Amazing tasting. Friendly staff. Great selection of Illinois wines. Utica is an adorable town. Highly recommend!

This is a review is for August Hill Winery on the Hill in Peru Illinois. This is their production and vineyard location open only on Sat/Sun from mid May thru October. They also have a tasting room and ship in North Utica. Wine flights,glass or bottle and light snacks are available for purchase. You can bring in your own food and pets are welcome. Bring a lawn chair,enjoy the views of the Illinois Valley and listen to free entertainment from 1-4 on selected weekends. More info on their website. They do need outdoor facilities and steps or a ramp up to the Hill would be a nice addition along with a paved entrance. A fun way to spend a day ! read more

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We had a great experience at this place. We were coming back from Starved Rock Park and while strolling through town, we decided to go in, order a couple of flights and a cheese board! Everything was excellent, a must-stop if it's something you enjoy. read more

A nice place to hangout! Live band at times, great selection of wines. An excellent service from the staff. read more

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Very nice wine shop with tasting available. Great selection of wines which is surprising for this area. The staff is super helpful and knowledgeable about all the wine. It's located on the main street that closed to cars so very walkable and lots of seating inside and out. read more

August Hill Winery Tasting Room - Wine tasting menu - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Utica, Illinois

Wine tasting and live music Saturday and free street parking. Nice community and atmosphere. Just no kids allowed in the main seating area but outdoor is ok. Lovely staff and lovely wines, esp infusions and apple wine is so good. Algenis was so very helpful to taste wines and talk with about the wines in Utica, IL. read more

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My family and I had a fantastic time our last two visits at this winery. Last June we were waited on by Christian provided exceptional service. Not sure they serve food? Maybe just cheese and crackers. The ambiance is very chill. There is plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Last weekend we sat outside with heaters and ordered flights of wine. We really enjoyed the varieties but some of the champagne flutes were just meh. The Blend 795 was my favorite sparkling wine. I love the musical cards and wine glasses and gifts they sell. It's a cute tasting room and the dry wine I have tasted is mostly very good. A must do if you are visiting Utica. read more

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My husband and I stopped in at the tasting room for the first time last October. We enjoyed it so much we returned again this Spring. We were warmly greeted by Rori, our server (also our server last year). We chose 6 wines to sample and Rori poured and explained each wine to us. This young woman really knows her stuff. We ordered a small cheese board to enjoy with our final wine choices. This was more than just a stop for wine; it was an experience. I highly recommend the wines, the food and the friendly and knowledgeable staff. we'll be back. read more

Went here on Saturday March 22nd. The food was good and the wine was better. My fiancé and I had a blast and we bought so much wine during our visit and to take home. I will definitely come here again. Ambiance was nice and the service was impeccable. read more

Such an amazing gem. I was searching for wineries near Chicago and came across August Hill Winery Tasting Room. The drive was about an hour and half. I didn't mind the drive it was a nice mini road trip away from the city. The tasting room is located in downtown Utica. Only a few minutes away from Starved Rock State Park. The tasting room is where you can enjoy a wine tasting. A selection of varieties of wines. Six wine tastings of your choice for $10.00. A shop to purchase some local handcrafted gifts. You can even purchase small bites to go along with your wine. A nice chill lounge area where you can enjoy your wine. Beautiful area with plush couches and tables. FYI Must be 21 and over to sit in this area. There is a back outdoor patio where you can enjoy the weather. Sit outside and relax with a glass of wine while listening to some live music. Taylor in the tasting room was very helpful and attentive. She made my first visit here a remarkable visit. I'm looking forward to my next visit. Thanks again Taylor for the wine recommendation. And making my first visit a memorable trip. read more

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Drove down from Chicago to do a wine tasting; unfortunately, they only do wine tastings at the bar. I found that out when I asked to get a guide with the wines for my partner, who has mobility issues, to take a look at and order from. The man gave me the list but said you can't do tastings anywhere but the bar (which is a stand-up height, not table height), and can do flights in the lounge. He didn't offer a chair or anything, so I assume that wasn't an option. The bar was elbow to elbow, so we wouldn't have been able to hang out there comfortably. All in all it was disappointing to find they aren't really into being accessible here? They have an accessible bathroom, but that's required by law... maybe the lounge/bar distinction is one that the state of Illinois imposes? Anyone who can't stand for an extended length of time would be uncomfortable and if someone was in a wheelchair might be able to have that at the bar but then might struggle to reach the bar to put down their glass. If it's not, that's what accommodations are for. There are still good things, though. The wine, obviously. And they were having an adult Easter egg hunt, which is the reason I wanted to come today; I got an egg for which the prize was a wine stopper. The space is elegant--seriously, I wish that other wineries would ditch the kitsch and upscale a bit. And the patio is heated, which is excellent. Because Illinois can be the worst about short springs, it was in the high 30's yesterday (April 15), so sitting outdoors would have been super uncomfortable. Since we're still masking, and indoors was filling up so quickly, we would have wanted to be outside. I stepped outside on a whim thinking it was going to be cold but the heated outdoor space made for a very pleasant afternoon. read more

