Southern Illinois Shawnee Hills Wine Trail
Wine Tasting available at 11 Wineries, all located within 25 minutes of Makanda Inn & Cottages
Blue markers denote Shawnee Hills Wine Trail Vineyards, burgundy markers are other wineries in the area. Make the rounds and do some Wine Tasting.
The Shawnee Hills Wine Trail is within the Shawnee Hills AVA. The AVA stands for American Viticultural Area. These are areas recognized as unique grape growing regions. In 2006 the Shawnee Hills AVA was established.
Areas like this receive their designation from the Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau. The area is approximately 2,140 square miles between the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.
The Shawnee National Forest provides an incredible setting while visiting the Wineries on the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail. Our bed and breakfast Inn & Cottages property in Southern Illinois is centrally located for visiting all of the eleven wineries on the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail.
The Wine Trail has a lot of activities.
The trail offers a variety of venues, many offering live weekend entertainment. The selection of wines varies greatly too, from apple based, fruit based, and of course many versions of traditional wines.
Take a long weekend to get away from the daily grind and have time to visit all the wineries on the trail. Makanda Inn & Cottages is the perfect place to hit the whole trail and relax after a strenuous day of wine tasting.
Going out for a day to the wineries, leave the driving to someone else:
Shawnee Shuttle – 618-201-4841
Jillian is great for a couple or small groups. She has been providing transportation for the wine trail for many years and is fully versed in the area.
Wrightway Transportation – 618-893-2941
A local company out of Anna, IL. We used this company when the owner of the property was here with a group of friends. This company can handle larger groups. Check them out on Facebook.
Click Here for Other transportation options shown on Starviews Website – scroll down for the list
Here are the 11, and many are Award winning, Wineries on the Trail:
Alto Vineyard
The original winery in Southern Illinois. You are bound to find a wine you like here from the great variety Alto offers.
With rooftop deck seating and lots of outdoor space, it is a nice place to relax and enjoy the wine.
Great place for beautiful sunset viewing too! Looking for a place to have your wedding this is a great venue. Light fare menu items are available.
Blue Sky Vineyard
A favorite among our guests, this Winery is a picturesque facility with Italian tones.
You will definitely want to put this one on your list of places to visit. The best part, we usually have coupons available.
This is also a great option for a wedding, and we get a lot of folks staying with us for that reason. Blue Sky also serves food.
Hedman Vineyards
Great wine and great food with a Swedish flare.
Go for the wine tastings and follow up with a meal at the Peach Barn Cafe.
The barn has been recently updated and has a large tasting room with lots of tables. You can even play a game of chess while you are there.
They also have an outdoor pavilion. This can also be a good venue for events like business dinners, rehearsal dinners, or holiday parties.
Hickory Ridge Vineyard
Intimate and cozy in a beautiful setting and of course, wonderful wines.
Family owned and operated all wines are estate grown.
You are encouraged to bring a picnic lunch and just relax and enjoy the surroundings.
Book a four-night stay in our West End Cottage, and you will get a complimentary picnic you can take there.
Honker Hill Winery
Live music and an outdoor fireplace. Nice scenery, Honker Hill is a fun place to visit.
Kite Hill Vineyards
Kite Hill Vineyards is yet another fantastic place to go and taste some wine.
You are bound to find something you like here. We were very impressed with the wines we tasted and had a good time chatting with Jim.
He and Barb are the owners. We have gotten to know them also through our local lodging association as well.
The tasting room has a nice deck that overlooks a pond with lots of turtles.
Feather Hill’s Vineyard & Winery
Another small and intimate winery with good wine.
We were there wine tasting on a June day and the breeze outside on the deck was really nice.
Like so many of the vineyards in the area, the setting is beautiful, comes with the territory I guess.
You can buy a bottle and settle in for a delightful afternoon. They have live entertainment scheduled most weekends as well.
Owl Creek Vineyard
Owl Creek is known for its hard cider.
This venue has a great outdoor multilevel deck with an old flatbed truck at the bottom, it’s used as a stage by their entertainers.
Pick a day when there is a band you like and enjoy the wooded surroundings.
They do serve food as well if you are getting a bit hungry.
Pomona Winery
If George does your wine tasting, it will be a memorable experience. Often praised, Pomona is the only winery who makes all its wine from non-grape fruits.
The wines range from dry to sweet and are surprisingly complex.
The building is made from all recycled wood and is in a beautiful wooded setting.
They are fine with you bringing your own cheese and crackers for snacking while sitting outside.
Starview Vineyards
Brett and Regina, like us, hail from the East.
Previously from Pennsylvania, they are now living and loving Southern Illinois.
The property is beautiful and has lots of outdoor seating on the deck and lawn, both of which overlook a pond where you can feed the fish.
They do an excellent job, with Regina in the front and Brett usually behind the scenes perfecting his vintner skills. Their wines are some of the best in the area, we love wine tasting there whenever we get the chance. They do serve food and have weekend entertainment too!
Von Jakob Winery & Brewery
Now has a pub and always has something going on. The midway stop on the western side of the wine trail it is a great place to pull in for a bite and some wine or beer.
Some other notable wineries not on the trail, Monte Alegre Wines, Walker’s Bluff, Bella T Winery, and Lincoln Heritage Winery.
