Vineyard already drawing the crowds

Sleepy Creek Vineyards near Oakwood has been open since May, but already neighbors have noticed an increase in visitors to the area.

Kathy Sponder, who lives just down the road from the vineyard and can see it from her home, said many of the vineyard's customers have returned, bringing friends and family members.

"It's a great thing for the community," Sponder said.

The vineyard has been in the works since 2002 but only opened this year because owners Joe and Dawn Taylor had to ask voters in an April referendum to change Catlin Township from dry to wet. They succeeded, and have been selling their wine ever since.

"It's nice to be able to sell some wine and start making some money," Dawn Taylor said, noting that she and her husband have been putting money into the vineyard for five years.

To keep costs down, the Taylors started the Purple Finger Club. It allows vineyard customers to volunteer time for pruning, planting grape harvesting and bottling and labeling wine. Club members receive discounts on wine and access to special, small batches of wine.

Sponder and her husband, Larry, are members of the Purple Finger Club. They enjoy the work, Sponder said, but also the fact that they've helped at the vineyard through all its stages – from planting vines to reaping grape harvests.

"It's really being a part of something from beginning to end," Sponder said, "with delicious results, I might add."

The vineyard has four wines so far, Taylor said, though one is sold out and won't be offered again until next year. The vineyard has 3,500 vines, and 2,000 of those are mature enough to produce grapes. It eventually will expand to 5,000 vines, Dawn Taylor said, and it also features an art gallery.

Sleepy Creek is becoming a destination, Taylor said, which is exactly what she and her husband want.

"We hope that we're adding something unique that is attractive and desirable," Taylor said. "It's a desirable place to visit. It seems like we're bringing a little bit of wine country to East Central Illinois."

News-Gazette Correspondent Kammie Richter contributed to this story.