SPOTLIGHT: Winery draws visitors off beaten path

MARSHALL, Ill. — The Castle Finn Vineyard & Winery is located several miles from the nearest state highway amidst the farmland and rolling fields of southern Edgar County.

Nevertheless, this location off the beaten path has not kept visitors from finding the wine tasting room, banquet hall, stone back patio, and tree-lined pond at Castle Finn, which owners Rob and Linda Morgan opened in August 2010.

"We were booking for the year before we even opened the doors," Linda Morgan said. She added that they have booked approximately 40 private parties for this year and have already taken several bookings for summer 2012.

Morgan attributed this success of their country winery to initial publicity about the opening, word of mouth, and a winery/banquet hall being a unique destination for Edgar and adjacent Clark counties. She said it also helps that wine lovers are accustomed to taking long country drives to find wineries.

"Most wineries are an adventure to get to," Morgan said.

Castle Finn has hosted wedding ceremonies and receptions, bridal and baby showers, birthday parties, class reunions, business meetings and other private gatherings. Morgan said several couples have opted to hold outdoor weddings at the pond, including a recent wedding that included a horse-drawn carriage.

The 40-by-60-foot banquet hall has a stone fireplace, public address system, flat screen television, a stone bar for beer and liquor, and a nearby kitchen for caterers. A large sliding door can be shut to separate the hall from the neighboring wine tasting room.

Morgan said the wine tasting room remains open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, and noon-5 p.m. Sunday even if a private party is being held in the banquet hall. She said some parties opt to place a buffet line in the tasting room after it has closed for the night.

Castle Finn also hosts public special events, including music nights at 7:30-10:30 p.m. on Fridays with no cover charge. Scheduled shows include Ronny Lee on Friday, Jones & Co. on June 17, R2K on June 24, and The Fairchilds on July 8. Visitors can bring their own food or purchase cheese and cracker baskets at the winery.

The Marlinaires Band is scheduled to perform at 7:30 p.m. July 30 during Castle Finn's one-year anniversary celebration, 10 a.m.-11 p.m.

In addition, the winery hosted a series of dinner theater productions last winter and is slated to do this again during winter 2011-12. Morgan said they sell 155-160 tickets per show.

"Tickets sell out fast, within days, once they go on sale," Morgan said.

At the tasting room, customers can try some of the 11 different wines produced at Castle Finn and purchase this wine by the glass or the bottle. There are also iced slushes on sale with wine for adults and with white grape juice for children.

Some of the selections include Bell Ridge dry red and white wines, Crystal Falls dry white sparkling wine, Castle Finn semi-sweet white and dark red wines, and Rocky Branch semi-sweet white sparkling wine.

Morgan said they have named most of their wines after local place names, adding that Castle Finn was a nearby community that was surveyed in 1848 but faded away in the late 19th century after it was bypassed by the railroad.

"We put Castle Finn back on the map," Morgan said.

The winery also offers cherry, blackberry, blueberry and rhubarb wines. Morgan said elderberry wine will ultimately join this roster, adding that they have planted 150 elderberry bushes next to their three-acre vineyard.

Robert Morgan said they got their start with wine making more than a decade ago by producing small batches of sweet, dark red wine from wild-grown elderberries at home on the family farm.

Since then, Robert Morgan said their son, horticulture major Bart Morgan, and their daughter, business major Sonya Stephens, have helped them grow from making 5-gallons batches of wine for home consumption to 250-gallon batches for sale to the public.

"It's the same principle, it's just on a larger scale," Robert Morgan said.