Shawnee Hills is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) at the convergence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers at the southern end of Illinois. Created in 2006, the AVA was the first in the state and is home to a small but expanding wine industry. The vineyards of Shawnee Hills are planted largely to French-American hybrid varieties such as Seyval Blanc and Vidal Blanc for whites and Chambourcin and Chancellor for reds.
The Shawnee Hills are a series of ridges and benches running for roughly 80 miles (130km) east to west at elevations rising up to 1000ft (300m) above the surrounding countryside. The AVA is roughly marked by the course of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers – the former to the west, the latter to the south-east. Together, the rivers also delineate the southern tip of Illinois, separating it from its western neighbors, Missouri and Kentucky.
The Shawnee Hills region is characterized by hilly topography (hence the name) and limestone-rich, free-draining soils. As well as an abundance of calcareous soil types, there is also a high proportion of sandstone in the soils here, which has proved useful in absorbing and channeling the area's high rainfall. Vineyards perform better on dry soils, which limit excessive vigor and encourage deep root systems.
The topography of Shawnee Hills is also useful in moderating the region's continental climate. Vineyards planted on ridge tops benefit from good air drainage, reducing the risk of frost in spring. The exposure of the vineyards also means that breezes can dry the vines during the humid summers, reducing the chances of fungal vine diseases. While the Shawnee Hills region has a similar continental climate to the rest of Illinois, the ridge of the hills provides some shelter from cold influences from the north during winter.
The Shawnee Hills AVA was delimited in 2006 amid some controversy: growers outside the proposed boundaries felt that the establishment of an AVA would lower the perceived value of their wines and wanted the borders expanded to include more of Southern Illinois. Despite this, the AVA was granted, and the region is now home to at least 20 wineries and an ever-growing number of vineyards.
