Shawnee Hills AVA

Shawnee Hills AVA
Wine region
TypeAmerican Viticultural Area
Year established2006[1]
CountryUnited States
Part ofIllinois
Climate regionContinental/humid subtropical
Total area1,370,000 acres (5,500 km2)[2]
Size of planted vineyards300 acres (1 km2)[2]
No. of vineyards55[2]
Grapes producedCabernet Franc, Chambourcin, Chancellor, Chardonel, Frontenac, Riesling, Traminette[3]
No. of wineries18[2]

The Shawnee Hills AVA is an American Viticultural Area located between the Mississippi River and the Ohio River in southern Illinois. The wine appellation includes over 2,140 square miles (5,500 km2) of land in portions of Alexander, Gallatin, Hardin, Jackson, Johnson, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Saline, Union, and Williamson counties. The region stretches approximately 80 miles (130 km) east-west and 20 miles (30 km) north-south, and includes the vast majority of the Shawnee National Forest.

The AVA was created as a result of the successful petition of Ted Wichmann, owner of Owl Creek Vineyard. The area is named after the Shawnee, a Native American nation that settled in Southern Illinois in the mid 18th century.[2] The AVA is served by the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail.[4]

  1. ^ "§9.206 Shawnee Hills" (Title 27: Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; Part 9 — American Viticultural Areas; Subpart C — Approved American Viticultural Areas). Code of Federal Regulations (e-CFR). Retrieved February 5, 2008.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Shawnee Hills AVA Gets Federal Nod". Owl Creek Vineyard. November 29, 2006. Archived from the original on February 8, 2008. Retrieved February 5, 2008.
  3. ^ "Shawnee Hills (AVA): Appellation Profile". Appellation America. 2007. Archived from the original on September 2, 2013.
  4. ^ "History". Shawnee Hills Wine. May 10, 2018.