Uncork adventure: Sip your way through northern Illinois wineries

Forget Napa Valley, there’s a thriving wine scene maturing right here in our own backyard.

Nestled amidst rolling hills and charming towns, northern Illinois wineries offer a delightful escape for wine lovers and casual sippers alike. From award-winning varietals to scenic vineyards and welcoming tasting rooms, these wineries promise a relaxing and flavorful experience.

This guide will unveil some of the region’s finest wineries, highlighting their unique offerings and helping you plan your perfect wine weekend.

August Hill Winery

You can enjoy August Hill Winery wines at its tasting room in Utica, or visit its Peru vineyard, which hosts the Wine on the Hill and Cave Tasting events. The family-owned winery, which opened in 2002, serves a variety of crisp white wines, hearty reds and refreshing blush wines, as well as dessert wines and bubblies from its Illinois Sparkling Co. Some of the August Hill offerings include chardonel, vignoles, chambourcin, blackberry, caramel apple and more. Small bites are available at the tasting room, as are nonalcoholic drinks. Relax in their lounge area or on the patio. The tasting room is at 106 Mill St., Utica, and the vineyard is located at 21N 2551st Road, Peru. augusthillwinery.com

Bishops Hill Winery

You’ll feel like royalty when you step inside Bishops Hill Winery’s gorgeous castle building in Joliet. The property, which overlooks the Des Plaines River, was once the home of the Joliet Catholic Diocese. The castle-like structure that now holds the tasting room was built by a German brewmaster, and has been completely restored. Wine tastings are available on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Pizza and charcuterie trays are available for purchase. Bishops Hill offers a monthly wine-tasting class, as well as outdoor yoga classes. Some of Bishops Hill’s wines include reds like cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot and petite syrah; whites include chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and pinot grigio. 310 Bridge St., Joliet. bishopshill.com

Prairie State Winery

Opened in 1998 by two former teachers, Prairie State Winery in Genoa takes pride in its high-quality wines and friendly service. The winery produces more than 35 wines, including unique varietals not found elsewhere with Illinois-grown grapes. Some of the red wines available include Bacio Di Sole and Recovery Noir; white wines include Edelweiss and Honey Orange Blossom; and fruit and dessert wines include Prairie Fire, Cranberry and Honey Apple Crisp. The tasting room also offers craft cocktails, as well as paninis, flatbread, shareable snacks and more. Music in the Garden events are held in the wine garden on the second and fourth weekends of the warmer months. Prairie State Winery is located at 222 W. Main St., Genoa. prairiestatewinery.com

Fox Valley Winery

Fox Valley Winery specializes in small-batch handcrafted wines, available in its Oswego tasting room that’s filled with artwork from local artists. Relax on a couch in the warm and inviting tasting room, or sip outside on the spacious patio. Fox Valley Winery offers traditional varietals such as merlot and syrah, as well as fruit wines like cranberry and apple, dessert wines and sweet wines. Live bands perform there. 59 Main St., Oswego. foxvalleywinery.com

Galena Cellars

Galena is always a popular spot for a weekend getaway, and while you’re there, stop by Galena Cellars’ downtown tasting room or countryside vineyard. The family-owned winery opened in a restored 1840s granary building in Galena in 1985, and the Lawlor family purchased a farm outside the city in 1990 to begin growing their own grapes. Wines include dry reds like cabernet sauvignon, Eric the Red and petite syrah; white wines include Seyval White and moscato, along with fruit wines like Caramel Apple, Cherry and Honey Rhubarb. Sparkling, holiday and dessert wines are also available. The vineyard hosts live music on weekends, where you also can enjoy the view of the Galena countryside while sipping a glass of wine. The downtown Galena tasting room offers live music, as well as signature cocktails, shareable plates, sandwiches, flatbreads, salads and more. The downtown tasting room is at 111 N. Main St., Galena, and the vineyard is located at 4746 N. Ford Road, Galena. galenacellars.com

Waterman Winery

Waterman Winery and Vineyards, located in southern DeKalb County, has a 12-acre vineyard with 40 varieties of red and white grapes from which they produce their award-winning wines. The winery produces 20 varieties of unique, hand-crafted regional wines, including Royal Red, DeKalb Red, Waterman Red and several other sweet and dry reds. White wines include Wine Dog White, DeKalb County Niagara and Reflection. Waterman Winery also produces seasonal fruit wines like Harvest Pumpkin and Cherrylicious. Self-guided vineyard tours and wine tastings are available on Saturdays and Sundays. The winery is located at 11582 Waterman Road, Waterman. watermanwinery.com

Acquaviva Winery

Located in the western Kane County village of Maple Park, Acquaviva is a family-owned winery located on an 85-acre vineyard. The 20,000-square-foot facility includes their wine production area, which is visible to the public, a tasting bar and pizza bistro with foods paired to accompany the wines. Acquaviva produces a wide variety of red, white and specialty wines. Some of the varieties include reds like Don Giuseppe 2019, Piacere 2020 and Marquette 2020, and whites such as Fiora Della Vigna 2018, Donna Mia 2019 and Bianco Bello 2019. 47W614 Illinois Route 38, Maple Park. acquavivawinery.com

Additional wineries in northern Illinois include Fergedaboutit Vineyard & Winery, located in the small Jo Daviess County village of Hanover; Rocky Waters Winery, also located in Hanover; Massbach Ridge Winery in Elizabeth, Illinois, about 30 minutes from Galena; Vigneto del Bino Winery in north suburban Antioch; Sable Creek Winery with its new location in Romeoville and Lynfred Winery in suburban Roselle.