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A Cultural Community Celebration
10th Annual Friends of the Grape Wine Festival
Save the Date for “Dix Ans du Raisins” Ten Years of the Grape. St. Matthias annual wine festival will take place on Sunday, October 4, 2025 from 1:00- 6:00.
St. Matthias School Hall
4910 N. Claremont Avenue
October 4, 2025
1:00pm - 6:00pm
Tickets in Advance:
$35.00 a Person
$70.00 a Couple
At the Door Price:
$40.00 a Person
$80.00 a Couple
A wide selection of wines to be sampled which compliment the foods
from Lincoln Square Restaurants.
Grand CRU Raffle
Drawing Sunday, October 4
1 Grand Prize: $5,000.00
2 Prizes: $500.00
7 Prizes: $125.00
***There is a limited number (150) Tickets to be Sold***
Tickets are $100.00 Each
Winner Need Not be Present
Mini Matthias Raffle
Drawing will be held at the Christkindl Market on December 6, 2025
1st Prize: $500.00 American Express Gift Card
2nd Prize: Flat Screen HD TV
3rd Prize: HP Laptop Computer
4th Prize: Apple IPhone 3G
5th Prize: Bicycle
Tickets are $2.00 Each or a Book of 6 for $10.00
Winner Need Not be Present
Silent Auction
Over 150 silent auction items (mostly non-wine items)
Live Auction
View descriptions of live auction items
Join us for an afternoon filled with fun, great food and wine, beer garden, live entertainment, and more!
Help us celebrate our 10th Anniversary!
Buy Tickets
Purchase Advanced Tickets for Friends of the Grape
If you and your friends cannot attend the festival and would like the make a donation click on the button below.
Wining and Dining for a Great Cause
As we celebrate the tenth annual “Friends of the Grape” wine festival, we invite you to help us make this year a crushing success! When we open our doors for the wine festival next Sunday, we ask that each of you act as a host and invite your friends and family to attend our largest and most important fundraiser.
This year has been a changing and trying time for St. Matthias and our parish families. The economy has challenged each and every one of us and we all are feeling the affects of an uncertain time. Our church has also felt the pinch, Sunday collections are down, but the needs have not diminished. Which is why we need your help October 4th. Every person that invites ten people to the festival brings $400 to St. Matthias just by having them walk in the door and pay admission. If your friends and family cannot attend the festival, invite them to make a donation online. Share with your loved ones what makes St. Matthias such a wonderful house of worship and place for education and we’ll share with them a “mini-taste” of Lincoln Square.
The wine auction might just be the best-kept secret in our community! Where else will you be treated to appetizers, delights and wine pairings from 25 local restaurants as well as other “friends of the grape?” You will have an opportunity to sample and taste more than 30 different “lots” of wines. The festival will also feature a beer garden with live entertainment featuring the sweet sounds from the duet of Sue and Doug Clarkson from 1:00 to 2:15 p.m. and the Lowdowns from 2:15 p.m. until 3:00 p.m., an alumni band featuring R&B.; Cover band Dime a Dozen will be performing for their third straight year from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Spend the afternoon browsing amongst the more than the 150 silent auction items, most of which are non-wine related. Auction items include ringing the church bell along with a champagne brunch, theatre tickets, lunches, vacations, getaways, sports items, museum, restaurant and local Chicago entertainment items and over 50 specialthemed gift baskets.
Beginning at 3:00 p.m., don’t miss, Friends of the Grape professional auctioneer David Goodman, hosting a live auction, filled with special one of kind experiences including trips to Austria, an Alaskan Cruise, a private helicopter tour over the city of Chicago, a chance to buy and bottle your own barrel of wine, tickets to Oprah, and golf at some of Chicago’s most prestigious golf courses including Kemper Lakes.
Sponsorship
If you are interesting in sponsorship opportunities for Friends of the Grape, please call Terry Touhy at 773-506-2191 or send us an email.
Press Release
Press Release for The 10th Annual "Friends of the Grape" Wine Festival
Grape Stomping - Monday September 28
Grape Stomping Event
Students at St. Matthias Transfiguration School participated in grape stomping on September 28.
View Clip from ABC News (windows media player)
Lot # 1 Really High End
Wine A lot of exceptional wines for the collector.
Lot # 2 The Chicago Baseball Bonanza
Limo will pick you and 4 friend up for Lunch at the Billy Goats than it is off to Wrigley field for a Tour of the Stadium. You will then be part of the Groundskeeper Crew for the entire game including the 7th inning Sweep of the In-field. While you are working 4 of your friends will be enjoying the game. After the win the 5 of you will be picked up and enjoy a celebrator dinner at a favorite local restaurant.
Lot # 3 Trip Experience
3 days 2 nights stay at the beautiful Four Season Hotel in Scottsdale Arizona with 2 days of golf at the Golf Club of Scottsdale with private golf lessons with the Golf Pro. The Hotel Stay includes a scrumptious dinner at Wolf Gang Pucks restaurant. Airline tickets are included.
Lot # 4 High End Wine
A lot of exceptional wines for the collector.
Lot # 5 Wine them and Dine
Them Celebrity Chef- Dinner at your home for 12 people prepared by “ Chef Martin Wallner” to include multiply courses, wine pairing with each course, Cocktail hour to include acoustical Guitarist. Invitations to be designed and printed by American Speedy Printer. The table will be decorated by “Anthos Flowers” an entire wait staff will provided.
Lot # 6 a Birds Eye View of Chicago
This once in a live time experience for two… from your own private helicopter tour of Chicago. The package includes a limousine to and from the airport a 2 hour trip around Chicago and your own neighborhood. The weekend is capped off with a unique Chicago experience with a weekend stay at the Fairmont Hotel and behind the scenes at the new wing at the Art Institute.
Lot # 7 Instant Wine Cellar
150 bottle of wine donated by wine lovers through out the community, Wine Cooler for 20 bottles of wine, Wine Tasting Party with a Sommelier, and a catered wine tasting party.
Lot # 8 Cruise for two
Lot# 9 Golf Package
Experience golf from a totally different perspective you and 2 friends will play golf at the following golf course …. Your 4th golfer will be renowned golf architect David Eshler who designed each course. The course Black Sheep, Glen Oaks, Twin Orchard, and Kemper.
Lot # 11 We Will Serve No Wine Before it’s Time….
You have a chance to bid on a barrel of wine from the Barrel of Wine will be made this fall and will age over the next 10 months. At the end of the aging period 27 cases will be bottles and label (your own private label) and sent to you. The labels will be designed by Tamayo Designs.
Lot #10 Trip to Austria
Airfare for 2 to Austria, stay in a beautiful Austrian Winery for 4 days 3 nights in Austria, and 2 nights in Vienna.
A few more lots to come.
