Viticulture in Illinois

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Illinois
Map of USA IL.svg
Official name: State of Illinois
Appellation type: State
Year of establishment: 1818
Country: United States
Sub-regions: Shawnee Hills AVA
Recognized cultivation area: 150,007 km² (57,918 sq mi )
Planted acreage: 4.45 km² (1,100 acres )
Number of vineyards: 79
Grape varieties: Cabernet Franc , Cabernet Sauvignon , Catawba , Cayuga , Chambourcin , Chancellor , Chardonel , Concord , DeChaunac , Edelweiss , Elvira , Frontenac , Gewurztraminer , Golden Muscat , La Crosse , Léon Millot , Marechal Foch , Merlot , Muscadine , Niagara , Norton , Riesling , Seyval Blanc , St. Pepin , Traminette , Vidal Blanc , Vignoles , Villard Blanc , Villard Noir

Viticulture in Illinois refers to viticulture in the American state of Illinois . Under U.S. law, every state and county is a protected designation of origin and does not need to be recognized as such by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives .

In 2006, the Shawnee Hills AVA in the south of the state established the first defined designation of origin in the form of an American Viticultural Area . In 2008, 79 wineries were registered in Illinois , which cultivated approximately 450 hectares of vineyards.

history

Illinois has been growing viticulture for more than 155 years. The starting point of the plantings is the small town of Nauvoo on the left bank of the Mississippi . The oldest, written documented planting with the Concord grape variety in Illinois goes back to the year 1851 and was in Nauvoo State Park; the vineyard is still in production today. In 1880 there were 40 wineries at Nauvoo alone, cultivating around 240 hectares of vineyards.

Due to the alcohol prohibition, viticulture came to an almost complete standstill. When Guy Renzaglia started his Alto Vineyards in 1984 in the Shawnee Hills , south of the state, there were three commercial wineries across the state, including his own estate.

The number of wineries has been increasing steadily since the 1990s. The number rose from three goods in 1985 to twelve in 1997 and finally to 79 holdings in 2008.

According to a survey from 2004, 63 wineries were registered that were supplied by 193 wine growers. This year around 1.7 million liters of wine were produced.

Parts of Illinois Route 127 in the south of Carbondale are allowed to be called Shawnee Hills Wine Trail .

Grape varieties

In 2004, the twelve most important grape varieties combined a total of 89 percent of the state's harvest. The most important varieties were Chardonel , Chambourcin , Vignoles , Traminette , Concord, Maréchal Foch , Seyval Blanc , Norton , Vidal Blanc , Frontenac , Niagara and Cayuga White in descending order .

These are predominantly hybrid vines that are well adapted to the cool climate in central Illinois and in the north.

Fruit wines based on apples ( apple cider ), peaches or even berries are officially recognized as wine in Illinois .

See also

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Gaiter, Pour More Years: Arizona and Illinois Meet in the Quadrennial Presidential key-off, in the Wall Street Journal of 26 September 2008, page W3
  2. ^ Appellation America (2007). "Illinois: Appellation Description" . Last page view on October 20, 2008.
  3. ^ Gene Campbell and Bill Shoemaker, "The Illinois Grape and Wine Industry: Its Current Size, 2004 Production, and Growth" (nd, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois), pages 3, 7
  4. ^ Illinois General Assembly - Bill Status for HJR0048 . Ilga.gov. July 26, 2007. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
  5. ↑ Campbell and Shoemaker, 7