August Hill Winery, Illinois Sparkling Co. of Peru win trophy, 12 medals at state contest

August Hill Winery and Illinois Sparkling Co. were winners at the 2024 Illinois State Fair Wine Competition, this past week in Springfield.

ISC Demi Sec Rosé won the Governor’s Cup Sparkling Wine trophy, Best of Class and a Double Gold medal. This wine is a traditional method sparkling wine, which means the bubbles come from a second fermentation within the bottle. The wine is made with Frontenac grapes from August Hill Winery’s vineyard in Peru and pairs well with a wide variety of foods including BBQ ribs, garlic chicken, and even s’mores.

August Hill Winery and ISC submitted 12 wines to the competition, and all 12 wines received medals.

August Hill Winery’s La Belle Rosé and Chambourcin Rosé wines both received Double Gold medals. Gold Medals were awarded to August Hill Chambourcin Reserve, ISC Brut Ombré Rosé and ISC Sec. Silver Medals were awarded to ISC Brut, ISC Blend 795, ISC Ruby Red and August Hill Apple Infusion; Bronze Medals were awarded to August Hill Chardonel and ISC Extra Brut.

Also, August Hill Winery released four new wines in 200 milliliter cans, perfect for your summer picnics and adventures: Berlyn, a semi-dry red wine; Blanc, a dry white wine; Mardi Gras, a sweet bubbly blush wine; and Mimosa, a OJ and white wine cocktail.

These winning wines, as well as the many other wines offered by August Hill & ISC, are available at two locations this summer. The Wine on the Hill location in Peru, is where the winery and vineyard are located; this location is open seasonally, every Saturday and Sunday afternoon through October. The Tasting Room is located at 106 Mill St., Utica, and is open daily, year-round.

August Hill Winery and Illinois Sparkling Co. are owned by Mark and Teri Wenzel. Mark Wenzel and Sarah Hall are the winemakers for August Hill and ISC. For more information, visit augusthillwinery.com and iscbubbly.com.