Want a warm fall drink that is perfect around the bonfire? Illinois River Winery’s Hallowine is a spiced apple wine that is best served warm. I loved the spiciness to this wine. It reminded me of my favorite black chai tea.
I first got to sample their very similar Harvet wine when I met Mark from Midwest Wine Press at the Illinois State Fair:
About:
Illinois River Winery is about 4 hours away from St. Louis, but you don’t have to go that far to get it. I bought my bottle of Hallowine at the Fairview Heights, IL Schnucks. If you do get a chance to visit Illinois River Winery, which is only an hour and a half from downtown Chicago, they do offer free tastings on all of their 35 wines.
Another very cool thing about this winery is their support for artists. They have an Artist in Residence program, where artists stay at the vineyard for free while working on art – awesome! From their website: “Selected artists will be able to stay for up to 3 consecutive nights at no cost, in exchange for leaving one piece of art that they have created “in residence” with the village of Utica.” As an artist and designer myself, I really really love this idea. Sometimes the best inspiration is found visiting new places!
I also love that owner Gregg Kane was inspired to start Illinois River Winery due to an annual family trip biking across Missouri’s Katy Trail, where they made stops at all the vineyards along the way. Another thing that is on my personal bucket list!
The Varietal:
A humorous description of Hallowine on their website: Honey Crisp Apple/pumpkin wine spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and fairy dust. Yes, we said fairy dust.
The Pour:
This mulled apple wine is amber in color:
The Sniff:
The aroma smells just liked baked apples. It seriously smells like apple pie in a glass, complete with cinnamon, clove and nutmeg.
The Taste:
This wine is best served warm and the first taste of this wine is all apples. This has a really long finish with tastes of cinnamon and clove. So, as you start planning out your Halloween costume (or your kids) pick up some Illinois River Winery Hallowine and relax by the fire pit.
Wine Varietal: Honey Crisp Apple/Pumpkin Wine
Producer: Illinois River Winery
Price: $9.99 (right now at Schnucks), $14.09 online
Produced and Bottled: Utica, IL
Alcohol: 10%
Website: www.illinoisriverwinery.com
Glass used: Glass mug