Located about 45 minutes from Chicago in the quiet town of Oswego, IL, Fox Valley Winery is a great place to learn about wine-making and stop in for a tasting!

The wine-maker/owner was very engaging, eagerly explaining their wine-making process from the sequence of steps to the specific strands of yeast used to ferment the grapes. I learned about the different types of fermentation vessels, the blending process, and even a bit about how they choose which varieties to focus on every year.

There were so many tastings to choose from, I wanted to try them all! I started with a comparison of oaked/unoaked Chardonnay, hopped over to their “dry Rose,” and then sampled their Cabernet and Zinfandel.

The real treat, however, was their Late Vintage Bottle of Port, which was oak-aged for 10 years.

Given the vast variety of samples, I pulled out my tasting notes and WSET textbook to follow along!

If you’re ever in the area, stop by for a tasting (or two, or three!) Be sure to check out their gift shop as well!