In his day job, Matt Kluchenek is a lawyer, but his passion is his wine. A Hinsdale native, Matt and his wife, Maria, make the trip to Napa Valley no less than half a dozen times a year to tend to their budding wine label, Mind’s Eye. The couple tapped into the trend of celebrity winemakers bringing on board winemakers from the famed Opus One and Clos Du Val to make what that land is known for best - big red wines, particularly Cabernet Sauvignon. more ›

Midwest wine country. Sounds a bit like an oxymoron but today our state and neighbors are growing grapes on par, or better, than some of those grown in the romantic wine country known as Napa Valley. Midwest wine country may not have Thomas Keller or Screaming Eagle but it has proven to be the perfect weekend get-away from city living folks like us. 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 ›

Hybrid grapes, with regard to winemaking, are often ignored or ridiculed by the wine "experts." Sometimes this is with good reason; a mere mention of the word "chardonel" transports us back to Sundays at the Magic Pan. more ›