John Marshall: Frost Damage Protection for the Small Grower
Here in Minnesota and across much of the Upper Midwest we have had two dramatic frost damage events in the past year and a half. One on Mother’s Day Weekend in Spring 2010 and...
Category: Illinois
Illinois Wine Census Starts When 2012 Ball Drops
The Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association (IGGVA) has won a USDA grant to conduct a census of the state’s vineyards and wineries according to Megan Pressnall, the IGGVA’s Director of External Relations. The...
Midwest Wine Appearing in More Top Restaurants
The event was an upscale food expo in Cleveland. I was pouring wine samples; the fellow pouring at the next table owned an award-winning winery in northeast Ohio. Our conversation turned to restaurant wine...
Chardonel or Chardonnay? Herman’s Liquors Helps Midwest Wine Clients Decide
Often, it’s hard to find a parking spot at Herman’s Liquor Store in Ottawa, Illinois. The lines at the check out counter, always managed by at least two friendly and knowledgeable staff, attest to...
Petite Amie Wine Romances Midwest Winemakers
Cuthills Vineyards owner Ed Swanson has had a girlfriend for six years, and his wife Holly knows all about it. But Swanson’s paramour is not a human; it’s a white wine grape called Petite Amie, which...
TTB Approves Names of Midwest Varietals
Effective November 28, 2011, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau approved the names of certain varietals as requested by various breeders, vineyards and wineries in the Midwest. Under the TTB ruling,...
Illinois Grape Growers Association Hosts Cold Climate Grapes Meeting
On November 18, approximately 30 grape growers and winemakers met at Fox Valley Winery in Oswego, Illinois to discuss growing cold climate grapes Northern Illinois. Moderating the meeting was Jeff Pankow, the Northern Region Chair of the...
Are Kids Taking Over the Region’s Wineries?
It may not be a corked bottle or a spider seeking refuge in the tasting room that sends visitors running from the region’s wineries— it might be unruly kids. Bill Skvarla, owner of Harmony...
Domaine Berrien Rolls Out Kegs at Chicago’s Farmhouse
The first Illinois restaurant to offer Michigan wine by the keg is Farmhouse Tavern in Chicago which opened in September. Wine from Domaine Berrien Cellars in Berrien Springs, Michigan is brought to Farmhouse by Chicago based...
Illinois Wine and Beer Associations Work Together To Improve Regulations
A legislative reception in the Illinois state capital of Springfield last week was jointly sponsored by the Illinois Grape Growers Association (IGGVA) and the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild according to a letter from IGGVA...