Illinois Valley Wine Trail

09/04/2026

🍷🎶 And so it begins!

The very first weekend of Music in the Vines is here, and Augustino Estate is getting us started this Sunday with live music from Gabe Casas!
All September long, we’re pairing Illinois Valley wine country with live local music at our participating wineries. 🎶🍇
See you in the vines!

Music in the vines this Sunday (9/6), put on by the Illinois Valley Wine Trail, will be held at our Treehouse location with live music by Gabe Casas from 2-5!

Come cozy in and enjoy an afternoon with us!

09/04/2026

🍷🎶 Music in the Vines starts THIS WEEKEND!

We’re kicking off the first weekend of Music in the Vines, a September celebration of local wine, live music, and afternoons spent in Illinois Valley wine country.

This Sunday, join us at Augustino Estate’s Treehouse location for live music from Gabe Casas! 🎹🍷

📅 Sunday, September 6
🎶 Gabe Casas | 2–5 PM
📍 Augustino Estate | Treehouse Location

Come cozy in, grab a glass, enjoy the music, and help us kick off a month of Music in the Vines across the Illinois Valley Wine Trail.

Because around here, September sounds pretty darn good. 🍇🎶

Wine is the invitation. The Illinois Valley is the experience.

09/01/2026

🍷 BUILDING THE TRAIL | Learning From the Trails That Came Before Us

There’s a lot happening behind the scenes at the Illinois Valley Wine Trail that you don’t necessarily see on social media.

Over the past several weeks, we’ve been researching wine trails and associations across the country and reaching out directly to the people who run them.

We’re asking questions about how they started. How they’re funded. Who does the work. How their events operate. What their wineries contribute. How they work with tourism partners. What has helped them succeed.

And one of our favorite questions:

"What do you wish you had known when you were starting out?"

We’ve been studying and reaching out to organizations from Missouri to New York and Pennsylvania, while also learning from wine organizations right here in Southern Oregon.

Why spend so much time looking at what everyone else is doing?

Because we’re not interested in simply putting four wineries on a map and calling it a wine trail.

We’re interested in building something that lasts.

Something that supports our wineries, brings visitors into the Illinois Valley, creates opportunities for other local businesses, and helps turn a collection of individual experiences into a destination.

We’re sharing some of that behind-the-scenes work in a new series called Building the Trail.

Our first story is live:

Learning From the Trails That Came Before Us

Read it here:
https://illinoisvalleywinetrail.com/building-a-rural-wine-trail/

We’re not looking for another wine trail to become.

We’re learning from many of them so we can build the right one for the Illinois Valley. 🍷🌲

08/28/2026

Wine with a view… and tonight, the moon decided to join us. 🌙🍷

A beautiful evening at Deer Creek Vineyards, watching the lunar eclipse rise over the Illinois Valley with a glass of local rosé in hand.

Sometimes the best wine experiences aren't planned. They're simply a place, a glass, a moment, and a reason to stay a little longer.

Wine is the invitation. The Illinois Valley is the experience.

08/26/2026

🍷 Wine History Movie Night: Bottle Shock

James and I watched Bottle Shock last night, and I really enjoyed it.

If you're interested in wine but don't know much about the history of winemaking in the United States, this is such a fun place to start. The movie takes us back to California wine country in the 1970s and the events surrounding the famous Judgment of Paris, a blind tasting that helped change the way the world viewed American wine.

It's a movie, not a documentary, so Hollywood definitely gets a seat at the table. 😉 But it's entertaining, it's about wine, and it just might send you down a rabbit hole wanting to learn more about how the American wine industry became what it is today.

One of the things we hope to do here at the Illinois Valley Wine Trail is make wine feel approachable. You don't have to know all the terminology or be able to identify twelve tasting notes in your glass. Sometimes learning about wine can start with pouring yourself a glass and watching a good movie.

🎬 Tonight's recommendation: Bottle Shock
🍷 Pour something local while you watch!

Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/hI2g8-7GnT8?si=Mm92gN22n2XyUzMY

Wine is the invitation. The Illinois Valley is the experience.

The story of the early days of California wine making featuring the...

08/26/2026

08/24/2026

📣 Illinois Valley businesses and community partners: we want your input.

The Illinois Valley Wine Trail Advisory Council will hold its inaugural meeting on Wednesday, September 23, and the agenda is now public.

The Advisory Council brings together winery representatives, tourism businesses, community organizations, and regional partners to provide insight and guidance as the Wine Trail grows.

But you do not need to hold a seat on the Council to have a voice in the work.

Before each meeting, we’ll publish the agenda and invite businesses, organizations, and community members to share information, ideas, and perspectives relevant to the topics being discussed.

For our September meeting, the Council will be looking at topics including:

🍇 The continued development of the Illinois Valley Wine Trail
🛣️ Visitor needs and opportunities surrounding Highway 199
📸 Illinois Valley tourism photography and storytelling
🗺️ 2027 tourism priorities and opportunities
🤝 Ways businesses and organizations can collaborate across the valley

Have experience, an idea, a concern, or a resource that could help inform one of these conversations? We’d like to hear from you.

You can review the full September 23 agenda and submit input directly from the page:

👉 https://illinoisvalleywinetrail.com/advisory-council/september-2026-agenda/

Want to learn more about the Council, how it works, and how its work will be shared publicly?

👉 https://illinoisvalleywinetrail.com/advisory-council/

Council meetings are working sessions for members and invited participants, but agendas will be published in advance, community input is welcomed, and Council Briefs will be made publicly available following meetings.

The goal is simple: bring more perspectives to the table as we work together to strengthen the Illinois Valley visitor experience.

Wine is the invitation. The Illinois Valley is the experience.

08/23/2026

🎶🍷 Music in the Vines just got another reason to head south!

Augustino Estate & The Treehouse is joining the fun during Illinois Valley Wine Trail’s Music in the Vines Weekend with their September Wine Release & Harvest Party!

📅 Saturday, September 19 | 12–5 PM

Spend the afternoon at the Treehouse in O’Brien with:

🍷 New wine releases
🎶 Live music by Steven Kasmar
🍇 Harvest season at Rock’n R Ranch
🌲 And one seriously beautiful place to spend a September afternoon

This is exactly what Music in the Vines is all about: pick a winery, follow the music, discover something new, and make an afternoon of exploring the Illinois Valley Wine Trail.

And don’t forget your Wine Trail Passport. If you have one, bring it along and get it signed while you’re there!

Come as Friends, Leave as Family. ❤️

08/23/2026

🍷🎶 Bridgeview knows how to throw a party.

Last night was another reminder that our Illinois Valley wineries are so much more than places to stop for a tasting. They’re gathering places.

Bridgeview Vineyards & Winery welcomed a fantastic crowd to celebrate Martha’s birthday, with Ben Rice and band bringing the music and plenty of folks filling the deck for a beautiful summer evening.

Great wine. Live music. A deck full of people enjoying an Illinois Valley summer night. ✨

Wine is the invitation. The Illinois Valley is the experience.

08/23/2026

Saturday evening in the Illinois Valley is looking pretty good from here. 🍷🎶☀️

Liquid Violet is live at Deer Creek Vineyards, the patio is full, the vineyard is glowing, and the rosé is doing exactly what rosé is supposed to do on a summer evening.

Good music. Local wine. Friends. Vineyard views.

This is what summer on the Illinois Valley Wine Trail looks like. 💜🍇