Illinois Grape Growers 2012 Annual Conference Awards
The Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association 2012 Conference was held this past weekend in Springfield, Illinois. Over 250 growers, vintners and enthusiasts attended the conference. At the awards ceremony the following 2012 recipients were honored:
Friend of The Wine Industry: Larry Aldag, Illinois Department of Agriculture. Larry recently retired after 36 years of devoted service.
Vineyard of The Year: Barb and John Harp, Two Oaks Vineyard, Benton, Illinois. Known for exceptional Cabernet Franc and Muscat.
Enologist of the Year: Karen Hand, Blue Sky Vineyard. Affable multiple award-winning winemaker at Southern Illinois’ largest winery.
Lifetime Achievement Award: Christine Lawlor-White, Galena Cellars Winery. A pioneer of the Illinois and Iowa wine industries who now runs a 60,000 gallon/year winery. One of the first women in the United States to earn an enology degree in 1976.
IGGVA President Larry Morgenstern also mentioned Mark Wenzel of August Hill Winery and Denny Franklin of Pheasant Hollow Winery as Illinois wine industry innovators. Wenzel formed the Illinois Sparkling Company during 2012 and Franklin created a Vignoles ice wine.
Look for a report on Tim Hanni’s IGGVA Conference presentation on wine sweetness perceptions later this month in Midwest Wine Press.
