Press Release
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Uncorked Tours! General Press Release
The top has been popped on a new tourism-related business in Southern
Illinois. Uncorked Tours! of Carbondale will begin exclusive bus tours of
the region’s wineries on March 31.
The new and easy way to visit a large number of wineries on the Shawnee
Hills Wine Trail is the brainchild of Sara LaFave, a hospitality-tourism
major at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She is assisted by partner
Nicolas Skovgaard, a speech communications-public relations major at
SIUC. Both grew up in Jackson County and are well-acquainted with the
tourism opportunities associated with Southern Illinois and the variety of
wineries which have grown and prospered in the region during the past
decade.
“We see this as an opportunity for groups of friends to get together and
spend the day tasting and purchasing the wide varieties of quality wines
which are produced in our region,” LaFave says. “They won’t have to
take several cars through the countryside and run the risk of getting lost --
or worse -- driving after drinking.”
The first chartered bus will load up for wine country at 9:15 Sunday,
March 31 from Eastgate Shopping Center in Carbondale. The cost per
person is $25 and includes a free wine glass. The tour includes stops at
Von Jacob, Alto, Hedman’s, Owl Creek and Starview. The tour will end at
5:30 p.m. and return to Eastgate. A gourmet lunch is available at Hedman’
s for $10, or participants can pack their own. Group discounts are
available. The tours will accommodate about 50 people on each trip.
En route to the wineries, a tour guide will provide a history of wine in
Southern Illinois, including interesting facts about the unique
characteristics of wine in the region. Participants will get special access
and tours at each winery visited. On the way home there will be wine
trivia games with prizes.
“This business really grew out of a class project,“ says LaFave. “ I had to
put together a business plan, and then I just decided to keep going and do
it for real. We’ve done a lot of research, met with people at the SIUC
Small Business Incubator, talked to all the wineries, and tracked down
everything from T-shirts to wine glasses. It’s really been a labor of love.“
For further information, vist uncorkedtours.com on the Internet or call
967-2651. Tickets are available beginning February 23, 2007 .
The top has been popped on a new tourism-related business in Southern
Illinois. Uncorked Tours! of Carbondale will begin exclusive bus tours of
the region’s wineries on March 31.
The new and easy way to visit a large number of wineries on the Shawnee
Hills Wine Trail is the brainchild of Sara LaFave, a hospitality-tourism
major at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She is assisted by partner
Nicolas Skovgaard, a speech communications-public relations major at
SIUC. Both grew up in Jackson County and are well-acquainted with the
tourism opportunities associated with Southern Illinois and the variety of
wineries which have grown and prospered in the region during the past
decade.
“We see this as an opportunity for groups of friends to get together and
spend the day tasting and purchasing the wide varieties of quality wines
which are produced in our region,” LaFave says. “They won’t have to
take several cars through the countryside and run the risk of getting lost --
or worse -- driving after drinking.”
The first chartered bus will load up for wine country at 9:15 Sunday,
March 31 from Eastgate Shopping Center in Carbondale. The cost per
person is $25 and includes a free wine glass. The tour includes stops at
Von Jacob, Alto, Hedman’s, Owl Creek and Starview. The tour will end at
5:30 p.m. and return to Eastgate. A gourmet lunch is available at Hedman’
s for $10, or participants can pack their own. Group discounts are
available. The tours will accommodate about 50 people on each trip.
En route to the wineries, a tour guide will provide a history of wine in
Southern Illinois, including interesting facts about the unique
characteristics of wine in the region. Participants will get special access
and tours at each winery visited. On the way home there will be wine
trivia games with prizes.
“This business really grew out of a class project,“ says LaFave. “ I had to
put together a business plan, and then I just decided to keep going and do
it for real. We’ve done a lot of research, met with people at the SIUC
Small Business Incubator, talked to all the wineries, and tracked down
everything from T-shirts to wine glasses. It’s really been a labor of love.“
For further information, vist uncorkedtours.com on the Internet or call
967-2651. Tickets are available beginning February 23, 2007 .