Illinois Wineries: Forsee Vineyards

After our visit to my very first winery we decided to try another.  We came upon a sign for Forsee Vineyards and decided to try our luck.  It was a drive, but well worth it.

It's nestled out in some lovely country and upon arrival you are greeted to the sight of the vines right near the tasting room.

The tasting room is lovely and the staff knowledgeable and friendly.  And they have plenty of space for you to buy a glass or bottle and sit and enjoy!

We were able to sample 14 of their 15 wines and have a glass of sangria afterwards.  They also sell beer and whiskey, bourbon and scotch.

First wine, Chardonel.  It was light and citrusy.  I did get a little bit of mineral on it, but it was not objectionable.  A nice summer wine.  This is a hybrid grape of Chardonnay.  It's like a Chardonnay but with less body.

Second wine, No. 76.  Soft and delicate white wine with hints of apricot.  Nice and smooth.  I have a big smiley face next to this.  My brother gave this one a check plus plus.  So that's a very high score.  We had bring a bottle of this home!

Third wine, Traminette.  I honestly got the floral aromas on this one.  It's has Gewurztraminer parentage, so it produces a nice German-style wine.

Stainless Steel Tanks

Fourth wine, Okaw White.  This was a semi-sweet white.  There's a bit of a pear and apple flavor to this one.  I could see this as a summer sipping wine.  Okaw is an Indian tribe that was from the area.  Bit of a history lesson there for you.

Fifth wine, Vignoles.  This is a sweet wine that was their newest release.  It has a delicate aroma and taste of orange.  This is probably my brother's favorite varietal.  He thought it was excellent.  So good in fact that we drank a bottle of it that night.  He thought it was one of the best ones he's had.  I had never encountered this grape before (to my knowledge) and was truly pleased with it.

Sixth wine, Niagara.  This is a sweet wine form their 2011 harvest.  It's a white version of the concord and truly does remind you of your Grandma's grape arbor in the aroma.  I found it to taste a lot like grape juice.

Seventh wine, Winter Blush.  This is a sweet wine that has a bold sweet cherry flavor.  I found it to be nice and had almost a pop to it.  Quite refreshing!  They say that it's a perfect wine for making into spritzers.  Not something I would normally advertise, but I can see doing that.

Eighth wine, Endless Summer.  This sweet wine is made with the Norton grape.  It was sweet, fruity and quite smooth.  Something you would like chilled.  And I'm not a big fan of the Norton wines.

Ninth wine, Corot Noir Blush.  This is a semi-sweet lighter blush version of the Corot Noir.  They lost me however when they say to think white Zin.  Yuck!  That yuck was to the white Zin comment.  Over all, I wasn't impressed.  I could see this being used in a sangria though.  I think they might, but don't quote me on it.

Sitting Area

Tenth wine, Norton.  This is a dry red that has a spice in the aroma.  This is Lincoln's favorite (or so they say).  I, personally, can't stand Norton so this was not one that I liked.

Eleventh wine, Corot Noir.  This is a full bodied red aged in American Oak.  So it's dry, which I like.  It was a bit harder on the palate, but not in an objectionable kind of way.  While discussing this we thought it would go very well with Caprese salad.  YUM!

Twelfth wine, Okaw Red.  This is a semi sweet red.  Also named for the Okaw Indian tribe from the area.  It did have hints of light plum on the nose and was smooth.  I don't recall the names of the varietals in this one, but it was quite pleasant and I definitely had to take one of these home with me.  I do remember that the Corot Noir was mentioned though.  This would be great with pizza.

Old wine press

Thirteenth wine, Starboard Black.  This is a semi-sweet Norton.  It was VERY strong.  20 proof in fact.  So think something like a port.  Not my thing.

Fourteenth wine, Starboard Red.  This is a semi-sweet Corot Noir, finished without oak.  This was much smoother, but still 20 proof.  So sipper beware.

Afterwards we were able to go upstairs to a sitting area and look out into the wine making area.

Definitely a place to go back!  We got to speak with the owners and learned quite a bit.