Stopped in on a very hot, humid Sunday and the staff made us feel very welcome. Did 2 tastings, then relaxed in the lovely lounge area for a couple of glasses. Took home some bottles. Highly recommend. read more

I went here for my friend's 40th birthday celebration and it was amazing! The winery is super cute and the staff is so knowledgeable and friendly. Lori was our host and she was wonderful! She explained the winery and the wines thoroughly and made it such a memorable experience for us. My favorite wine was the Angel of Hope. I purchased two to go. Their frozen wine is also quite tasty! I had a sample of the wine apple cider and had to buy some to go! I loved this winery and cannot wait to return again soon. read more

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Words can't describe the experience I had at the August Hill Winery Tasting Room. I enjoyed myself so much that I ended up signing up for their wine membership and will definitely be back. They had a wine tasting special where you could get six choices for $10, with each pour being half an ounce. The bar provided breadsticks to help cleanse our palates. The only downside was that we had to stand up for our flights the whole time during the tasting; I wish they had bar stools. All of the staff was super nice and very helpful. This quaint country town is a great escape from the bustling city, and I definitely plan to come back to spend more time in the area. I can see myself coming for a staycation and this being a hangout spot. Because I signed up for the membership, we were able to get two of our tastings comped. I bought two bottles, normally priced at $19.99 each, but with the membership, I got them for $17.99 each. I love that all the wines are so unique. They also had a small food menu, and since we were super hungry the staff recommended a place a few doors down. Cheryl was great! read more

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Wonderful experience. We were greeted right away. The different wine tasting, flight or full glass options were explained. Friendly, professional, prompt service. Had a red wine flight and a brut flight. Also ordered the cheese plate which had two types of crackers and three soft cheeses. You can taste at the bar, relax in the large, beautiful lounge, or sit in the back patio. Highly recommend! read more

August Hill Winery Tasting Room - Red wine flight - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Utica, Illinois

Frequency: we are members and come here about 4-5 times a year Reservations: no but there's both a heated outdoor area and an indoor area. The menu: they serve their own wine choices. Also a cheese, bread and cracker menu available Beverages: Their wines are excellent, no matter your preference. Their bottle prices make it a better choice than the per glass. Their flights of $15 are generous and well priced. Entertainment: they frequently have live music. Takeaway: consider being a member, equally as good as Cooper's hawk and much more reasonable. Plus membership gives you good discounts for other things on their menu and member event days too August Hill Winery is a MUST if you will be hiking a bit in the beautiful Starved Rock area. Take a load off and visit here, especially in the Summertime. Be sure to take a stroll down the small and quaint street before or after your visit to AHW! read more

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Glass of "Ginocchio". Heat stop when in town. Outdoor seating perfect when you want to chill and taste. We were there at midday so didn't get to take advantage of the night lighting which covers the entire street (which is closed off to traffic). Great suggestion by the friendly staff. Make it a must stop on your next trip to Utica. read more

August Hill Winery Tasting Room - Glass of "Ginocchio". - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Utica, Illinois

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Great atmosphere , good vibes nice selection on entertainment , appetizers great selection and taste fantastic customer service was great and employees very friendly read more

Amazing ambience, live music. Great service! Variety of Wine selection/ cocktails to choose from. read more

Fun tasting room, good atmosphere. The local wines are ok. After our $10 tasting of 6 wines we went into the lounge and enjoyed a full glass of wine and some hummus. It's fun when the person pouring the wine does some explanation and they did a good job. They close early so be sure to get there no later than 5.45 on the weekend so you have some time. Wish they were open later read more

August Hill Winery Tasting Room - Wine and hummus - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Utica, Illinois

This was the best wine tasting I've ever experienced. Not only were there a wide variety of wines to choose from, the venue was beautiful and our tasting pourer was fantastic. Rori explained every wine that each of us in our group of four chose for a tasting. She knew details and history and presented it in a way that you were already liking the wine before you even tasted it. Her enthusiasm for the products and her desire for us to discover our favorites made this wine tasting experience absolutely delightful. We stayed to extend our enjoyable time by sitting on the heated patio and ordered delicious food along with wine flights since we couldn't decide on just one that we wanted to drink more. We definitely plan to make a return trip and would frequent this place if we lived closer. read more

Friendly staff. Great wines. Tasty food. We were so impressed by their wines that we joined the wine club on the spot.

