Sue Bennett lends a hand unloading some of Richard Parks' grapes, which are destined to become Owl Creek wine. Parks, a psychiatrist, grows grapes for his retirement.

Farmers with more faith in divinity and Mother Nature than most of their brethren long have suffered her slings and arrows to grow apples, peaches and pears in Illinois. A growing number of them, however, are betting on grapes to put the kids through college.

Illinois has more than a dozen wineries (14 at the end of summer, with six more expected to join them by spring), but only about 120 acres of grapes growing. About 40 percent of the grapes used in Illinois wine are purchased from other states.

Less than one percent of all the wine sold in Illinois is produced here, said Southern Illinois winemaker Ted Wichmann, with 90 percent produced in California. "Yet Illinois ranks fourth in wine consumption," he noted.

This new industry's burgeoning here comes at a time when grapes and wine have surged in popularity, in part because researchers believe there are significant health benefits when enjoyed in moderate amounts. Researchers

Linda Roberts of Mount Zion and Susan Wissmiller of Cooksville sample Owl Creek wine. The pair had tickets for Southern Illinois University's homecoming game, but were lured instead to the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail. Roberts, a travel agent, said her Southern Illinois wine-tasting tour rivaled her experience on a recent tour she took to the wine region of France.

at the University of Illinois College of Pharmacy in Chicago say a compound in grape skins called resveratrol may be a potent cancer inhibitor. The compound appears to ward off fungal infections in nature, and may have a similar effect on cancer.

In order to meet the increasing demand, Bob Skirvin, professor of horticulture in the U of I Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, said a survey found Illinois grape growers plan to increase their grape acreage by 50 percent during the next two years. But, Skirvin says there's room for more growers.

"There's a real shortage in grapes right now," said Wichmann, who also grows the grapes at Owl Creek Vineyard near Cobden in Union County. Owl Creek, which is serviced by Southern Illinois Electric Cooperative, opened in December 1995. "Wineries are opening up faster than the vineyards can develop, because it takes three to five years before you can get a crop from a vineyard."

In 1995 and 1996, he said he bought about 50 percent of his grapes. In 1997, he only had to buy 40 percent of his grapes because he planted two new acres.

The typical vineyard produces about four tons of grapes per acre. In Illinois, 90 percent of the grapes are used to make wine, nine percent are sold as fresh fruit and one percent as juice, the U of I survey determined. Wichmann said a ton of grapes will produce about 150 gallons of wine, and there's about five bottles of wine per gallon, for about 750 bottles of wine.

Owl Creek Vineyard, which is about two years old, is part of the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail, a coalition that includes two other nearby wineries. They are Alto Vineyards and Winery run by Paul Renzaglia at Alto Pass, about a decade old, and Pomona Winery, about three years old. Pomona Winery capitalizes on Illinois' other fruit produce and avoids grape shortages by specializing in apple, peach and pear wines. Despite the fact that it is located off the beaten path deep in the woods several miles down a gravel road, owners George Majka and Jane Payne report having a steady stream of customers every weekend, about 1,300 between April and late summer.

Ted Wichmann, winemaker at Owl Creek Vineyard, near Cobden, inspects autumn grapes.

The winemakers' philosophy is that by banding together and marketing together, more tourists will be attracted to the area and they'll spend some money at each winery and at other local businesses.

"The industry wants to grow," says Skirvin, part of a research team that surveyed Illinois grape growers in a project funded by the Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research (CFAR).

Currently most of Illinois' wine is being made in the northern part of the state, although most of the vineyards are located in the southern portion. The state's oldest winery in Nauvoo has been in production for three generations.

A spate of publicity late last summer brought tourists — and inquiries from would-be growers. "There's a lot of people who want to get into grape growing, farmers who want to do it as a specialty crop, or whatever," said Wichmann. "Some of them contact me, but I don't have time to be a free consultant." He said a new council created by the legislature last year will take on that responsibility.

The Illinois Legislature joined states like Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Michigan, California, and New York in creating the Illinois Grape

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Brisk sales at Alto vineyards, located at Alto Pass, leave the rack in need of restocking. Alto Vineyards is one of several wineries which, make up the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail. Illinois wineries have faired well in regional and national competitions, as demonstrated by this collection of award winning wines bottled at Owl Creek Winery. Pomona Winery has collected an impressive assemblage of awards during its three-years of operation. The winery capitalizes on Illinois' produce by specializing in apple, peach and pear wines.

and Wine Council and gave it $200,000 for its first year. The council's mission is to assist the grape and wine industry in the state and encourage its growth. Growing more grapes isn't expected to make a significant impact on the state's agricultural economy, but it is expected to be significant for tourism. The council's funding comes though the Department of Tourism, an arm of the state's Department of Commerce and Community Affairs. The money may not be used on advertising.

The wine trail concept has paid off for Union County. "Two years ago there were no bed and breakfasts in Union County," said Wichmann. "Now there are six, and they're all interrelated to the wine industry." Wichmann sells 80 percent of his wine at the winery. He wholesales some to area liquor stores and a few restaurants mostly for the exposure, since he can make more profit on wine he sells direct to the customer.

"The main impact of this new industry to the Southern Illinois economy will come not in dollars spent solely on grapes and wine, but for the accompanying tourism dollars," Wichmann said.

The council's first priority, the survey indicated, was testing for new grape varieties that are more winter hardy and disease resistant as well as tasty.

Southern Illinois, part of the Ozark foothills, is unglaciated. "Most of Illinois down to just south of Carbondale was leveled by the glaciers. All of the limestone was just leveled off ... which means there's limestone in the soil and right under the soil. And that's why we have caves cause they're found in limestone," said Wichmann. "And also most of the grape-growing areas are on limestone base like this. The limestone adds calcium to the soil, which is really good for grape plants," he said.

Southern Illinois also is suited for grapes because it's blessed with a warmer, longer growing season, and the winters are milder. "Even so, cold hardiness is one of our biggest factors because it can get below zero, where temps can hurt vines. And, temps can be wildly different," said Wichmann. Sometimes the temperatures in Southern Illinois rise to a spring-like 50 degrees, luring plants into spring-like activity prematurely before the mercury plummets with an arctic blast.

A transplant from San Diego, Wichmann experimented with grapes for 17 years as a hobby while teaching outdoor experiential education at Southern Illinois University. "I've experimented with oh, maybe 20, 30 different varieties to narrow it down to a few that make the best wine, and are cold hardy enough and disease resistant."

Skirvin notes that some of the vines that produce the best grapes for wine do not overwinter well in Illinois. "So we need to find the cultivars making the most sense for the state's growers," he said. He also notes that growers are not interested in increasing yields, citing one California grower's experience with fertilizers and irrigation. The wine reportedly tasted as though it were made from bell peppers.

That's not the case with Illinois wineries, however. Most of Illinois' wineries have won regional and national competitions for the quality of their wines. "We tasted some truly spectacular wines," said Skirvin.

- Story and photos by Janeen Keener

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