Robert Skirvin and Alan Otterbacher
Urbana, IL
September 11, 1997
The Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research (C-FAR) has funded a research project to evaluate and expand the Illinois grape and wine industry. The University of Illinois research team working on this project, Bob Skirvin, Alan Otterbacher, Ken McPheeters, and Mosbah Kushad, recently prepared a questionnaire and made on-site visits to several grape growers and most of the wineries in the state.
The questionnaire was designed to survey grape growers and winemakers about the state of their industry and their plans for the future. About 125 surveys were mailed out; one third responded. Based on the tabulations there are approximately 120 acres of producing vineyards in the state of Illinois. There are plans for the acreage to increase by at least 50% over the next two years. Most (90%) of the grapes grown in Illinois are used to make wine; the remainder will be sold as either fresh fruit (9%) or juice (1%). The other survey results regarding cultivar selection, vineyard establishment practices, pest control, and harvesting techniques will be summarized and presented to members of the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association at an upcoming meeting.
Geographically most of the vineyards are found in the southern third of Illinois. There are at least 14 wineries in the state of Illinois and most of the wine is made in the northern third of the state. However, southern Illinois produces significant quantities, too. Illinois produces some outstanding wines; most Illinois wineries have won awards in both regional and national competitions for the quality of their wines. The oldest winery (in Nauvoo, IL) has been in production for three generations. The newest wineries will begin marketing their products in the fall of 1997.
The state of Illinois has recently established the Illinois Grape and Wine Council to assist the grape and wine industries and encourage their development. The results of the survey will aid in the establishment of research priorities for this group.
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