Published: December 22, 2008 11:37 pm         

White Owl Winery offering tastings until Christmas Eve

White Owl Winery (whiteowlwinery.com) in southeastern Illinois opened its first Metro Wine Tasting Room on Dec. 10 in Chicago.

White Owl Winery will be tasting and selling 10 of its award-winning wines, just in time for the holidays. Wines include five from their original White Owl line: Cherry Pie, Sweet Liberty, Snowy White, Spiced Pear and Holiday Sparkle.

It also will taste and sell from its new wine line, Purgatory Cellars, featuring Sultry Red, Sensuous White, Purgatory Red and Purgatory White.

Persimmon Solera, the only persimmon sherry in the world, will also be offered for tasting and sale.

The White Owl Winery Metro Tasting Room, located at 1010 Lake St. in Oak Park, will be open through Christmas Eve. Hours are 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.

According to Marketing Director Joy Neighbors, “We have always liked the look and feel of Oak Park and decided that when we opened a Metro Tasting Room this would be the place. This holiday season is a way for us to test the suburban Chicago market before we make a committed move.”

White Owl Winery’s main facility is about five hours south of Chicago, near Birds, Ill. Founders Brian and Joy Neighbors opened the winery in 2000. In the past eight years, White Owl has won more than 200 national and international awards, including the Illinois Governors Cup and a Silver medal in Vienna, Austria this year for the Persimmon Solera.