Wineries abundant in the region

River Ridge Winery

River Ridge Winery in Commerce has expanded over the years. There is a pavilion where visitors and drink wine and dine in the shade, and there's a two-tiered patio with a fire pit. In the Fermentation Room Cafe, people can see how they make wine while they enjoy a lunch at the winery.

Musical entertainment is scheduled from every Saturday and Sunday through October. The winery is open year-round.

The winery gift shop has candles, gourmet foods, wine totes, wine racks, picnic baskets, wall decor, paintings, pictures and murals, linens, wine glasses, decanters and lots of wine- and grape-related gifts.

Just four miles from River Ridge Winery is the Yule Tide Cabin at 7634 Highway N. The cabin has an enormous selection of ornaments and Christmas decorations. The setting is down a winding lane to the log cabin in the woods. Visitors open their car doors and immediately get a fresh breath of balsam.

Both River Ridge locations are just 20 minutes from Cape Girardeau.

Crown Vallery Winery

Crown Valley Winery is located on Route WW near Coffman, 13 miles west of Ste. Genevieve Exit #150 (Ozora Exit) on Interstate 55. Nestled in rolling hills, the winery is about 62 miles north of Cape Girardeau.

Through the double-doors at the rear of the gift shop, visitors can walk a stone bridge that overlooks the wine storage and fermentation area.

The winery has a professional winemaker, a native of France.

Crown Valley Winery is open seven days a week, and deli-style lunch is served daily. Directions from Cape: north on I-55, take the Ozora exit, turn left and cross I-55, right on Route N, right on Route P, left on Route B, left on Route WW and the winery is 1/4-mile on the right.

Sainte Genevieve Winery

Sainte Genevieve Winery is located in the historic district of Ste. Genevieve. The tasting room is located in a beautiful 5,000-square-foot, turn-of-the century home at 245 Merchant St.

Sainte Genevieve Winery is a family-owned business established in 1984 by Chris and Hope Hoffmeister. Their daughter, Elaine Mooney, recently returned to the winery after studying wine-making at California State University at Fresno.

Charlesville Vineyards

Charleville Vineyards has a tasting room and gift shop at North Main and Washington streets in Ste. Genevieve. The winery is owned by Jack and Joall Russell. The winery is about 25 miles west of Ste. Genevieve near Coffman in an area historically known as Clearwater.

Cave Vineyard

Cave Vineyard derives its name from the saltpeter cave on the property. According to local folklore, the cave was used by Jesse James as a hideout after he robbed the Ste. Genevieve bank in 1873. Today, the cave is inhabited primarily by wine enthusiasts enjoying the sounds of a babbling brook and the taste of quality wines.

Marty and Mary Jo Strussion care for the 14 acres of grapes on the property. The Strussions operate one of the newest wineries in the region.

The rich and romantic heritage of France runs deep at Chaumette Vineyards in the heart of Ste. Genevieve County. Just a few miles from the historic river port, amid graceful hills, luxurious views and carefully tended vines, Chaumette is located on 310 acres of lush meadows and quiet splendor. The owner is Hank Johnson.

The winery is at 24345 Route WW. The two-lane road takes you south from the main highway through shaded groves of oak trees and stands of elm, maple and dogwood.

Tower Rock Winery

Tower Rock Winery is a quaint getaway at Altenburg-Frohna in the rolling hills of southern Perry County. It's near the Mississippi River, off I-55, south of Ste. Genevieve and Perryville, and north of Cape Girardeau and Jackson.

Bob and Cheryl Breuer operate Tower Rock Winery. More than 1,200 grape vines produce red and white French hybrid wines, as well as seasonal fruit wines.

An attractive garden is just outside the winery. It's a great spot for family and friends to gather and enjoy the scenery and atmosphere. The garden is well-suited for wedding receptions.

Picnic in the vineyard, which is part of the Ozark Mountain viticulture area. Tower Rock Winery features a light picnic fare of locally-made cheeses and sausages.

Shawnee Hills Wine Trail

The Shawnee Hills Wine Trail has become a tourist destination in nearby Southern Illinois.

Alto Vineyards and Winery was the first in the area, and has received over 200 wine competition medals over the past 12 years. Other wineries in the area include Owl Creek Winery, Pomona Winery, Von Jakob Vineyards, Inheritance Valley Vineyards and Winghill Winery.

Owners of the five wineries, which have teamed to form the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail Association, agree that the area's wineries have breathed some new interest in the area's economics.

The Illinois Grape and Wine Resources Council estimates the wine from Shawnee Hills wineries results in a $3 million boost to the local economy.

Alto Vineyards of Alto Pass has been recognized as one of the "Best of the East" wineries in a millennium tasting contest by "Vineyard and Winery Management," a national magazine of the grape and wine industries that sponsored the competition.

The Shawnee Hills Wine Trail offers wine tastings and scenic rolling hills punctuated with trellised rows of grapevines.

It's the kind of wine trail you would find in the formative years of the California wine industry, according to Paul Jacobs, an optometrist-turned-vintner, who with his wife, Rhoda, opened Von Jakob Vineyard in 1997.

Von Jakob winery

The Von Jakob Winery produces as many as 17 different varieties featuring dry wine, white blushes, ports and chardonels.

The Jacobs attribute the success of the area wineries to Shawnee Hill Wine Trail Association. Because of the proximity of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, the trail draws many international visitors -- from Germany, France, England and elsewhere.

Ponoma Winery

At the neighboring Pomona Winery, apples are the principal fruit of choice for winemaking. The region enjoys a fine reputation for its apple orchards and the winery uses locally harvested apples as well as Illinois-grown strawberries, peaches and blueberries.

George Majka and Jane Payne, both trained as psychologists, founded Pomona Winery in 1991 and released the first wine in 1993. Many of its wines, including six apple wines (ranging from semi-dry Jonathan Oak-Aged Reserve to sweet, aromatic Orchard Spice), won medals in national and international competitions.

Pomona Winery sits deep in the Shawnee Hills. Nearby is the Pomona Natural Bridge, with a span of 90 feet that measures between 6 feet and 9 feet wide. It crosses a trickling stream and is one of only a handful of natural bridges in the United States.

Owl Creek Vineyards

Owl Creek Vineyards occupies a European-style stucco winery surrounded by a 2-acre vineyard. Founded in 1995 by Ted Wichmann, it makes all of its wines from grapes grown in Southern Illinois. These include a dry red estate wine (made entirely from grapes cultivated at Owl Creek); a dry, white, oak-aged Vidal made in a French chardonnay style; and a fruity, semi-sweet white blend. The winery features a wine tasting, gift shop and an atrium with a fireplace for special occasions.

Winghill Winery

Winghill Winery opened in February 2000. It is owned by Judith and Richard Parks of Cobden and specializes in estate-grown wines. It features a free wine tasting, gift shop, and offers a gallery for local artists to display their work.

Inheritance Valley Winery

The newest addition to the wine trail is Inheritance Valley Vineyards, which opened in May 2003. Owned by Tim and Kendall Waller, the business earned its name from a loan against an inheritance.

Inheritance Valley features nine wines, including three from the Chambourcin grape, as well as a Seyval Blanc, chardonel, a blush and a port. Limited seasonal wines are also available, including peach.

The winery uses a German-style process and is one of the rare wineries selling 325 ml bottles.