alto vineyards

So glad we stopped here on our tour yesterday! My hubby and I have visited several wineries over the last few years and with each one we visit we learn new things and meet wonderful people. Alto is staffed with friendly folks who know their products. Jackie made our tasting a fun and memorable experience! We can't wait to go back and enjoy Alto Vineyards!

I'll admit it. I'm a total wine snob and I only "buy American" (aka: Napa / Sonoma Valley wines). Feel free to check my reviews of several Napa wineries, most of which I loved. Napa makes some of the greatest wine in the world, let alone California or the US.Going to Alto, I knew right off the bat it wasn't going to provide me the dry cab savs or pinots I've grown accustomed to. I knew they focused more on bright fruits and sweeter palettes. If you go in thinking you're going to get Napa-grade wine here then I'm sorry to say you're mistaken. The weather in Southern Illinois cannot produce wine like that in Northern California.Nevertheless we had a great time, enjoyed our tasting, and they even had Illini Rosso, named after my dear Alma Mater, The University of Illinois (where they also have a tasting room). We were in town on a family trip so we brought our kids and they were fine with that. The tasting was inexpensive and we got to keep the Alto Vineyard wine glasses as a keepsake. The tasting room was large and beautiful, plus there was an outdoor patio where you can take in the view of the grapes. The staff was very friendly and able to answer all our questions too.If there's a winery in Southern Illinois, this would be my recommendation

Some friends took my mom and I here to taste some wine and see the view from the roof. The views were fantastic, and the wine was good. My favorite wine was the Shawnee Gold. The tasting room was also very nice, with plenty of seating. Overall, a very good experience.

Absolutely beautiful winery with great staff, especially Matt! Visited over the past weekend and had a great experience. Wonderful view from the patio and the interior of the tasting room is absolutely breathtaking! Definitely make time for this winery during your visit to the Shawnee Wine Trail, you will not regret it!

Large, beautiful tasting facility with extremely knowledgeable and friendly staff. Matt was so informative and helped us determine which wine we liked best so we could purchase a glass to drink on site after finishing the tasting. He even recommended other area wineries since we had a shuttle tour. The staff make all the difference here.

We stopped by while traveling part of the wine trail. This winery was our favorite visited on this trip. Both service and the wines were good. Had a glass on the deck at sunset which was quite pleasant.

All kinds of different wines. I bought the most bottles at this winery than any other winery that we visited.

Don;t say, "Illinois wine?", say "Illinois wine!" The Chambourcin and Norton are superb. Well worth a ride down from the Chicago area, particularly during fall colors. The area is loaded with natural attractions, some globally unique. Research our destinations, but no need to research the vineyards - just hit Alto and you'll be pleased.

This was my second visit. Nice new building. Air was broken so it was a little hot and couldn't enjoy the wine. But staff was very friendly. Has amazing wine

Great wines, good beer, helpful staff! Surrounding are dated at best, needs a good cleaning and new outdoor furniture at least!

Every year we visit this area. Alto is always our first stop on our "wine tasting tour". Haven't been there since the new construction, but, can't wait! Love Wiener Dog Red!

My wife and I decided to travel the Shawnee Wine Trail and hit a few of the wineries. This was a very clean, very informative vineyard. Enjoyed our time there and off to visit others! Easy to understand and easy to know as much, or as little, as we wanted. Excellent visit.

what a place to visit, amazing floor plan, very helpful and knowledgeable staff, awesome roof deck, i had a great experience

Lovely experience. Liked many of their wines. On main road. Friendly. Very knowledgeable during tasting. You can go upstairs and sit on upper deck.

We visited as a family with about 5 in our group. We waited at the bar for about 30 minutes while only 2 people in our group were helped after that time period. In addition, the young boy that came over left after giving us one tasting to never return again. After 10 minutes of waiting for his return we left...we won't be returning either! Terrible service and the rooftop is not accessible - which is so tasteless for new construction!