CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The Illinois Small Business Development Center at Southern Illinois University Carbondale has nominated an Alto Pass vineyard for a statewide business award.

It all begins with an idea.

It's far easier to consume good wine in Illinois than produce it, but that hasn't deterred a hearty group of vintners who see opportunity in the rolling hills and loamy soil of the Shawnee National Forest.Banding together to attract travelers and tourists, these entrepreneurs have created the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail, a network of five wineries located about 20 miles apart in the richly forested region of southern Illinois.