TERRIBLE service sucks! the guy behind the bar arrogantly told me that the bar is for tastings only and walked off when I tried to order a glass of wine and then buy a bottle of red. When he returned he said you need to get a table when one opens up. So lo and behold a table opened up which I sat at then I watched him pour glass after glass to the women without tastings to every woman who showed up. Overall a nice place with a POS male bar tender. read more

I am what many people would call a wine snob. I also love French wine and adore Champaign. If I am going to be honest I didn't even want to stop in but my wife wanted too. I have been to way too many Midwest wineries and rarely do I find a wine that is even decent.. When I do find one that is decent the cost simply doesn't justify it. As soon as I walked in I could tell this play was something different. The room is beautiful and very classy. However it still all comes down to the taste. I was happy to see they had a lot of sparkling wines, but to be honest I thought it would be a bunch of fruit sweet crap. I will admit that I was wrong. The first one I tasted was it's highest end one. I figured try the best and if that isn't good no need to taste more. To say I was shocked was an under statement. It was amazing! Dare I say it was as good as any Champaign that I have ever had. So I happy purchased a few bottles. The story gets better. I am in a wine group that meets monthly and all we do is drink French wine. So I brought one do the bottles and covered the label and poured it blind for my fellow wine snobs. Everyone of them really enjoyed it. When I reviled to them that it was not from the Champagne region of France but from Illinois and made with Illinois grapes they were all simply in shock. The place is simply amazing, the staff is friendly and knowledgeable and clearly the wine maker knows what he or she is doing. read more

Great Illinois wine and stellar staff. Not many vegan options and still worth the road trip! read more

August Hill Winery Tasting Room - August Hills wine tasting. - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Utica, Illinois

This winery is an amazing experience to relax and taste new wines! I love the hot spice caramel apple wine!!

The person that assisted us with our tasting (Christian) was really knowledgeable and helpful. He knew a lot about the flavor profile, what to pair the wine with, and what kinda of grapes that were used. For $10 you can sample 6 wines. I prefer sweet wines and the ones I tried were incredible. The price point is really affordable as well. Make sure you try the Berlyn slushy! read more

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If visiting this winery 3 different times within 24 hours doesn't scream "WE LOE THIS PLACE", I don't know what does. Ok, so that was us. We visited the first time on the afternoon we arrived in town for a tasting. LOVED the Almond Infusion & the Demi Sec Rosé. I think we ended up with a glass (or two) of Demi Sec and some chocolates. We knew we'd come back to purchase a few bottles but we didn't know we'd be back for full glasses of Almond Infusion, then again for a flight, then again for the Berlyn Wine Slushies.... What I'm trying to say is that we had several amazing experiences at August Hill, I think we became "regulars" in a short period of time, we met new friends while in the tasting room, became very popular with the staff, and fell in love. Don't @ me, but this may be my all-time favorite winery at the moment. CAN'T WAIT TO VISIT AGAIN. read more

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This was a very fun tasting room. Very elegant tasting room and even a outside patio. The main room with all the wine and gifts was also very impressive. We we able to select a flight of 3 choices of any wine. We also bought a small box of chocolates to pair with our wine. We chose 2 whites, 3 reds and a mysterious indigo wine. We went home with 2 bottles of the indigo wine. It was tasty and very different than anything we have in our wine cellar at home. read more

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August Hill Winery Tasting Room was founded in 2002. The winemaking is done in Illinois approx. ten miles from Tasting Room. This place reminds me of wineries in Door County Wisconsin. Wine tasting: 5 for $5. A great place to go after hiking around Starved Rock National Park. The Wines are categorized into Dry, Semi-dry, Infusions, Semi-sweet, Sweet, Dessert, and Sparkling. We were told that the favorites are Berlyn or a sparkling. For my tasting, I chose Berlyn (semi-dry with cherry notes), Almond (Infusion), Carmel Apple (Sweet), Augie's Blackberry (Dessert, port-style), and Sec (Sparkling honey citrus notes). These are rich flavored wines. Even the semi-dry tasted very sweet to me. We bought a bottle of the Berlyn, Raspberry Infusion, and Niagara. All together our total was around $50. Not bad! Dogs are not allowed and I did not see a back patio. There are a few patio tables outside in front of the building. The staff was pleasant and efficient. read more

