Pomona Winery

The owner George made this a 5 star experience. His playful descriptions of the wine you are tasting and how to pair it with food was really enjoyable. Add in the running commentary and snarks from Becky the master vinter and its just too much fun. The most fun I’ve ever had a winery… ever. Bar none.
Pomona Winery is different… they make «non-​grape» wines that are really different and out there. OF the sample of 10 wines I actually enjoyed most, especially the dry wines. One apple wine actually reminded me very much of a traditional pinot gris as the apple taste was so subdued. Only a couple of the sweets were too much for my taste.
The really stunning wine that I bought and brought home with me was really different. It was a strawberry wine. It had a bit of a kick but you could taste the berry flavor through it all. Perfect dessert wine that paired perfectly with a molten lava cake.

Pomona Winery is a classic example of what a Southern Illinois winery should be. Why?
1) The Wines, while too sweet from my taste, are a delicious example of locally-​produced fruit wines from the surrounding orchards.
2) The Building was built by the Owner’s own hands out of reclaimed materials. He even has a «reclaimed materials» shack nearby that is photo-​worthy.
3) The Owner (George) takes time to walk you through a tasting of all of the wines and how they fit into the larger world of wine itself, and he takes his time to slowly work through the story and share his craft. (He may even answer the phone in the middle of his spiel – just talk to your friends and enjoy the slowness of it all – George will be back soon.)
4) The Location. You will see some beautiful landscape on your way there, and pulling into the drive feels like trespassing onto some old hippie’s secret weed plantation. Yes, you might get bitten by mosquitoes on your way from the car to the tasting room. Welcome to Southern Illinois.
This is a must-​stop on the Shawnee Wine Trail.

Most definitely our favorite winery we’ve been to in Southern Illinois. The wines are all amazing, and the staff is very knowledgable and friendly. The winery and surrounding area are both beautiful, which only adds to the great experience. When out on the wine trail, we make this a must-​stop. The wines are typically non-​grape derived, and many of them are apple-​based. They run sweeter than some other wineries, but they all taste delicious and refined.

This was my last stop before heading home to Chicagoland. I didn’t want to leave. The owner (George, I believe), is actually from Chicago, so we broke the ice quickly. Their wines are fantastic, and you can tell that they put a lot of thought and pride into their work. He build the building himself (which, is a really cool building). We got lucky for having a 50 degree day in the middle of December, so we were able to sip our wine out on the back deck! Beautiful views from the deck and surrounding property.
I bought a bottle of almost all of their wines (6 out of 10).
They are NOT all sweet wines, FYI, and only 3 of their wines are dessert wines. They run the gamut from dry to semi-​dry to semi-​sweet to sweet, so they have something to please everyone. Unless you’re like me and enjoy a variety of wines, then you’ll be in heaven!
It’s a little off the beaten path (and my GPS didn’t take me right there, but we found it), but it’s definitely worth the trip.

Becky provided us with a nice, knowledgeable tasting while informing us, «We don’t do weddings; have bands or offer any food» thus claiming «our winery stands on the product alone.» The non-​grape wines are nice, unassuming treats… offered in an environment free of the expected accoutrements of other wineries. They obviously have concern for the environment, using recycled bricks along the entrance drive. My problem with this established winery is the lack of solicitation. Introduce us to your sommelier (I had to ask the name of ours) and let us know if there is a deck to have a relaxing glass of wine on. We rushed through a tasting, described our other experiences and were counseled as to how to better handle our dissatisfaction. If you don’t offer food, inform your customers via web… inviting us to bring snacks. Becky kindly directed us, as a local, to other touristy destinations.

Pomona Winery is a small vineyard and winery located on the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail in a wooded section of the Shawnee National Forest (10 miles south of Murphysboro). They have a rural tasting room with a back deck that overlooks the forest. The grape-​less wines they offer are unique and tasty. Most are made from apples, berries and other locally sourced fruits. The cost is $ 3 for a tasting of all 10 wines. George and Becky are informative, entertaining and fun. This winery is small, but unique and is definitely a worthwhile stop on the wine trail!

While I give them major bonus points for being the only vineyard on the wine trail making apple wines, this restriction doesn’t leave the customer with much variety. There are roughly 9 different wines on the menu, but only one is any different than the others (not including the ports). I forget the name, but it had a really nice cinnamon flavor to it. The rest all tasted like slightly less sweet Moscato to me.
However, Pomona is arguably the most secluded of all the wineries on the trail and has one of the warmest interiors of all the locations I’ve seen. The staff is always friendly, and the service is quick.

I’d have to call this place a must see for the Shawnee wine trail. The wines here are made from local fruits and not from grapes (local or otherwise). Many of the wines are made from apples. As you might imagine, most of the wines are pretty sweet. The tastes were surprisingly varied, though, and the woman giving out tastes was very knowledgeable and had lots of suggestions on how these wines could be used in cooking.
Unlike every other winery on the trail, none of the wines here were offensive. They were all good in their own way. If you like cooking with wine, especially desserts, be sure and stop here.
A very fun tasting.

While visiting family in Southern Illinois, we decided to hit the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail… the Pomona Winery was our first stop. The winding roads getting there made me unsure of my ability to drink wine, but all was well the minute I stepped inside. We were greeted by the owner, George, who was hilarious, kind, and generous in his knowledge. I wasn’t sure about the idea of apple-​only wine (no grapes? seriously?), but George changed my mind, and he’ll convince you, too.
Pomona was hands-​down my favorite stop of the trip… they have a great tasting room, a large deck where you can bring your own food, have a glass (or bottle) of wine, and relax. The price can’t be beat, either… I think we had 5 glasses of wine & it was only $ 20 or something ridiculously inexpensive like that.
I had a few favorites, but the bottles I took home were the Orchard Spice (seriously, they aren’t kidding when they tell you it’s Thanksgiving in a bottle)… SO delicious.
I highly recommend making a stop at Pomona while on the trail… you will not be disappointed.

Pomona Winery was our second winery stop along the wine trail and out of the 12 wineries along the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail this was my favorite experience!
When we walked in, we were greeted with a warm welcome by Mary. She was so knowledgeable about the area that she told us the must see and must try spots all along the area which is great to get the useful knowledge from a local. We actually did try everything she mentioned to us and all were right on so Thanks!
As we moved down the tasting list, every item was explained with such great detail it was as if she had been drinking their wine for a million years! With every tasting she explained exactly what you were going to smell it and how you were going to taste it in pure detail and then she even went on to explain dishes (we even swapped some recipe secrets) that would pair with each wine.
They make this amazing Apple wine (Jonathan and Jonathan Reserve) that was delicious. With her great explanation, not only could you taste the difference between the two but you knew what the differences were. They also make a wine called Kir, sweet and delicious. Now, for their dessert wines, I only tried the Peach and all I could think of was how good a peach cobbler would be with this wine! They also make a blueberry and a strawberry (the Strawberry is an award winner!) Of course I bought a couple bottles! If in the area, definitely stop in here it was an amazing tasting experience with a extremely knowledgeable person.