VINEYARD & WINERY
MONTOLIVA
Latest news
Fall Harvest Hours
We will be open Saturday and Sunday 11am to 5pm (last pouring starting at 4:30pm).
Special Programming Note: We will be closed on Saturday, August 10th for a private family event.
Can American Wineries do Justice to Italian Varietals?
By Paul Gregutt, December 3, 2022
Fall Harvest Hours
We will be open Saturday and Sunday 11am to 5pm (last pouring starting at 4:30pm).
Harvest 2024 Arrives!
One of Karl Marx’s most resonating critiques of industrial age capitalism was that it creates a soul ravaging disconnect between the producer (worker) and the product. Here at Montoliva Vineyard & Winery, we don’t really have that problem. We are elbow, knee and neck deep in grapes. We become truly “One” with the wine we are producing. On Sunday, October 20th, you have the opportunity to create your own connection with the wine you are drinking by helping us harvest our estate Sangiovese vineyard. Harvest begins at first light, we pick until 10am at which point we break for a special Harvest Dedication and champagne brunch. Around 11:30 (after consuming probably too much champagne) we get back at it and are generally done by 1pm. It is a lot of work, and it is deeply gratifying, and soul quenching. So, there it is. You can prove Marx right or you can come out on Saturday, October 20th, and help complete that connection between producer and product.
Join us. It will do your soul good!
Please note, this year we are asking for an RSVP.
What: Harvest 2024
Where: Montoliva Vineyard & Winery
When: 7am, Sunday, October 20th
Anything Else? This year we are doing things a little different. To better manage both the harvesting, and to properly prepare for harvest brunch (as in: make sure we have enough champagne), we are asking that you RSVP. We are limiting the crew this year to 50, so if you are coming out, please RSVP soon via email at mark@montoliva.com
Can American Wineries do Justice to Italian Varietals?
By Paul Gregutt, December 3, 2022
We are currently pouring some very interesting and compelling wines, come visit us this weekend! No reservations required. Cheers, Mark Henry
Mark Henry is the owner, vineyardist and winemaker. Julianne Henry’s official title is “Wine Muse”, a designation that belies her efforts at keeping things under control. Together, they welcome the opportunity to walk you through the vineyards, fountains, “go-ahead, pick some” herb garden and, of course, the winery.
A true Garagiste, the estate home and winery are one-in-the-same. In the winery, Mark takes his cue from the esteemed wines of Montalcino, Tuscany. Long, slow fermentations using special Tuscan yeasts, extended macerations and barrel aging all play to the strengths of Sangiovese and Aglianico grapes.
Join the Chicago Park Wine Society
The Chicago Park Wine Society is a special release club, offering exclusive opportunities to sample and purchase pre-release and limited release wines.
Club Members also receive a 20% discount on all of our other wines – this means you are paying $13.50 for our multiple-award-winning Sierra Bella!
Your commitment is 2 bottles each of two different wines, four times a year. Join the club and enjoy wines nobody else makes, or can obtain.
We’d Love to Have you Visit Us Soon!
Tasting Room days & hours
- Friday – Currently closed
- 11am - 5pm (Last Pouring Starting At 4:30pm)
- 11am - 5pm (Last Pouring Starting At 4:30pm)
Our WINES & TASTINGS
As anyone who has ever visited us will tell you, sampling wine at Montoliva is a unique experience, as we go into a great deal of detail about the grapes we grow and the wines we make. This takes some time, and for this reason, we cannot begin a pouring session after 4:30pm (otherwise we are wrapping up at close to 6, which cuts into family time). We are pouring:
2023 Vermentino (Wabash Ave Vineyard)
2020 Estate Sangiovese
2020 Estate Negroamaro
2020 Nero d’Avola (Wabash Ave Vineyard)
2020 Estate Primitivo
2019 Aglianico (Wabash Ave Vineyard)
2019 Teroldego (Wabash Ave Vineyard)
2021 Sierra Bella
2020 Barbera
2020 Rubato (a late harvest blend of Barbera/Aleatico)
More weekends than not, we also open something we’ve found in our case storage, usually something we’ve forgotten about, and maybe have a case or two of. This upcoming weekend, that is likely to be either our 2012 Sinistra (a Teroldego/Barbera blend), or our 2013 Aglianico. We only open one each weekend, so it may not be available for sampling by Sunday afternoon.