About Us
How long has Spirit Knob Winery been in business?
Vineyard was started in 1999 and winery was established in 2002.
How many acres of grapes do you have?
Currently, 2 acres on-site available to Spirit Knob Winery, which can typically produce approximately 8 to10 tons of grapes depending on the varietal of grape. SKW also purchases grapes from other Illinois grape growers, so everything that is produced by SKW is 100% Illinois. (75% of the grapes used must be grown and purchased from Illinois producers to be considered an Illinois Wine.)
How many gallons of wine does SKW produce a year?
Currently, approximately 7000 gallons.
What kind of Grapes do you grow?
Most of what we grow at SKW is either French-American Hybrids or American Varietals. This means everything we have planted are very winter hardy and meant to be grown in areas with shorter growing seasons. Some of these grapes include, Chardonel, Traminette, Edelweiss, Vignoles, Chambourcin, and Norton just to mention a few. The difference between these and vinifera grapes (grapes who’s origins come from Europe and commonly grown in the U.S. West Coast States) i.e. Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, etc., is that everything we have planted will survive our winter temperatures and have shorter growing seasons.
Where is Spirit Knob Winery located?
SKW is located 10 miles north of Quincy, IL. Approximately, 2.4 miles outside of Ursa, IL. Take the first left turn onto 2250 N, once you leave Ursa heading north on route 96. Then drive 1.4 miles on 2250 N and turn left at the next winery sign and follow .5 miles to the winery.
Where can I find your wine?
County Market Grocery Stores, Hy-Vee Grocery Stores, Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits, The Pier Restaurant and Tiramisu Restaurant all in Quincy, IL and also Friar Tucks Liquor Stores in Springfield, Peoria, Bloomington and Champaign, IL. We can’t guarantee that each store will carry all of the wines we have available for wholesale, because that is the individual store’s choice. Also, there are a couple of wines that we do not wholesale such as Norton Estate Reserve simply because right now our production is not high enough.
Do you have case discounts?
Yes, we give a 10% case discount, and that can be all the same wine or a mixed case.
Do you ship wine?
Yes. (See Matt for details.)
Do you have a wine club?
Not at this time.
Can we bring our own food to the winery?
Picnic-Style foods, Cheese & Crackers, etc. are allowed. Alcoholic beverages are not allowed to be brought onto the winery grounds.
A few Illinois wine facts …
Currently, Illinois has approx. 193 vineyards (a 112% increase since 1999) and 63 winery operations (a 103% increase since 2002).
Currently, Illinois yearly wine capacity is approximately 672,000 gallons of wine.
Illinois wine industry creates a direct economic impact to the state of $20 million annually.
Illinois is among the Top 5 wine consumption states in the U.S. {2003}
Illinois has one of the Top 5 wine consuming Metro Markets (Chicago). {2003}
Illinois is among the Top 12 wine producing States. {2003}