2010 Illinois Wine Events
May
15
Art of
Illinois
Wine Festival. Looking
for a way to taste some of the best of
Illinois
wine without spending a weekend driving all over the state? The Illinois
Grape Growers and Vintners Association (IGGVA), Downtown Springfield
Inc. (DSI), and the Old Capitol Foundation are teaming up again to offer
the third annual Art of Illinois Wine Garden from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, May 15 and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 16 in Downtown
Springfield. Featuring 20
Illinois
wineries, the event is open to anyone 21 years of age or older and will
be held at the southwest corner of Fifth and Jefferson Streets in
downtown
Springfield
. Admission is $10, which includes a wine glass and five sampling
tickets. Wine may also be purchased by the glass, bottle and case. And
if the wine alone isn’t enough to bring you for a visit, the festival
is situated right next to the Old
Capitol Art Fair. Almost 50 years old, it’s one
of the most popular, juried art fairs in the country. Originally
developed to contribute to the community’s cultural, social, and
economic growth, the Fair has become an acknowledged success and a model
for fairs in other cities. Some of the wineries that will be on hand
include August Hill Winery (
Utica
), Prairie State Winery (
Genoa
), Mary Michelle Winery (Carollton), Pheasant Hollow Winery
(Whittington), Shawnee Winery (
Vienna
) and Baxters Winery (Nauvoo). You can get the whole list from the Illinois
Grape Growers and Vintners Association website.
You can
let Amtrak do the driving if you’re on the Chicago-St.
Louis corridor, and if you want to spend the night,
there are three
hotels within walking distance of
the festival site.
More
info:
Art
of Illinois Wine event page on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=116739811675440
Downtown
Springfield, Inc. (DSI) on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/DowntownSpringfieldInc
Illinois
Grape Growers and
Vintners Association
www.illinoiswine.com
Old
State
Capitol Foundation
http://www.oldstatecapitol.org/foundation.htm
Old
Capitol Art Fair
http://www.socaf.org/
