Join me at American Winery Guide as I visit a local winery, Danenburger Family Vineyards.
Three friends have traveled about 90 miles from Saint Louis to spend a few days in Springfield, Illinois, the nearest city to Danenburger Family Vineyards, where they start their weekend at the tasting bar. Another customer, who will later reveal himself as a local enthusiast, enjoys a chilled bottle of white wine at a small table with a very relaxed winery dog at his feet.
It’s just-this-side of the weekend, about 2:00 on a Friday afternoon. It’s just-this-side of spring with a winter-leftover chill on the wind and intense clouds fighting off the sun. The mood inside Danenburger is welcoming; as if it’s time for a before-the-kids-come-home glass of wine to start the weekend. Grace, Event Coordinator & Tasting Room Manager, pours my tasting and chats about the estate; she also makes recommendations and warmly converses with the group from St. Louis. This convivial, enthusiastic and informative tone continues when Susan Danenburger, owner and winemaker, enters the tasting room and says hello.
From the Danenburger website:
Some have said that you can’t grow quality wine grapes in Central Illinois, but they don’t know our secrets. Hundreds of our Vinifera, French-American hybrids and American hybrid vines can’t be wrong. They love the minerals in our soil and the constant breeze keeping them disease-free. The added bonus is our special organic fertilizer with a top-secret technique.
For the full story, please visit American Winery Guide.
There you’ll discover what I learned when I was invited into secret rooms at the winery, how Illinois farmland produces award-winning vines, see a cute puppy and of course, read about the wines I tasted.
L'OCCASION 