US: Number of wineries continues to climb in Illinois
US: Number of wineries continues to climb in Illinois
Feb 3, 2012 6
(SJ-R) - Wineries continued to open in Illinois straight through the Great Recession, raising the total to more than 100 at the start of 2012, according to the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association.
Not that there haven’t been losses.
“It’s ever-changing. We’re starting to see a little attrition,” association president Bruce Morgenstern said on the opening day of the association’s annual convention Thursday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.
“It’s a warm, fuzzy business. Everybody sees themselves with a vineyard and a winery,” said Morgenstern. “But everyone forgets it’s still an agriculture-based industry. It’s a lot of work. It’s time-consuming. You have to have a passion to survive it.”
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