11/19/2021
The Shawnee Hills Wine Trail is a large draw for the tourism in Southern Illinois. Little Red Shed is thankful for their efforts during the challenging times the last 18 months.
Formed in 1995, the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail has over 25 years of experience sharing their passion for wine with guests. While the pandemic created numerous challenges for this organization, their creativity and passion for sharing their hand-crafted wines with visitors would not be dulled.
Early in the pandemic, when businesses were open for curbside service, wineries teamed up for the Grape Escape Wine Sale. This allowed customers to order wines from all wineries and pick up at one location.
Guest service is a top priority for wineries. Face to face samplings were not able to be done safely during the pandemic so wineries had to find new ways to showcase their products. Wine Tasting Flights were adapted so that guests are still able to savor unique wines from the region.
Through a partnership with their local alumni association, a virtual tasting was held that showcased wine trail wines to guests from throughout the country from California to Georgia.
Wine & Food Pairing Weekends are a large draw for the trail however, this would encourage large groups, sometimes crowded in a smaller space. Adapting to mitigations, wineries operated with outside service and created the Photo Scavenger Hunt. This event encouraged guests to visit each winery and safely enjoy outside experiences at each.
A rising tide lifts all boats and these 11 wineries showed southern Illinois hospitality and cooperation at its finest. Working together, the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail, proved what small businesses are capable of when working together.
