Last week we discussed what agritourism is and some of the agritourism that our area has to offer. Mackinaw Valley Winery is located on Route 9 just a few miles outside of Mackinaw, IL between the towns of Mackinaw and Danvers. 2022 is the 19th Anniversary of the winery being open for business and the 25th year that the vineyards have been in operation. Paul Hahn is the founder of the winery and his wife, Diane Hahn, is the manager. Diane explained, “My husband Paul founded the winery and vineyards. He started growing in 1997 and in 2003 we opened to the public with the winery tasting room.” 

Mackinaw Valley Winery has about 20 different wines featured in their tasting room. As a guest, you may sample 3 complimentary tastings, then tastings are $1 each after 3 samples. Their wine list features red, white, and blush wines. All of their wines are made at the winery from French American Hybrid grapes and some native varietals from their vineyard. Wine is sold by the glass or bottle to enjoy in their tasting room or to take back home. They always offer a case discount of 10 percent. 

The Hahn family describes Mackinaw Valley Winery as “Wine Country in Your Own Backyard”, which is fitting for the beautiful vineyard views and the well reviewed wine by visitors of the winery. To go along with the experience of the wine and countryside, they offer assorted Ropp Jersey Cheese with crackers and confectionery chocolates from The Chocolatier. 

Since COVID hit, the scene at the winery has been returning closer and closer to what it looked like pre-pandemic. Diane Hahn describes the situation, “It is nice to see things returning to normal and to just see people feeling more relaxed around each other. People seem more free to be around everyone without masks on and to just be themselves.” The winery hosts many events throughout the year and offers their tasting room, deck areas, pavilion and grounds to rent for parties, reunions, business meetings, or weddings/receptions. 

Next weekend, May 28-29th, Mackinaw Valley Winery will be hosting the Music, Wine, and Craft Beer Festival. On Saturday, the event will take place from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and on Sunday the event will take place from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. The festival will feature over 50 wines and over 60 craft beers for tasting and purchase from around the world! There are no advance ticket sales for the event, payment is made upon entry. The Lions Club will provide concessions with proceeds going to their charity, and Hometown Community Banks will be the glassware sponsor. Ropp Jersey Cheese will provide artisan cheese sampling and sales in the pavilion. Local artists and bands will be performing each night, and it is an event you surely do not want to miss out on!

The next event held at the winery will be a concert on June 4th with Decade of Decadence playing. This band plays music from the ‘80s Hair Metal era. D.O.D. has performed all across the Midwest. The concert begins at 7 p.m. The next two Saturdays in June after the D.O.D.’s concert will also be concert nights. HillBilly High-Rise will perform music from the Country, Rock, and Pop genres on Saturday, June 11th. Jammsammich will perform on June 18th and are one of the area’s top classic rock bands. 

The rest of the summer schedule for events held at Mackinaw Valley Winery can be found on their website at mackinawvalleyvineyard.com. The lineup of events is diverse and sure to bring a good time to attendees. Be sure to check it out, you don’t want to miss out on this great form of local entertainment at a top local venue!