Illinois Wine Tour: Grafton Winery

(GRAFTON, Ill.) — Southwestern Illinois is a beautiful place to visit in the fall.

The clear blue skies, crisp air and a healthy mix of indoor & outdoor activities are easy to find.

Less than one hour outside of St. Louis, Missouri lays Grafton, Illinois. A town with a population of 650 that welcomes countless visitors every year.

Here, you’ll find the Grafton Winery. Its downtown location Grafton Winery & Brewhaus opened in December 2008, expanded in 2011 and added the Confluence Patio in 2013. The owners, Mike and Lori, began this journey in 2006 in Edwardsville, Illinois with a smaller boutique winery. Mike and Lori were great hosts and we were very happy to have met them!

My wife Rachel and I visited the more traditional winery 3 miles out of town called Grafton Winery “The Vineyards.” This location opened up in 2015.

The Vineyards location offers beautiful views, plenty of space, and delicious wines. In my photo above, you can see the staff are setting up for a wedding. The General Manager, Jameson, was kind enough to give us a behind-the-scenes tour of the production facility located inside the winery.

Grafton Winery boasts many production tanks and equipment, which provides an efficient way to press the grapes and bottle the wine. If you have a group of 10 or more, you all can get a full tour and learn how the product is made. Just email wineclub@thegraftonwinery.com if you are interested! You can learn more here on the Grafton Winery website.

Not only was the production equipment impressive, but so was the wine! Let’s dive into which wines we tried in our tasting.

I will note, the wine tastings here are 6 for $10. This is one of the best deals I’ve seen at any winery. Plus, each tasting is roughly 2 ounces I would say, so by the end you’ve enjoyed 2-3 glasses of wine for just $10. Plus, you get a nice souvenir glass to take home! This perk alone makes the tasting a wonderful deal.

Matt’s tasting:

1: Chardonel (dry white). Fermented with oak, this white wine is grown at the Vineyards location. This was a wonderful dry wine that can easily be enjoyed by someone who normally leans toward the sweeter wines.

2: Vignoles (Semi-sweet white). Also grown at the Vineyards location, the Vignoles to me is a classic Illinois semi-sweet. Its unique flavor, mixed with a balance of acidity and sweetness, offers a refreshing sipper for anyone.

3: Riverbend Red (semi-sweet red). This American red table wine was one of my favorites. So much so, that I got a bottle of it! The name honors the Riverbender area of Grafton, next to the Confluence of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. These scenic views bring people far and wide to the region.

4: Apple Crisp (fruit wine). This is the most award-winning wine at Grafton Winery. It’s unique, packed with plenty of flavor, and perfect for the summer and/or fall.

5: Raspberry Bubble (seasonal wine). This sparkling raspberry wine was probably the best sparkling wine I’ve ever had. I usually stray away from the bubbly wines, but I’m glad I tried this out because I really enjoyed it.

6: Sangria (seasonal). The Grafton Winery website says “This refreshing and fruity Sangria will take you to distant Spanish shores of tropical waters, cool ocean breeze, and relaxing shady palms.” It’s true!

My wife Rachel tried a few of the same wines I did in her tasting, but she also got a couple other flavors I have to mention!

7: Raspberry Kiss (dessert wine). To quote Rachel, “I need this in my life. We need this in our pantry.” So yes, you guessed it! I bought a bottle of this as well. With notes of raspberry and hints of chocolate, it was recommended we try this over ice cream or while eating chocolates. I am very excited to try this out!

8: Captain’s Blush (semi-sweet blush wine). With a bold fruit flavor, the Catawba grape makes this wine smooth and enjoyable. Grafton Winery says the Captain’s Blush is “ideal for the White Zinfandel enthusiasts.” So if that’s you, try this one out! This was the third bottle of wine I purchased.

9: Blackberry (fruit wine). A mix of juicy blackberries and currents make this a wonderful, sweet red wine. You can’t ever go wrong with blackberry wine!

10: Peach (fruit wine). A summer seasonal wine, the flavor of is clearly tasted and smelled for a refreshing glass.

If any of these wines tickle your fancy, you can find the link to shop here!

Now, let’s move on to the food!

For a starter, we got the Burrata. Served with heirloom tomatoes, balsamic and basil, the burrata (Italian cow milk cheese made from mozzarella and cream) was a nice start and way to cleanse our palates in between tastings.

But, the flatbreads stole the show. I got the Chicken Spinach Artichoke, which is as good as it sounds. Packed with chicken sausage, spinach artichoke dip, and topped with parmesan, this was one of the greatest flatbreads I’ve ever had.

Above you can see Rachel’s flatbread, called the Farm and Orchard. This has whipped goat cheese, chicken spinach sausage, house red onion jam, mozzarella, arugula, and crisp sliced apple atop it. She ate the whole thing, so it must have been good.

The Vineyards location is a perfect location for families, couples on a date, or a group of friends. Right across the street is the Eckert’s Grafton Farm location. Here you can explore the farm store, pick blackberries, peaches, apples and pumpkins and pet farm animals! Open Tuesday-Sunday, you can find more information here.

You can easily make a weekend getaway to Grafton, Illinois a memorable experience. Visit the Vineyards in the late morning or early afternoon, head downtown for some wonderful seafood, burgers and more, rent a boat if you’d like, and listen to live music! You can also head to Pere Marquette Lodge located in Pere Marquette State Park for gorgeous views, beautiful hikes and overlooks, a spectacular lodge, and great dining in the restaurant.

I want to thank Grafton Winery for being wonderful hosts to my wife Rachel and I. We were extremely impressed by the atmosphere, service, and quality of wine. We will absolutely be back!

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