Local wineries putting the Metro East on the map
Whether you’re looking to wine and dine in an elegant setting or
to do a little vino tasting in a casual bar-like atmosphere, wine
lovers in the Metro East have options with local wineries in
Maryville and Edwardsville.
Villa Marie Winery and Piasa Winery
Owner Judy Drost Wiemann said Villa Marie Winery is a tribute to
her parent’s relationship. John Drost returned home after traveling
the world playing semi-pro basketball to marry Mary Grizio and
raise a family. He never left his hometown again. And his
commitment to the village — he was mayor for 13 years — and his
family is what inspired Wiemann to open a winery where she was born
and raised.
Wiemann bought Piasa Winery in 2007 when it was based in
Godfrey. She kept the label name and the wine maker, Linda
Unnerstall, and moved all the equipment to Maryville. In 2008,
Wiemann opened Villa Marie Winery at the same location, a 60-acre
site at 6633 East Main.
“I owned the property here and planted grapes,” said the
University of Illinois master gardener of her 10-acre vineyard.
“And then I decided I would like to learn how to make wine. I kind
of had it in the back of my mind because my family made wine when I
was a little girl.”
Since both wineries opened just a few years ago, they have won
more than 75 state, national and international awards for their
varieties of red and white wines. Wiemann said the wineries’ most
popular wines are the Fuzzy Fusion, a sweet white wine, and Illini
Red, a sweet red wine. Wiemann said the wineries uses
Illinois-grown grapes from Madison, Macoupin and Jersey counties
and produce 30 varieties of wines, including wines with names like
Judy’s Delight, River Road Red and Dancing Spirits.
But the Maryville business offers more than the wine that is
made in huge stainless steel vats in the lower level of the
building. It also boasts a 10,000-square-foot restaurant and
banquet hall. With Italian marble lining the walls and soft
swatches of fabric draping the ceilings, Villa Marie offers lunch
daily and caters events for up to 300 people.
Wiemann, a retired information technology director, said in
addition to bringing a winery to Maryville, she also wanted to
bring jobs to her hometown. The winery employs 12 permanent
employees and about 15 seasonal employees.
“My ideas was to bring something back to Maryville and for
people to be able to work — and I think we’ve done that,” she
said.
Springers Creek Winery
On the outside Springers Creek Winery may look like a corner
bar, but the two-building winery has received state and national
attention. Last year, the Edwardsville winery was inducted into the
Route 66 Illinois Hall of Fame, a designation that recognizes
people or places that have made significant contributions to the
character or history of the Illinois portion of Route 66.
“It’s worked very well because we’re right on Route 66 and the
Madison County bike trail,” said co-owner Colette Andre of her 817
Hillsboro location. “It brings us a lot of traffic. We get tourists
from all over the world.”
Springers Creek was opened by Andre and partner Sam Makler in
2007. Wine is served at the Hillsboro location and made at a
separate site just outside of Edwardsville in unincorporated
Madison County. Andre, who is the wine maker, said Springers Creek
uses imported grapes to produce its 10 varieties of red and white
wines including its most popular wine: Mother Road Red.
Andre said she and Makler, who are business partners as well as
life partners, started the winery because there weren’t any local
ones.
“We started making wines as a hobby in our basement and kitchen
and it just blossomed out from there,” Andre said. “We took a
couple of trips to Europe and it gave us an appreciation of wine
and we always loved to go to wineries. At that time there were only
ones in Missouri and down in southern Illinois. So one day I said,
‘Let’s do this,’ and he took me seriously.”
The serving location is housed in two historical buildings — one
built in 1844 and the other in 1910. Connected by an outdoor patio
area, the winery has an eclectic atmosphere with an original tin
ceiling and antiques, collectibles and original artwork throughout
the buildings.
Makler, who owns Makler Insurance Agency in Edwardsville, said
the impromptu venture has been a success.
“As soon as the weather gets warmer, we’re packed,” said Makler
of the 80-person capacity indoor area. “We’re very happy about
that.”
Contact reporter Ramona C. Sanders at 618-344-0264, ext.
136