Historic Joliet Cathedral neighborhood to host wine walk Sunday

Spend Sunday afternoon sampling wine while visiting historic homes in Joliet.

Joliet’s Cathedral Area Preservation Association will host its CAPA Wine Walk from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $50 and available now and up to the event.

Attendees may sample more than 20 wines from wineries in Joliet and Plainfield and enjoy food pairings by Joliet Junior College chef instructor Tim Bucci.

Featured wineries are Bishop’s Hill in Joliet, an artisanal winery that produces wine with “an old world feel to it,” according to the Bishop’s Hill website. Sable Creek in Plainfield also makes artisan wine using grapes “purchased from premier vineyards in California, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri and New York,” according to the Sable Creek website.

Don Ciesielski, CAPA president, said the association distributes event proceeds through the CAPA community in the form of scholarships and grants and even school book donations.

Ciesielski said CAPA families care about their community, and this is one way to show it. CAPA also provides informational support to other neighborhood associations.

“We all have a special interest in our neighborhoods and in being good neighbors by helping them out,” he said.

“If you have not visited the cathedral neighborhood, or if it’s been a long time. come down to the heart of the neighborhood.”

—  Don Ciesielski, CAPA president

CAPA was founded in 1982 to try to “stop the sudden flood of historic homes being turned into rental properties,” Ciesielski said.

“The founding people tried to create a pride in ownership and in preserving the historic nature of the properties,” he said. “It wanted to attract new people to the neighborhood, younger people who had an interest in buying a home with a history and raising a family in such a beautiful neighborhood.”

For those who can’t attend the wine walk, CAPA will host a beer walk on Oct. 7, he said. Ticket information will be available on Sept. 11, Ciesielski said, encouraging people to attend one or both events.

“If you have not visited the cathedral neighborhood, or if it’s been a long time, come down to the heart of the neighborhood,” Ciesielski said. “Get to see some of the beautiful homes and the diversity of the architecture while spending time with your friends and sampling wines from two local business – along with food pairings from Tim Bucci from JJC, who is also at the very heart of this city.”

IF YOU GO

WHAT: CAPA Wine Walk

WHEN: Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday

WHERE: Joliet’s Cathedral area neighborhood

ETC: Sample more than 20 wines with food pairings while visiting five historic homes and gardens.

TICKETS: $50. Purchase at eventbrite.com.

INFO: capajoliet.net