Hit the trail for a day of wine-tastings in the Shawnee Hills

More than two decades after Guy Renzaglia and several partners started Alto Vineyards and Winery in the hills just north of Alto Pass, Ill., the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail has become a tourist destination in Southern Illinois. The wine trail is a pleasant drive along the winding roads in Jackson and Union counties, surrounded by lush vegetation and, of course, rows and rows of vineyards.

All five award-winning wineries along the trail are just a few minutes from each other. Enjoy five different wineries on a single day trip or spread out your visits over a long weekend. Each of the wineries offers picnic areas for you to enjoy a lunch or snacks with an award-winning Southern Illinois wine.

Here's a guide to the region's offerings:

Alto Vineyards and Winery produces some of the finest wines in the United States. The wines have won more than 300 medals in national and international competitions since the first vintage in 1988.

The family-owned winery and vineyard are located in the foothills of the beautiful Shawnee National Forest.

"We offer a wide selection of premium wines that compare favorably to any other wine in the world," says co-owner Paul Renzaglia.

The winery recently won a Jefferson Cup Award in the National Invitational Wine Competition held in Kansas City. About 500 wineries in the country were invited to send wines to the competition.

Renzaglia says the winery has a new offering -- Rocko Red, a semi-dry red wine -- and a newly landscaped outdoor area. Visitors will enjoy the tasting rooms and gift shops. Sample a wide assortment of locally-produced wines and browse through the gift shops featuring regional arts and crafts, gourmet food, gift baskets, T-shirts and wine-related items.

Other wineries in the area include Owl Creek Winery, Pomona Winery, Von Jakob Vineyards and Winery, Inheritance Valley and Winghill Winery. Owners of five of the six wineries form the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail Association, and all owners agree that the area's wineries have breathed some new interest in the regional economy.

Production at the six wineries in the Shawnee Trail area should be well over the 150,000-bottle mark this year. The wineries offer wine tastings overlooking scenic, rolling hills punctuated with trellised rows of grapevines. It's the kind of wine trail you would find in the formative years of the California wine industry, said Paul Jacobs, who with his wife, Rhoda, opened Von Jakob Vineyard in 1997.

The Von Jakob Winery produces as many as 20 different varieties featuring dry wine, white blushes, ports and Charnels.

"We get visitors from across the sea and from all over the U.S.," says employee Alex Adams. "Illinois has plenty of highways and a lot of them lead here."

The winery has a banquet area that can seat as many as 800 people, and a new kitchen has been built so the winery can cater group events.

At Pomona Winery, apples are the principal fruit of choice for winemaking. The region enjoys a fine reputation for its apple orchards and the winery uses locally harvested apples as well as Illinois-grown strawberries, peaches and blueberries in its products.

George Majka and Jane Payne founded Pomona Winery in 1991 and released the first wine in 1993. Many of its wines, including six apple wines (ranging from semi-dry Jonathan Oak-Aged Reserve to sweet, aromatic Orchard Spice), won medals in national and international competitions.

Pomona Winery sits deep in the Shawnee Hills. Nearby is the Pomona Natural Bridge, with a span of 90 feet. It crosses a trickling stream and is one of only a handful of natural bridges in the United States.

Grapevines dot the landscape around Southern Illinois.

Owl Creek Vineyards occupies a European-style stucco winery surrounded by a two-acre vineyard. Founded in 1995 by Ted Wichmann, it makes all of its wines from grapes grown in Southern Illinois. These include a dry red estate wine made entirely from grapes cultivated at Owl Creek; a dry, white, oak-aged Vidal made in a French Chardonnay style; and a fruity, semi-sweet white blend.

Winghill Winery, which opened in 2000, is home to five peacocks of the India Blue and pure white varieties, which have been known to take an occasional stroll through the vineyard. The winery itself is in a large red barn and features a tasting room/gift shop combined with an art gallery for local artisans to show and sell their work.

Inheritance Valley Vineyards and Winery is the most recent member of the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail Association. It is owned by Tim and Kendall Waller.

"The first vines at Inheritance Valley Vineyards were planted in 1997. Since then, the vineyards have been expanded to include seven varieties of wine grapes, three varieties of seedless table grapes and several varieties of fruits and berries," Tim Waller said.

Waller says the winery began producing commercial wines during the 2002 harvest and opened for sales a year later.

"Our goal is to provide quality wines to be enjoyed by a diverse group of wine drinkers. We believe this is best accomplished by keeping things as simple as possible," he said.

Visitors can start the wine trail adventure from either end, or jump on somewhere in the middle. Rolling hills and picturesque vistas are the backdrop for the various vineyards and wineries along the way. The Shawnee National Forest provides some of the most beautiful scenery in the Midwest. There are several bed-and-breakfast establishments along the way, as well as antique shops to round out a full day or a weekend trip.

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Shawnee Hills Wine Trail Association

Alto Vineyards and Winery -- Highway 127, north of Alto Pass, Ill. First wine in 1988. Owned by Renzaglia family. Open 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Favorite wines: Chambourcin, dry red; and a white Chardonel.

Owl Creek Vineyards -- 2655 Water Valley Road, Cobden, Ill. Opened in 1995. Open noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday. Owned by Ted Wichmann. Favorite wines: Water Valley White, a semi-sweet; Owl's Leap, a dry red.

Von Jakob Vineyard -- 1309 Sadler Road, Pomona, Ill. Owned by Dr. Paul and Rhoda Jacobs. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Favorite wines: Traminette Estate Bottle, a semi-sweet; and Chardonel, a dry.

Pomona Winery -- 2865 Hickory Ridge Road, Pomona, Ill. Fruit wines (apple, peach, strawberry, blueberry). Owned by George Majka and Jane Payne. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Favorite wines: Jonathan Oak-Age Reserve, apple wine; and Orchard Spice, a dessert wine.

Inheritance Winery -- 5490 Route 127 North, Cobden, Ill. Owned by Tim and Kendall Waller. Open Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. The vineyards and winery are easy to find, just two miles south of Alto Pass or seven miles north of Jonesboro. Or you can leave Cobden going west on Poplar Street, which becomes Aldridge Road, to the intersection with Route 127.