The state in the Midwest of the USA with the capital Springfield covers 149,998 km². It borders Wisconsin to the north, Indiana to the east, Kentucky to the south (separated by the Ohio River), Missouri and Iowa to the west and Lake Michigan to the north-east. It was admitted to the Union as the 21st state in 1818. Illinois is one of the most important agricultural states in the USA, with large areas under cultivation for maize, soya beans, wheat and fruit.

Viticulture has been practised since the middle of the 19th century. The starting point is Nauvoo on the left bank of the Mississippi, where Mormon settlers planted vineyards from the 1840s onwards. The oldest documented planting of the Concord variety dates back to 1851 and is located in today's Nauvoo State Park. The historic vineyard is still in production. Around 1880, there were around 40 wineries with around 240 hectares of vineyards in Nauvoo alone.
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Technischer Lehrer, staatl. geprüfter Sommelier, Hotelfachschule Heidelberg