Absolutely love this place! Our visit was amazing - I can't recommend August Hill enough! Upon arrival, we were greeted by the very friendly and knowledgeable staff, who made us feel so welcome. They even took the time to recommend the perfect wine pairings based on our preferences. The wine is fantastic. We thoroughly enjoyed every single wine we tasted! The tasting room is beautiful and relaxing, the staff is awesome. We will DEFINITELY be back! read more

I enjoyed the wine tasting. You Pay $10 for 6 tastes. Years ago it was a free tasting but $10 is pretty standard now. We bought 2 bottles of wine. I'd like a credit or discount from the tasting fee if you purchase something. But, that's the way it goes . I do recommend the experience. read more

Decided to take a road trip to Utica to visit this place glad we did! Facility was very nice, we sat in the lounge area, looked newly redone, nice layout, comfortable furniture and great service. Staff was very knowledgeable and made solid recommendations. Whatever kind of wine you like you ca find an enjoyable flight. We ordered some cheese and breadsticks are were very pleased with the portions. We will be back and hope to visit the vineyard as well. read more

August Hill Winery Tasting Room - My first flight of sweet wines, really likes the middle selection, Carmel apple - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Utica, Illinois

Wow, what a pleasant surprise! We came to Utica for a couples hike and had a change of plans that put us at August Hill. We were apprehensive because we didn't know what to expect,... and then we met Jakob! He was very enthusiastic and encouraged us to try the best of the winery. We enjoyed the experience and the masterful service from Jakob and staff. Next time we come out this way, it will be because we wanted visit August Hill, instead of the state park. This place is a gem. read more

The service is absolutely HORRIBLE!! My grandmother, who is handicapped, is a member here so she is entitled to free wine tastings. She traveled 2 hours to pick up her wine order and enjoy her free tasting. However, she asked the bartender at the bar if she could get a chair to sit and taste the wine as she is disabled and unable to stand/walk for long periods of time. She was denied a seat and the bartender stated if she would like to sit at the chairs in the other room she would have to pay for a flight of wine. She also asked for assistance with picking out different wines she wanted to purchase and was met with a look of attitude and distain from the employee. We will NOT be returning here nor will we be renewing our membership here. This place is NOT handicapped friendly! read more

Our personal tasting experience was amazing and we ended up getting all of the wine we needed for our wedding. Top notch place!

I went to a cave testing at the Peru location. Our taster was Madelyn, who was wonderful. After that experience I had no choice but to continue the adventure by trying the tasting room in Utica. At the tasting room, Sophia and her team allowed me to enjoy a tasting and I followed up with a flight. They have so many varieties that I have never tried like Carmel apple, Indigo, and Mardi Gras to name a few. Great customer service and a safe short drive from Chicago so I'll definitely be back! read more

Great wine, wonderful staff and a beautiful tasting room / lounge! If you're visiting Starved Rock and are a wine drinker you will definitely want to take the short 8 minute drive for a tasting, flight or glass! read more

Came in for the 5 Wines for $5 and ended up staying for the day! Steven was so fun and welcoming, he was very knowledgeable and made our tasting experience fun! We've tried many wines through our travels and have found some of the BEST here! Hence, we bought a case and joined the Insiders Club! Ha! Almond Infused and the Sec are absolutely phenomenal. Thanks, Steven, for making us love Utica even more! read more

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My new favorite winery! The wine tastings are $5 for 5 tastings. They also have wine slushes that you can try too :) If you try the blackberry wine you get a free piece of chocolate. We had two wine tastings while we were there because we liked the wine that much and were having a good time. Our server was Crystal and she was great! She told us a lot about the wine and had great ideas on how to make different drinks or food items with the wines. Their overall set up is nice as well. It's very clean and spacious and they have a great lounge area to enjoy a glass of wine. My favorite wine was the Mardi Gras. For a bottle it was $18.99 which seemed to be about average for their bottle prices. I would highly recommend to anyone in the area! read more