The godfather of Illinois' wine industry has passed away at the age of 83. more ›

Owner of Lynfred Winery. Located in suburban Roselle, Lynfred is the largest winery in the state, producing over 50 different varietals a year. (Ed. Note: For more information on Lynfred, feel free to go back and read my road trip to the winery from last October. — CS). more ›

There's more to Lynfred Winery than being the state's largest and oldest continuous operating winery. Its expansion eight years ago involved expanding their tasting room and retail operations to include a bed and breakfast that makes for a beautiful daytrip. Marketing Director Christina Anderson-Heller took me for a tour of the operation while we waited for Winemaker/GM Andres Basso to show me the winemaking plant. more ›

"We had a booth at the Windy City Wine Festival last month and I told plenty of people who don't own a car how easy it is to reach the winery by train," said Lynfred Winery marketing director Christina Anderson-Heller as we met at the Roselle Metra stop. "Almost all of them asked, 'What train?'" And it is a fairly painless trek, although navigating Union Station during morning rush is something out of the Divine Comedy. When my train stopped at Roselle, Anderson-Heller was there waiting to drive the final mile to the winery. I've long had an open invitation to tour Lynfred's facilities, and last week they received a 30-ton shipment of petite syrah grapes. "Would you be interested in seeing the grapes being processed? Maybe help out in the winery and taste out some barrels?" Anderson-Heller asked. more ›

Lynfred Winery in Roselle is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Since its 1979 inception, Lynfred has grown to become the largest winery in the state and is a major force in trying to keep Illinois a "full reciprocity" state in accordance with the Supreme Court's decision in Granholm v. Heald, although distributors aren't making it easy. more ›