CARBONDALE - The wettest October on record didn't put a damper on business at many of the region's wineries, officials said Thursday.

Despite the colder-than-normal temperatures and seemingly daily precipitation, winery managers and owners said business was steady last month.

"We had a good flow of people through the week, most of them from out of the area coming down to look at the colors," said Shane Rose at Rustle Hill Winery in Cobden. "The weekends were busy. We had several tour buses, mostly from out of the area."

But Rose said the rain did cause Rustle Hill to make some adjustments.

"The biggest thing that it (the rain) affected us with was moving the bands inside," he said. "But we didn't have to cancel any shows."

At Von Jakob Vineyard in Alto Pass, Event Coordinator Amy Peradotta said October rains didn't slow business.

"We did not see a decline in business; we still get people from all over the country who come and visit and stay at the bed and breakfasts," she said. "The rain affected the grapes for sure, though. I don't know what our yields were."

At StarView Vineyards in Cobden, Owner Kate Sensmeier said the amount of local people visiting in October might have tailed off, but visitors from out of the region were steady.

"We did see a drop off in some of the local folks who held out, waiting for better weather," she said, before noting many visitors booked their trips in advance and didn't let the wet weather dissuade their plans. "It was wet and it was cold, but for the most part, people came out and enjoyed themselves."

That said, Sensmeier said she hopes the recent spate of sunny days continues.

"We are just looking for more dry, sunny weather," she said.

Brandy Nance, marketing director at Blue Sky Vineyards in Makanda, echoed that thought and said, with the fall colors in bloom, wineries are banking on business.

"September and October are really busy times for wineries in general," she said. "We got lucky on a few of our weekends (in Oc-tober); it didn't dampen it too much. But, right now, it's just a great time of year for the winery."

blackwell.thomas@thesouthern.com

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