(CourierNews) - While it will never be mistaken for California’s bucolic Napa Valley, a farm field off Peck Road not far from the Kane County Judicial Center is playing a key role in the development of the growing Illinois wine industry. The land is the University of Illinois’ St. Charles Horticulture Research Center. Along with its high tunnels (unheated greenhouses used to extend growing seasons) — and crops more typically associated with Illinois such as sweet corn, tomatoes and pumpkins — about half the land being cultivated is vineyards.