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Area grape grower harvest wine award

By Karen Binder, The Southern

Saturday, March 1, 2008 11:46 PM CST

ANNA - Deeply rooted in grape grower Frank Lafoon's successes is Guy Renzaglia.

Lafoon is the winner of the 2008 Guy Renzaglia Award winner, an honor named after the man who many credit as founding the Illinois wine industry when he opened Alto Vineyards in 1988 and then helped others do the same.

Lafoon also is a graduate of Southern Illinois University Carbondale's Rehabilitation Institute, also founded by Renzaglia during his professional career as a rehabilitation education professor.

And then later as a Choate Mental Health Center professional in Anna, Lafoon also worked as a peer with Renzaglia, who was doing consulting work.

"I truly cannot say what an honor it is to receive the Guy Renzaglia award. This is the man who is the creator of the modern day Illinois wine industry and who helped set the stage for future generations. I'm just honored," Lafoon said.

The award was granted during the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association's state conference last weekend in Springfield and honors individuals who have contributed to the industry's growth.

"Frank is one of the best growers in Illinois. He's extremely conscientious and caring. He is willing to do whatever it takes. A lot of people don't understand that the quality of wine start with the quality of grapes," said Ted Wichmann.

He is a grower, an award-winning winemaker and founder of Owl Creek Vineyard in Cobden. To this day, Owl Creek buys all of Lafoon's grapes and makes them into Owl's Leap, Whoo's Blush and Bald Knob, which won Best of Show at the 2006 Illinois State Fair wine competition.

It took Lafoon about a year to find his vineyard property off of Illinois 146 between Anna and Interstate 57. It has two acres of chambourcin and chandonel grapes, both French hybrid varieties well matched to Southern Illinois' temperate climate. While they were first planted in 1998, the first vines took three years to bear wine quality grapes.

While many see vineyard work with a romantic perspective, Lafoon averages about 30 hours a week from March until harvest in the vineyard. This includes pruning, harvesting and lots of mowing - so much mowing that he's already listened to James Michener's "Hawaii" and "Alaska" books on tape.

Come fall, he and his wife Linda call on their family and friends for the annual Lafoon Family Harvest Festival, allowing all to help harvest and enjoy some of the fruits of their labors in the form of wine.

And when he's not in the vineyard he is working for IGGVA's southern region. Thanks to Lafoon, the trade group hosts a variety of events and meetings, ranging from a dinner matched with local wines to tours.

He also views his work as contributions to the region's tourism business.

"If one in 25 people traveling on Interstate 57 sees my nicely groomed, healthy vineyard, then that adds to the credibility of the industry. I'm very proud to make that contribution," Lafoon said.

karen.binder@thesouthern.com / 351-5080