SPECIAL

The new Dry Creek Estate to open in July in South Beloit

BELOW: Rock River Valley wineries By Georgette Braun Register Star Media
Workers make finishing touches Thursday, May 29, 2014, to the main building that will hold the winery at the Dry Creek Estate in South Beloit.

If all you know about wine is that you prefer red to white or vice versa, let’s venture a bit into enology — the science of wine and winemaking.

Doing so can help you understand that it takes a lot of work to create that alcoholic drink from grape juice.

The quality of the grape, the weather during the growing season, the soil’s minerals and acidity, when the grapes are harvested and how the vines are pruned all affect how the wine will taste.

Then there’s the crushing and pressing of the grapes, fermentation, filtration and bottling as well.

The process is one that Jon Bingham is learning as the just-constructed Dry Creek Estate winery prepares to open in mid-July.

He is grounds manager for the new South Beloit winery at 8925 Stateline Road owned by Edison and Heidi Wirth. Edison is a co-owner of RWS Design & Controls Inc., in Machesney Park.

“We have a nice, rich soil, but I have to be careful about root rot and mildew because it’s so moist,” Bingham said. He said he hasn’t fertilized the soil because it’s rich.

The St. Vincent and Frontenac grapes Dry Creek Estate planted last year won’t be ready to be turned into wine for another two or three years, though, he said. It can take up to five years for some grapes to mature. More varieties will be planted at Dry Creek Estate in the future.

Dry Creek Estate had one acre with 700 grapevines planted, and Bingham said another half acre was being planted in May. Many more acres will be planted in the future as well.

Until Dry Creek Estate’s grapes are ready for harvest, the winery will buy grapes from other growers, most — if not all — from the area, Bingham said.

The Midwest’s naturally cool climate and relatively short growing season give Dry Creek Estate a benefit by helping create well-balanced, premium white wines, Dry Creek Estate says on its website. And with regard to red wines, Dry Creek Estate uses “cold-hardy hybrid grapes that reflect the best characteristics of their parents.”

And speaking of parents, the Wirths and their family chose the St. Vincent red — with its cherry, nutty and smoky overtones — as a tribute to their parents/grandparents, Junior and Vivian Vincent.

Along with a wine-tasting room, Dry Creek Estate has a conference room for group tastings and business meetings, an outdoor pavilion for weddings and a reception area to accommodate 300 guests.

Georgette Braun: 815-987-1331; gbraun@rrstar.com; @georgettebraun

Rock River Valley wineries

Name: Dry Creek Estate Address: 8925 Stateline Road, South Beloit Website: drycreekestate.com Email: ashley@drycreekestate.com (Phone number will be established soon.)

Hours: Tentative opening in mid-July with tentative hours of 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday Details: The new winery is expected to open for the first time in mid-July. Grapes purchased from other growers will be used to make wine until the grapes Dry Creek has planted are mature enough to harvest.

Name: Famous Fossil Vineyard & Winery Address: 395 W. Cedarville Road, Freeport Phone: 815-563-4665 Website: famousfossilwinery.com Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily year-round Opened: Vineyard in 2004; winery in 2008 Popular wines: Crescent Moon White made from LaCrescent grapes has a crisp finish. Cost is $12.95 for a bottle. Fossil Rock Red is a premium red blend with rich fruit and has a hint of oak. Cost is $19.95. Deep and luscious, but not too sweet, is Blackberry for $18.95 a bottle.

Name: McEachran Homestead Winery Address: 1917 Wyman School Road, Caledonia Phone: 815-978-5120 Website: mceachranhomestead.com Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday year-round Opened: 2010 Popular wines: Grape wines, $16 a bottle; fruit wines, $18 a bottle; Frontenac, a medium-bodied semi-sweet grape wine.

Name: Hailey’s Winery Address: 114 S. Franklin St., Byron Phone: 815-234-2220 Website: haileyswinery.com Hours: Noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; noon to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday (except later for special events); year-round Opened: 2009 Popular wines: Girls Night White ($16 a bottle) is a semi-sweet white wine blend with a clean finish. Sweet Niagara ($14 a bottle) is a white wine with a full fruit flavor.

Name: Massbach Ridge Winery Address: 8837 S. Massbach Road, Elizabeth; and a tasting room at 117 S. Main St., Galena Phone: 815-291-6700 Website: massbachridge.com Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at both locations year-round Opened: 10 years ago Popular wines: Massbach Reserve, a dry oak-aged red award-winner at $20 a bottle; Daffodil White, a sweet white wine with a peach finish, $18 a bottle.

Facts about the growing Illinois grape and wine industry:

— In 1997, there were 14 wineries and 200 acres of grapes being grown.

— Today, there are 100 wineries and 1,100 acres of grapes.

— Today’s wineries produce 274,000 cases of wine a year, which is more than 676,000 gallons of wine.

— More than 500,000 tourists visit the state’s wineries each year.

— The industry in Illinois has 3,887 full-time equivalent jobs.

Source: Illinois Grape Growers & Vintners Association

Illinois grape and wine industry