Shawnee Hills Wine Trail

A 40-mile signed route through the Shawnee Hills of southern Illinois, near the Shawnee National Forest. Member wineries sit around Alto Pass, Cobden, Makanda, Pomona and Carbondale.

Checked October 1, 2026 on the trail’s and each winery’s own website. Official trail site

• 11wineries listed
• 1995trail founded
• 5towns
• 6serve food
• 8dog-friendly

The wineries (11)

6 of 11 wineries publish a tasting price. Sorted by town.

• Alto Vineyards

  Alto Pass

  Family winery making wine since its first vintage in 1988, one of the three founders of the trail, with a second tasting room in Champaign.

  • Flight of 4 wines you pick; price not listed
  • food
  • dog-friendly

• Von Jakob Winery & Brewery

  Alto Pass

  Winery and brewery in one, with nearly 20 Illinois wines, German-style beers and hard ciders from its own apples.

  • Flights of wine, beer and cider; price not listed
  • food
  • lodging
  • brewery/cidery

• Honker Hill Winery

  Carbondale

  Family-owned winery since 2008 in a former hunting lodge, pouring sweet fruit wines to dry reds and whites from Illinois grapes such as Chambourcin and Traminette.

  • lodging
  • dog-friendly
  • live music
  • event venue

• Kite Hill Vineyards

  Carbondale

  Small winery about 10 minutes from Southern Illinois University, overlooking its vineyard and lake, pouring 17 wines from Shawnee Hills AVA grapes.

  • lake view

• Feather Hills Vineyard

  Cobden

  Founded in 2018 by Randy and Renee Feather; focuses on dry wines from Shawnee Hills AVA grapes, poured at two locations.

  • Guided tasting of 5 wines or preset flights; price not listed
  • food
  • dog-friendly
  • kids area
  • live music
  • event venue

• Owl Creek Vineyard

  Cobden

  First commercial vineyard in the Shawnee Hills AVA (1980), winery since 1995, also making Apple Knocker hard ciders and sangrias.

  • Self-guided flights of wine, sangria and cider (can be mixed); price not listed
  • food
  • dog-friendly
  • picnic
  • live music
  • brewery/cidery

• StarView Vineyards

  Cobden

  Family-owned winery established in 2006, pouring dry reds through sweet sangrias.

  • Guided tasting of 5 wines; price not listed
  • food
  • lodging
  • dog-friendly
  • live music
  • picnic

• Wichmann Vineyard

  Cobden

  Small woman-owned winery run by second-generation winemaker Hanna Wichmann, making mostly dry to semi-dry wines from Shawnee Hills AVA grapes.

  • dog-friendly
  • picnic

• Blue Sky Vineyard

  Makanda

  Tuscan-style winery on a 13-acre vineyard at the eastern end of the trail, with wines such as Chardonnay, Seyval, Concord and rosé.

  • food
  • lodging
  • picnic
  • event venue

• Hickory Ridge Vineyard and Winery

  Pomona

  Small family winery on the western edge of the Shawnee Hills AVA (vineyard planted 2000, winery opened 2007) making wine only from grapes grown on the property, known for dry wines, whites and roses.

  • dog-friendly
  • picnic

• Pomona Winery

  Pomona

  Founded in 1991 as the first Illinois winery to make only non-grape wines, from local fruit such as apples, blueberries and strawberries.

  • Tasting of all 9 fruit wines; price not listed
  • picnic
  • dog-friendly

Filter the trail

• Dog-friendly wineries8 of 11
• Wineries with food6 of 11
• Wineries with live music4 of 11
• Picnic-friendly wineries6 of 11
• Wineries with lodging4 of 11

How to do the trail without driving

Where to stay

Staying on the trail means no long drive after the last tasting. Towns with wineries on the Shawnee Hills trail:

• Hotels in Alto Pass2 wineries in town
• Hotels in Carbondale2 wineries in town
• Hotels in Cobden4 wineries in town
• Hotels in Makanda1 winery in town
• Hotels in Pomona2 wineries in town

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Best time to go

All wineries are open year-round; the trail says weekdays and early afternoons are usually quieter. Trail pairing weekends run in November, March and June.

Trail events

Dates as published by the trail. Confirm tickets on the official site.

Getting there

Nearest airports: St. Louis Lambert International (STL), about 2 to 2.5 hours' drive and Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois (MWA), regional flights.