Did you know that in the early 1900’s, Southern Illinois produced around 25% of the nations wine???.... Neither did Minty or me.
In search of some more information, Minty and I set out on a mission to locate one of the most talked about and visited vineyards in Southern Illinois . We left 625 Wham Drive on Saturday, April 10 around 1 p.m. It took us about 18 minutes but we finally made the 16.18 miles journey to Blue Sky Vineyard. On approaching the vineyard we were welcomed by the beautiful Tuscan themed entrance and hill of slowing wakening grape vines. Once we got out of the car, it was time to find out some more information. Minty decided to let me do all the talking, knowing the owners would probably understand what I was saying better than a bark. When we approached the beautiful bar area we were greeted by a warm employee and given the best information ever. We learned that Blue Sky Vineyard was founded in 2000. With the help from wine maker Karen Hand, it took the owners Barrett Rochman, Marilyn Rochman, and Jim Ewers 5 years of growing grapes and making wine, before they finally could open their doors in 2005. Another interesting thing about the location of Blue Sky Vineyard is that it is in the midst of the Shawnee Hills American Viticulture Area an area that is federally designated and recognized for its distinctiveness in grape growing. Blue Sky’s overall architecture and Tuscan design were created by Nancy Karen Brian, a tenured professor at California State University Fresno.
Overall our trip was successful. We were even fortunate enough to sample some of their award winning wines!
Miles Traveled (Round Trip): 32.36
Minty’s Total Miles Traveled: 3383.67
Latitude of Blue Sky: 37.578º or 37º North
Longitude of Blue Sky: -89.116º or 89º W
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