherever we have the wedding :)

Next up was Kie's choice, Owl Creek. His birthday is coming up in the next week so we decided to celebrate early. The girls made him a tasty cake.

Kie turns 26

The final winery of the day was Blue Sky. We ordered a pitcher of sangria and it was delish. I like it better than Rustle Hill's. The winery was packed, including a Mardi Gras themed birthday party. As they were leaving they gave us their masks. We looked like Misteriosos!

Joey and Brandon

And finally we ended our journey at 17th Street. Because really, what trip to Murphysboro would it be without that. Order the 17th Street potato. WOW.

Well, we won't have to wait long for our next winery visit. This upcoming Friday is the second Teresa Herring benefit at The Bluff's, $5 cover. 

Bucket List: Shawnee Wine Trail (Part 2)

I'm currently visiting my hometown - McLean, VA. But, I'm still behind on posting so back to Illinois we go... enjoy!

Another weekend, another winery outing! Brandon's friend, Lindsey, was in town from Mississippi and wanted to go out to explore the wineries. Since we had such a good time last week, we had to go another round! This time though, I was the designated driver. (PS: I drove through some seriously winding roads!)

Again, our first stop was Von Jakob. Lindsey ordered us a wine spritzer:

It tasted like their Johnny Apple Wine with pineapple juice, Sprite and some fresh fruit slices. Our next stop was Hickory Ridge Vineyard. Such a beautiful view from their deck. Unfortunately, it started misting and we had to go back inside the cozy lodge (complete with loft).

Just down the road was Pomona Winery which is a winery that doesn't use grapes! Most of their wines are apple based with some different fruits and spices. Their Orchard Spice wine tastes just like an apple pie with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. Their tasting was very generous and the gang got to try all of the wines on their list. Our server was really friendly and a true wine lover. She gave us lots of cooking tips!

Next on the tour was the luxurious Blue Sky Vineyard. From the moment you drive through their massive gate you can tell that a lot of money went into the place. The main house and the landscaping (complete with waterfall) are really nice. I didn't participate in the tasting but I did order a cheesecake with "the works."

This baby came with a raspberry Framboise drizzle, chocolate, cherries and whipped cream for $3. The gang ordered a bottle of the Misterioso. Quite possibly the worst/scariest label I've ever seen:

Last stop of the day was Rustle Hill. It was busy as usual with live music being performed. We were hungry so we ordered pizza. We tried the Italian, Hawaiian and Chicken Alfredo. All came on thin crunchy crust - so good but a little pricey at $15/pie.

My original goal was to go to 6 of the 11 wineries on the trail. Turns out there are actually 12 wineries (oops) and I have been to 8 so far (wow!). I see more wineries in our future! We already have a trip for Memorial Day Weekend planned, in addition to the Shawnee Wine & Art Fest being held in Riverside Park in Murphysboro.

Bucket List: Shawnee Wine Trail

To complete my goal for the bucket list, I need to go to 6 out of 11 wineries on the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail. This past Saturday, we made it to 5! The wine scene in Southern Illinois is reatively new, having started in the 80s and 90s, and is continuing to grow.

Our first stop, on the recommendation of Jared, was to Von Jakob Vineyard for our first tasting and lunch. We went to their Alto Pass location which is actually their second location. Ironically enough, the owner is an optometrist, Dr. Paul Jacobs, who's office is right next to my office in Carbondale. Their lunch menu was reasonably priced and everything sounded good. I had the antipasto panini (not sure what was in it but it tasted like a ham and cheese) which came with salad with a red wine vinaigrette and roasted potatoes.

One of the highlights of the winery is the large party room and the deck with an awesome view of their orchards.

At Von Jakob we got to taste 5 wines for free. My favorite taste was the Johnnathan Apple Wine made from local apples.

Source

Our next stop was Alto Vineyards, the first winery in Southern Illinois, that opened in 1987. They offered a $5 ticket for 6 tastes and the glass to take home. I loved the Vidal Blanc (a semi-dry white with hints of pear and pineapple) and Jaime treated us to a bottle. We sat outside at picnic tables and enjoyed live music from Giant City Slickers. Jaime thought one of their songs sounded like Mario music.

Our next stop was in Cobden at StarView Vineyards. First off, what a great name! and really cute bottles.

For $1 we got to taste 5 wines and for $2 more we got to keep our glasses. Their most popular wine is the Venus which they also serve as a slushy. We decided on Silver Star and took our bottle out to the deck overlooking the lake. More live music was provided by The Swamp Tigers, a self-proclaimed honky-tonk rockabilly band - and they sure did look it!

Brandon had never been to Owl Creek Vineyard so that was next on our trail. An employee let us know that Owl Creek had the first vineyards before Alto, which was the first winery. We paid $5 for a tasting and a souvenir glass.We really liked their red wines, their treetop deck and the largest wine glasses of the day.

By this time, it was getting late in the day. But, lucky for us Rustle Hill Winery stays open late. They are literally on a hill and have a beautiful amphitheater at the bottom. Jaime was all over the sangria but Kristen and I had to pass. I think next time we should bring our own wine and cheese and lightly graze as we go along instead of the one big meal.

While I'm no wine expert, I did enjoy all the tastings. One of the most prevalent grapes is the Chambourcin, which almost every winery had. Compared to the Virginia wineries I have tasted, these Midwestern wines seem very sweet to me - even the reds.  The sweet wines, fruit wines and the dessert wines were all very popular and featured on the menus. I had a great time and can't wait to go again.