Very nice and quaint. The service was great, the wine and beer tasty and no lunch/dinner food but there are snacks to eat with your drinks. Very lovely and recommended. read more

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We've gone to Alto twice this year, once to see Sass perform and once for a comedy night. It's always a fun and great time here! The servers are great, very knowledgeable and quick to answer any questions. I only had the sangria, which was delicious, but everyone else in my group loved their wine. I do think the place is a little run down and needs a bit of a face lift to make it more appealing on the inside, but you'll have a great time here nonetheless! read more

Awesome atmosphere. Great outdoor sitting area. Very nice sitting outside. Great wine but wish they had food.

Nice little tasting room that is especially pleasant when you can sit on the outdoor patio or enjoy the outdoor tables! In the warmer months, they frequently have live music events so I highly recommend checking out their calendar for upcoming performances. And, it's only a short drive outside of the downtown Champaign/Urbana area. The staff is very friendly and personable, and seem to love answering questions which gives the establishment a great personality. I've always walked away with a bottle (ranging in price from about $15-20), though Rocko Red has been my preferred choice . . . It has a perfect balance of not too sweet nor dry for a red. The menu is pretty straight forward and the staff has always seemed willing to assist if you have any questions. Their $5 tastings are always a good option to try six wines, which I enjoy taking out of town visitors in for an afternoon. It's easy to pass a few hours here, though you could also get in a quick tasting if you are short on time. You're able to take the tasting wine glass home with you afterward (though now that I've been several times, I almost wish I didn't have to keep the glass and instead got $1 off the tasting!). They have some small snack options available though you are also welcome to bring your own. On their event calendar, it appears that once in awhile they have meals. Their hours vary so I recommend checking their website before making the drive to be sure there is not a pre-planned event happening. read more

Descent selection of wine. The location is nice and could be fun. Went for the comedy show which was good though the owner(manager) was very unfriendly for the second time. Not likely to try it a third time with below average drinks and a bad attitude staff. read more

Very nice wine selection, beautiful outdoor venue (wedding was going on nearby while I was there), and very cozy. They had a cool $5 tasting deal where you can try 6 wines and they had an excellent chambourcin and some cool wine slushees. read more

Alto Vineyards - Strongly recommend - Wineries Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Fun way to spend a weekend afternoon if you're in the area. They have wine slushies on the weekend! They also have a good $5 tasting deal that gets you six tastes and a free wine glass to take home. Normally I'm used to getting a little more background on each wine that I try during a tasting (IMO the staff commentary can be half the fun) but this place seemed to favor what you might call "efficiency" over detail. Still fun though! TIP: While they have a small fridge with snacks (cheeses, crackers, soft drinks) for purchase, you can also bring in your own snacks. We brought along some creamy cheeses we picked up at Harvest Market and it was a perfect accompaniment to the wines! read more

I had an event here and it was fabulous. We rented the retail shop which included the front porch. They blocked off part of the front parking lot and put additional tables up for us. The staff went out of their way to make this event special for us. We had about 60 people and hired a caterer for the dinner. And the wine was really good too I would highly recommend booking this venue for events or just to visit and have a glass of wine. read more

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My boyfriend and I are from southern Illinois. Traveling back from Chicago we googled and found Alto winery. It was just off the interstate and not hard to get to so we decided to check it out. We have been so many times to the original Alto Vineyard. We had no idea they even had another location. Alto told us they have had that location for many years and it certainly didn't appear like it. Hardly any grapevines, and the location was just, meh. Weirdest bathroom ever. Only one bathroom but two sinks and two toilets facing one another. That being said, they have terrific wines so we had to give them 4 stars. The server was nice and talkative about the place. We discussed how we had been at the other location and she said she hadn't been there yet. It's Cinco de Mayo so they served free nachos and salsa and there was a guy singing and playing guitar. He was good and played at a nice volume so we could still talk. Beautiful day and the trees are full of blooms and beautiful. Pretty nice Sunday Funday. read more

Alto Vineyards - Beautiful flowering tree at Alto. - Wineries Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

I'm not really sure what took me so long to get out to Alto Vineyards, but after my recent trip I know the jokes on me for being too lazy to get out there. Matt, who helped us taste and select wines was a little reserved to begin with but quickly warmed up after we expressed some degree of knowledge when it comes to wines. As far as the wines go, the Weiner Dog White was a favorite of my mother-in-law, while both my husband and I enjoyed the Chambourcin red (note: that is probably not the exact name, but I promise it's close enough to point you in the right direction!). The atmosphere was really cool and we enjoyed sipping on our glasses of wine on the front porch area, however I am convinced that this place has yet to reach it's full potential--thus my refusal to award five stars. Overall, I was incredibly impressed with the entire Alto Vineyards experience and I look forward to spending many a more lazy afternoons sipping fantastic local wine on their front porch. P.S. I call the granny rocking chair! You can take the porch swing. read more

