50+ Lifestyles

Retirement Leads to New Avenue of Life at Creekside Vineyards Winery & Inn

By Shannon Thompson

Retirement is not necessarily the end of your life in the work-force. Retirement can be a great excuse to branch out and try a new avenue of life. Imagine yourself starting a new business, one that allows you to work with your children in a fun and financially rewarding environment.

Bev Mital, of Creekside Vineyards Winery & Inn, did just that, and she hasn’t regretted it once.

Of the Inn, Bev said, “It’s been a whole new opportunity, a new adventure.” Bev owns and operates the Inn with her husband, son, and daughter-in-law. Bev’s son, John Mital, always had a passion for wine, and her husband Don always had a passion for farming. Together they purchased the 30 acres in 2006, and planted their vineyard on what used to be a pasture for cows and calves.

In 2011 they produced 3,000 bottles of wine, and in 2012 they produced 7,000 bottles. It is their hope to double their production yet again for the 2013 year, and they are well on their way to doing so, consistently selling out and making more. Just this year, the Mital’s very own Moonbeam 2012 La Crescent took home the Gold (Best in Category) at the Illinois State Fair Wine Competition.

The Inn goes beyond award winning wine though, and delves into specific parties and events to which they specially cater. Sometimes they have painting classes, art shows, bachelorette parties, and even graduation parties. The Inn also has a Wine Terrace that is an outdoor venue with live music on the weekends. It is available for private rental, and get togethers of up to 100 people.

There are several package deals available for purchase: a spa package that comes with a couples massage, a golf package, and even a ski package. To plan a visit to see Bev and her family in Coal Valley, Illinois, check out their website at www.creeksidevineyards.com.

Retirement isn’t the end of the road, it is the beginning of a new road. The possibilities are endless, and many view retirement as a great opportunity to start fresh. It was Betty Sullivan who said, “There is a whole new kind of life ahead, full of experiences just waiting to happen. Some call it, ‘retirement.’ I call it bliss.”

Bev and her family’s dreams have been 10 years in the making, and much careful planning and thought went into every step of their business. If she had the chance to do it all over again though, she wouldn’t change a thing. As quoted in the Dispatch, Bev’s daughter-in-law, Jennifer Mital said of the process, “Patience is a virtue. With time, effort and dedication, anything is possible.”

Bev Mital and her family own and operate Creekside Vineyards & Winery
1667 US Highway 67
Preemption, IL 61276

For more information call
(309) 787-9463 (WINE)
or visit them on the web at http://www.creeksidevineyards.com/