<b>By TIM ALEXANDER<br>
Illinois Correspondent</b> </p><p>

EL PASO, Ill. — In 2001, farmer Wayne Furrow gambled by converting 10 acres of his rich farmland, nestled alongside Panther Creek in the heart of Woodford County’s corn and soybean country, into a vineyard and established his family-owned Furrow Winery.<br>
It seemed like the right time to cash in on Illinois’ burgeoning wine and agritourism industry, while planting something different than traditional row crops. Since 1997, when the state of Illinois began offering incentives to those interested in planting vineyards, the number of wineries in the state increased from a dozen to more than 75.<br>
But there will be one less winery in central Illinois when Furrow’s sells its last bottle of Old Barn Red sometime in late March.<br>
“The biggest reason we’re closing is we just can’t get enough new customers here,” said Furrow, whose winery and farm is located a couple of miles from the well-traveled Interstate 39 north of El Paso, known to farmers as the home of Pfister Hybrids. “We have a lot of loyal customers, but we needed twice as many as we have to make a viable business. We didn’t feel that was going to happen.”<br>
Furrow doesn’t blame his location or the recent increase in the number of local wineries for the decline in his business.
“Gas prices are a big part of it. Another factor is that there are a lot more entertainment options for people in central Illinois than when we opened, including more things to do on the Peoria Riverfront and in downtown Bloomington-Normal,” said Furrow. “The pie keeps getting cut into smaller pieces.”<br>
As part of Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s “Opportunity Returns” small-business development program, dozens of Illinois wineries, including Furrow’s, have benefited from low-interest loans and grants to start or enhance their operations in recent years. Furrow said there is still room for more wineries in the state and that the governor’s program did not create a too-crowded marketplace.
“More wineries in Illinois is a great thing,” Furrow said. “If I had it to do over again, I think we would have started out smaller.”<br>
Furrow is mulling over what to do with his vineyard, winery, 10,000 square-foot gift shop and parking lot. Four to five acres of grape vines will be taken down due to disease, but the rest could remain if Furrow reaches terms with a local investor who has expressed interest in purchasing the property and keeping it as a winery. If that happens, Furrow could continue growing grapes to sell to the new owner.<br>
Another individual has approached him about purchasing the gift shop/winery for another use. If those scenarios fail to develop, Furrow said he would likely turn most of the land back over to corn and beans.<br>