Chameleonic Galena celebrates wine, beer, spirits

Galena, tucked into the northwestern corner of Illinois, is something of a chameleon.

For California dreamers, it has dun-colored hills and sloping terraces of vineyards that by harvest time will be heavy with grapes. Meanwhile, Galena's wineries are ready with tours and tasting and its restaurants ever eager to match food and wine.

For cousins Jack Coulter and Basil Conroy, Galena recalls their Irish homeland. In 2003, they opened The Irish Cottage Boutique Hotel, a 77-room inn and neighboring Irish pub that overlooks country that reminds them of a magical valley from their youth: the Valley of Glendalough in County Wicklow.

For those who hark the call to the hounds, this is horse country, particularly the hills around Elizabeth in Jo Daviess and Carroll counties. With neat, white-painted horse farms, German barns with elegant cupolas and a private hunt club, it is reminiscent, say local equestrians, of the Bluegrass region of Kentucky.

For folks who live in the Illinois prairie land, Galena's hills, ridges and riverside bluffs offer relief from tediously flat landscape. Galena is where you'll find the highest point in Illinois (Charles Mound, 1,235 feet). It also is where you'll find one of the high points of its social calendar, the Wine Lover's Weekend (March 28-30).

Launching the weekend festivities is the Grand Tasting (March 28, 5:30 to 8 p.m.), with a tasting of more than 100 wines, beer and spirits from around the globe. There's entertainment, a silent auction for Galena getaway packages and a raffle for a San Francisco vacation with airfare and lodging for four nights. Cost is $20 in advance, $25 at the door, and includes a raffle ticket for the California trip.

After that, events mostly are held at local restaurants and wineries, often at competing times. This allows participation, even if your first choice is sold out (as, at press time, were packages offered by The Irish Cottage, although it still had rooms left and there are plenty of other accommodations around town).

Fried Green Tomatoes, one of Galena's best (and most colorful) eateries, frequently hosts wine pairing dinners and offers two wine dinners during the festive weekend, both highlighting prized Kobe beef filet. During the pairing called He Said, She Said, two connoisseurs with fine wine palates serve and defend their wine-pairing choice.

Galena Cellars Vineyard & Winery is one of Illinois' largest wineries and has tasting rooms in downtown Galena and at its winery and vineyards along outlying Stagecoach Trail. It hosts an opening night reception with live music, hors d'oeuvres and an open bar.

Boone's Place, Restaurant & Pub (upstairs from Galena Cellars tasting room) offers a Friday evening beer batter fish dinner and, on Saturday afternoon, the Berghoff Beer Tasting & Cooking Demonstration. It features numerous brews from Berghoff and a steak sandwich made with a blend of spices and dark beer.

Travel out to Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa, six miles east of Galena, for numerous events. These include The Goose Has Landed Ale Luncheon hosted by Greg Hall, well-known master brewer of Chicago's Goose Island Brewery. An evening event at the resort is More Than Sherry, a dinner focusing on Spanish wines.

Also in the countryside, near the pretty town of Elizabeth, Massbach Ridge Winery, the region's newest, has more than 16 acres of vineyards. Admire unexpected hills and ridges and watch for deer herds and flocks of wild turkeys as you enjoy a winery tour and barrel tastings of locally grown, award-winning wines. Also sample local cheeses and delectable Dream Truffles.

The Irish Cottage partners with restaurants Frank O'Dowd's, One Eleven Main and Vinny Vanucchi's to stage a number of events. These include developing a whiskey taste profile, learning to balance food with wine and enjoying Francis Ford Coppola wines at The Godfather of All Wine dinners. Along with wines, you'll taste various whiskeys and tequilas.

Don't miss the hearty Irish breakfasts served at The Irish Cottage, which bring together fried eggs, thick bacon, sausages, black pudding, white pudding and baked beans. Check out the craftsmanship in the hotel; sections, including the entire pub, were handcrafted in Ireland and shipped to Galena for assembly by master Irish craftsmen.

If you stay at a rental home, you'll likely want to provision food and potables. Eagle Ridge Inn & Resort, sprawling over 6,800 acres of rolling hills, offers more than 300 privately owned villas, condominiums and executive homes with from one to eight bedrooms, plus 80 luxury rooms at the inn, most with fireplaces and walkout patios.

Main Street curves past more than 90 shops, including an interesting clutch of food purveyors. Perennially popular Galena River Wine & Cheese is housed just inside the floodgates in one of Galena's oldest commercial buildings, built in 1845. It gives star billing to regional products, including sausages, pates and a large selection of cheeses. It provides olive oil tasting and carries an extensive selection of wines and spirits.

Galena Garlic & Spice Store offers many varieties of locally grown garlic. The Galena Canning Company carries jams, jellies, fruit preserves, mustards, relishes, salsa and sauces (including its own Galena'mite Blasting Sauce for barbecuing).

If you go

Information: Wine Lover's Weekend, www.wineloversweekend.com; Galena/Jo Daviess County Convention & Visitors Bureau, (877) 464-2536, www.galena.org; Illinois Tourism, (800) 226-6632, www.enjoyillinois.com.

Mileage: Galena is 160 miles northwest of Chicago.

Mike Michaelson is a travelwriter based in Chicago andthe author of the guidebook"Chicago's Best-Kept Secrets."