StarView Vineyards is owned by Scott and Kate Sensmeier. Scott grew up in Cobden, IL and his family has had roots in the area since it was homesteaded by his ancestors in early 1800’s. Scott and Kate were living in Atlanta with their small children when they decided that it was time to return home to the place where Scott was from – to be with family and life long friends and to raise their kids like Scott had been raised: with a  sense of family, community and hard work.

In 2005 - Scott and Kate purchased an established vineyard and winemaking facility and spent a few months thinking about how to rebrand it and make it their own. Scott became a dedicated, full-time wine grape grower and vintner, putting all his energy into learning about the craft of winemaking. Since his first vintage, each wine he has released has been recognized by a national or international judging panel. 

StarView Vineyards was founded in 2006 when a new tasting room and art gallery were opened and we became the 6th winery on the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail. The wine trail has grown in popularity and currently there are twelve member wineries with Scott is serving as the association's president. 

All of Scott’s efforts have paid off and StarView is one of the premier destination wineries in the region. We have entertained tens of thousands of guests, hosted weddings, parties and weekend music series. We are excited to share our vineyard and wines with you and we hope you come by to visit us and become part of our story too! 

The Winery

StarView Vineyards is located in the Shawnee Hills American Viticulture Area, a specific area of southern Illinois that is designated by the Federal Government as a grape growing region. The grapes grown here in this wine region have unique and distinct wine making properties. Wines that have “Shawnee Hills” on the label must have 85% or more of tier volume derived from grapes grown within the A.V.A.

Our vineyards are continuing to expand and today we grow seven varietals of both Native American grapes and French American Hybrids. About 90% of the wine that we make at StarView comes from grapes that we grown on our vineyard or grapes from Illinois. We are members of the Illinois Grape Growers and Vinter's Association partner with only the best grape growers and work with them ensure high quality standards. 

Currently the grapes that we grow at StarView are:

• Chambourcin
• Chardonel
• Norton
• Niagara
• Vignoles
• Seyval
• Noiret