Wine and Art Spring Festival

Vahling Vineyards Wine and Art Spring Festival

Despite the rain this past weekend, visitors flourished to the Wine and Art Spring Festival held at Vahling Vineyard’s.  With representatives from eight wineries present, there was a plethora of wines just waiting to serve the curiosity of the palette.  The wineries in attendance were Berryville Vineyards, Bretz Wildlife Winery, Castle Finn Winery, Crooked Creek Winery, Fox Creek Vineyards, Lasata Winery, Sleepy Creek Vineyards, and the host of the event, Vahling Vineyards.  The friendly sommeliers gave great suggestions to each visitor on what wines would best satisfy their taste buds.  They were also very helpful at answering questions about the types of grapes used and the process of aging the wine.   

For those of you like me who may not know hardly anything about wine, I recommend taking a friend who can share their knowledge on the intricacies of wine tasting.  Even if you have determined the types of wine you like best (white versus red, sweet versus dry), do not be afraid to try something new.  The interesting names of the wines, and creative labels used for the bottles may lead you to a new favorite.  Some of the titles that caught my eye were Moonlight on the Wabash, Grandpa’s Recipe, Lion Eyes, White Squirrel, Barn Dance, and the Winey Mary that had everyone.  This particular wine had the distinction of both tomatoes and jalapeños.  

Besides the wine, there were other tasty treats to consume.  My favorites were the spiral spuds and pork burgers provided by Strasburg’s Lions Club.  I can now add spiral spuds to my list of new things I have tried while living in Illinois!  This was just what the doctor ordered to finish off an excellent day. 

And, to further top off the day, I met some very sweet vendors who were selling the most unique items at the festival.  This couple works together on making homemade fishing lures carved out of cottonwood.  They are called APARTAP lures (applied properly at right time and place . . . they will catch lures).  They are hand carved and hand painted, leaving no two lures exactly alike.  There are many lures to choose from, or you can special order one to your liking.  Mr. Kermicle will do the carving, and Mrs. Kermicle will do the painting, and then you will have your very own, one of a kind APARTAP fishing lure to catch your next big one!  

A HUGE thanks to VAHLING VINEYARDS for putting on such a great event (even in the rain), and to all that made this event a memorable experience!  Everyone was very friendly and welcoming, showing the hospitable nature of the Midwest!  To learn more about Vahling Vineyards in Stewardson, Illinois, be sure to check out their website:  https://vahlingvineyards.com/

A BIG thanks also goes out to the Radio Station WMKR, Genuine Country 94.3, for providing us with tickets for this event.  We had a wonderful time, and I recommend checking out this event next year!