Dueling Banos The restroom in this tasting house has dual sinks and dual toilets so you can race your friends in a good ol' pee contest. Aside that this place is as normal as can be and even a great place for entertainment. The boys from CU Comedy put on an amazing show. Wine, cheese, popcorn and puppies on this trip were the highlights. read more

Liked it, didn't love it. Some of the wines had great flavor and others tasted extremely cheap and definitely not like wine. The staff dishing out the (free) tastings lacked personality and one let us know that he didn't care for any of the wines when we asked his favorite. Umm...ok, you are definitely NOT a salesman. My friends and I enjoyed the front patio (actually a big porch) and were able to sit down and enjoy a couple glasses of wine and conversation. Although some were not on point, I did find one that I loved and snagged a bottle for only $10! The actual vineyard was umm, pretty sad considering the crop wasn't great this year and they do most of their production at their vineyard in southern Illinois. However, it did make a nice backdrop for our fake photoshoot. If you're passing through...drop by. read more

I've been attending summer concerts here for a few years. They are generally pretty good with a low cover charge. They have a small dance stage too. There is plenty of seating if you arrive 20-30 minutes early. Otherwise bring your own lawn chair or blanket. Definitely bring bug spray. They have a good selection of whites, reds, blush, and dessert wines as well as beer and snack foods. If you buy wine glasses, you can bring them back on future visits to save a few bucks. The only negative for me, and it's really not their fault, but a lot of people bring their kids like it's free child-care. If you can get past that, you'll have a good experience. read more

This place is so nice to visit! It's a little hit and miss whenever we decide to stop by, because sometimes the environment is welcoming and fun and other times it's a little awkward and quiet. However, we were lucky enough to stop by two times and have a great experience. You can try 6 wines for 5$ and get a glass, so it's a great deal. You can also try wines to see if you like one enough to take one home! There's also some cheese and crackers around if you're in to that sort of thing :)! I loved their award winning Rosé, super tasty! read more

I threw a small engagement party for my brother and his brand new fiance. The staff here were very helpful and accommodating. In addition to wine They offer non-alcoholic drinks, table Linens and some suggestions for catering. I chose to bring in my own food but to use their drink dispensers. The wine was very tasty and made a perfect guest book for my brother to take home. They even have markers that will write on the wine bottle! I would recommend this place! We were able to use the retail space for the party and it was perfect for our small group. There were a lot of customers that came in throughout the afternoon but that was perfectly fine. read more

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Good wine selection. Went for their annual celebration, live music, a good crowd, overall great environment. $5 gets you 6 wines to taste and a free wine glass to take home. Menu is pretty straight-forward, tells you if the wine is dry, sweet, or semi-sweet. Good for a weekend afternoon. It's a cozy small place. read more

Best place I've ever been in my entire life! No one should EVER write a negative review about this WINEDERFUL place!!!

Great selection! Great service. Nice place to spend a Saturday afternoon with friends.

I arrived about 3 pm which is when the employees are doing work (prepping bottles for packaging etc....) I understand this work is essential for the business, but there was a general lack of attention to my group. The lack of care towards customers really turned us off. I had two items ready to purchase from their gift shop and there wasn't an employee to be found so I didn't purchase. I only had two white wines and they were very good. Would be interested in trying their other varieties. Prices were reasonable and they had a good selection of local goods. read more

This cozy vineyard was absolutely worth the several detours it took to get to. The staff was accommodating and very friendly. The pricing was extremely affordable and they offered plenty of snack options to chow down with your beverage. These central Illinois wine bars and vineyards seem to be popping up everywhere and I'm glad this establishment has chosen to keep it simple with a good selection and an affordable menu. read more

We attended the Mystery Dinner Theatre last evening and it was far from a good experience. First, it was not "dinner" but a serve yourself sandwich, mac and cheese and baked beans on paper plates with plastic utensils. Apple dumplings with ice cream for desert however they ran out of ice cream. With one exception the actors from the CU Theatre Company they seemed bored and did not interact with all the guests. The venue was very crowded which meant it was difficult to hear any of the actors conversations with each other. We have attended other similar dinner theatres and this fell short on many levels. At $45.00 per person we expected more. It barely lasted two hours, not the three as listed and we were happy to be done. read more

Liked it. Had a group gathering here and they had live music which was truly entertaining. The tables need candles on them to deter bugs. Wines were good. I liked the norton which was a dry wine. read more

I've been going here and taking friends from out of the area ever since I realized there was Illinois wine outside of Galena. They have free tastings, good cheeses, nice selection of gifts and music on summer weekends just on the outskirts of Champaign. Their main vineyard is in Alto Pass on the Shawnee Wine Trail in Southern Illinois, but I like the tasting experience here better. The Chambourcin is a nice dry red, some vintages of the Chancellor are better. I don't love the whites since they are a little sweet for my taste. read more

Friendly, relaxed environment. Great location. Staff are amazing! Would highly recommend to others.