Southern Illinois Wine Country and the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail require a 5-6 hour drive from Chicago, but it is a trip worth taking. No matter what your level of experience, there is a lot to do, learn and taste in Southern Illinois Wine Country.

My favorite wineries seemed to have several characteristics in common. I enjoyed wineries that had a welcoming and knowledgeable staff, did not force you to make specific wine tasting selections, and had a relaxed atmosphere. I hope you find this information about Southern Illinois Wine Country to be informative.

Southern Illinois Wine Country – Favorites
Pomona Winery
Owl Creek Vineyard
Hogg Hollow Winery
Southern Illinois Bed & Breakfast

For more information about Southern Illinois Wine Country, visit the official Shawnee Hills Wine Trail website.

The Shawnee Hills Bed & Breakfast is located on a sprawling property that features 3 ponds, hiking trails and a cave where Daniel Boone etched his name into the stone. For breakfast you can choose to have a stomach pleasing full-service breakfast in the main house or you may request a smaller but equally filling tray for you to bring back to your room. The innkeepers also provided ample drinks and snacks available at all hours of the day.

One thing that I particularly appreciated about the Shawnee Hill Bed & Breakfast was that the rooms are fully detached from the main house and each room has a private bathroom.

For more information about Shawnee Hill Bed & Breakfast, visit their Southern Illinois Bed & Breakfast website.

Shawnee Hill Bed & Breakfast
Phone: 618-893-2211
290 Water Valley Road
Cobden, Illinois 62920

Note: The location as displayed on Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, etc, is incorrect.

Hogg Hollow is a family owned business that was started by two friends. After learning to brew wine in their basement, the tandem decided to go big and open their own winery. A few years later, they have assembled one of the tastiest lists of wine in Southern Illinois Wine Country.

The staff at Hogg Hollow Winery is all family and everyone seemed to love what they were doing. The Hogg’s were even gracious enough to give us a quick tour of their facility so that we could learn a bit more about the wine making process.

If you’re staying at one of the Bed & Breakfasts along the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail, you’ll need to make a small trip to get to Hogg Hollow, but it will be a trip well rewarded.

For more information visit the official Hogg Hollow Winery website.

When we arrived at Owl Creek Vineyard we were greeted by happy puppy who dropped a ball at my feet. I tossed the ball into the grape vines and he happily ran off to retrieve his toy. After a few more games of fetch, we headed inside and upstairs to the tasting room.

After tasting their entire menu of wines and their specially made sangria, we bought a bottle and took a seat outside on their deck. There is currently a deck expansion underway, but there was no construction going on while we were there. The deck provides a great place to sit and relax after a long day of wine tasting.

For more information visit the official Owl Creek Vineyard website.

The staff at Pomona Winery was very informative and they led us through their entire wine list. As they poured, they would teach us a bit, talking a lot about the types of food that would complement each wine. All of the wines at Pomona were delicious and it was a great way to start our day on the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail.

With their unique variety of fruit and desert wines, knowledgeable staff and friendly atmosphere, Pomona Winery is one of the sure-fire stops on your trip to Southern Illinois Wine Country.

For more information visit the official Pomona Winery website.