Julien's Journal September 2016 (Volume 41, Number 9) | Page 53

Galena Cellars Vineyard & Winery Celebrates – A LOT!

W

hat does fall have in common
with avid gardeners, farmers, fresh produce lovers,
and vintners? The answer is:
the celebration of the harvest! However, at
Galena Cellars Vineyard & Winery, it means
even more this year. It means the culmination of a very fruitful growing season, a
pleasant cache of new wine awards, new
wine releases, and an annual fall festival to
wrap it all up.
Even after 35 years of producing close to 50
wines that have truly stood the test of time,
Galena Cellars continues to be progressive
and aggressive with a product that continues
to please the palate of wine lovers both old
and new.
“The world of wine changes continually,”
says seasoned wine maker Chris LawlorWhite. “It’s important that we keep abreast
of these changes, the consumer trends, and
producing wines that keep our customers
returning.”
At Galena Cellars that can sometimes mean
the introduction of new wines or even the
re-introduction of tried and true blends with
often surprisingly pleasant slight deviations.
For example, once again over 20 Galena
Cellar wines have made a big splash in the
glass by taking numerous awards over the
summer with Mead, Cherry, Rhubarb, Britt
White, and Red Raspberry Framboise, just
to name a few. The medals accumulated
include Governor Cup awards, Double Golds,
and Best of Shows.
Galena Cellar wine lovers will also be
pleased to know that a new blend of Illinois
Marquette, 2015 Illinois Marechal Foch, and

2015 Britt White have all just been released.
And probably the hottest news of all is the
release of Galena Cellar’s newest wine, the
Aronia Berry. As a matter of fact, it is so hot
that it already won a First Place Gold Award
(paired with Blue Cheese and walnuts) at
the 2016 Mid-American Wine Competition
even before it hit the shelves!
“Sometimes referred to as a ‘chokeberry,’
the berry has become known as the only
true U.S. native super berry among health
conscious consumers,” said Chris. “This semi
sweet wine expresses its unique flavor and
finishes with a touch of tannins.”
Due to weather conditions, the winemakers say the harvest will come a little earlier
this year at the vineyard. As a result, the 7th
Annual Fall Harvest Festival will be held on
Saturday, Sept. 24 from noon to 6:00 p.m. at
the vineyard on 4746 North Ford Rd., just six

miles outside of Galena. The day promises to
be full of family friendly activities, live music
from the Fever River String Band, wine tastings, vineyard tours, horse-drawn wagon
rides, and much more. Selected area artists
in many diverse genres will also be showing
and selling their wares. Unique food options are being made available by Holliberri
Icelandics (lamb) and the Galena Elks Club.
Highlighting the day is the festival’s grape
stomp, which draws a multitude of contestants of all ages and some very creative
grape stomping techniques. Professional bag
piper Bill Spivey, of Apple River, IL, will be
providing a very distinctive accompaniment
to the contestants’ fun.
For more information about upcoming Galena Cellars events, visit www.GalenaCellars.
com. Also, be sure to mark your calendar for
the 32nd Annual Nouveau Weekend November 18-19.
Seventh Annual

GALENA CELLARS

Fall Harvest
& Art Festival
featuring the talents of the

Galena Cultural Arts Alliance
at the Vineyard

Grape Stomp Competition
Live Music by the Fever River String Band
Horse-Drawn Wagon Rides
Wine Tastings
Art Show & Sales
Family