POMONA, Ill. — The story of the Pomona Winery is almost as fascinating as their fruit wine. In 1969, Jane Payne and George Majka were graduate students at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale when they became interested in wine making.

“Every year we had a party and made apple cider. We called the party the ‘Big Squeeze,’ then one year we decided to make wine for the next year and it went from there,” Payne said. “We are amateurs run amuck.”

Her explanation was quite humble for a winery that offers such a variety. Payne explained the name of their winery and also the little town that it is near, Pomona, is the Roman Goddess of fruits. The name is fitting, Payne said.

“Our wines come all from local fruits rather than from grapes,” she said.

The building where the winery sits is a labor of love she and Majka have been building since 1989. The tall open wooden structure fits into the Shawnee countryside. From the rocks that line the drive to the deck where that overlooks the hills, Pomona Winery is a place where Payne and Majka’s hard work is clear in every view.

Pomona Winery is a quiet place - away from the hustle and the bustle of the work week.

Ten varieties are offered at Pomona Winery, and many of the Pomona wines are apple based. For fans of semi-sweet, the Golden variety, Payne said, “is like what Goldilocks wanted, not too dry, but not too sweet.”

The Golden Oak Aged Reserve this year won the Illinois Governor’s Cup. Several Governors’ Cups adorned the area behind the wine-tasting bar; this win was definitely not a first.

One unusual wine is the Kir, which is a mix of black currants and apples.

Payne explained that the name comes from a popular French bar drink.

The Kir idea began four years ago when a central Illinois farmer stopped by playing tourist and asked Payne if she would make wine out of his currants.

She and Majka said they would give it a try. The first batch was bitter and Payne said six months after the first currant wine batch was produced, a woman from France visited the winery and heard her complaining that she didn’t know what to do about the batch.

The French woman shared information about the French liqueur; they began experimenting with apples and the Kir idea and came up with a new wine.

When visiting Pomona Winery in the fall, Lila Jackson of the Tool Shed Bed and Breakfast said the Orchard Spice wine is like drinking a “warm apple pie.”

One wine that is fun because of its name as well as its taste is the Once In A Blue Moon Blueberry Dessert Wine.

“A blue moon is the second full moon in one month,” Payne said. “For a couple of years we couldn’t get enough blueberries; then one July, there were plenty during a blue moon.”

The blueberry and strawberry dessert wines are popular, and the peach dessert is known as a nightcap or an afternoon sipping wine.PPayne said many customers like it poured over ice cream.

Located at 2865 Hickory Ridge Road in Pomona, the Payne and Majka can be reached at 618-893-2623.

This farm news was published in the June 21, 2006 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.