Wollersheim Winery
Open: Year Round
About Us
In 1972, Robert and JoAnn Wollersheim purchased the winery farm property from Peter Kehl's great grandson with the intention of restoring it to a working family winery. The hillside slopes were again planted with vineyards, the underground wine cellars were refurnished with oak barrels, and the upstairs made into a wine store for Wollersheim wine to be available for visitors.
Philippe Coquard came to the winery on an agricultural exchange program from the Beaujolais region of France in 1984. With a long family history of making wine and with degrees in winemaking, viticulture, and wine marketing, he was a natural fit as Wollersheim's winemaker. The legacy of family lives on as Philippe and his wife Julie, Bob & JoAnn's oldest daughter, now run the winery.
Wollersheim wines continued to expand and the introduction of Prairie Fumé in 1989 helped the Wollersheim brand gain respect. In 1990, Wollersheim Winery bought Cedar Creek Winery, located in an old woolen mill with large cool limestone cellars in Cedarburg, Wisconsin and added Cedar Creek brand to its line of wine. The sister wineries share the same family ownership and the same winemaker, yet the two brands remain distinct.
As the wines continued to grow, so did the winery buildings with several expansions. In 1994, the winery expanded from housing fermentation tanks in the old barn to an added fermentation room, bottling room and case storage. In 2008, a large addition dedicated to more visitor space included tasting and shopping areas as well as an upstairs event room that boast beautiful views of the hillside vineyards. The old winery store now hosts tasting areas and historic displays, and is a main feature of the winery tour. An outdoor balcony and wine garden offer relaxing places to enjoy a glass of wine spring through fall.
Annual production of Wollersheim and Cedar Creek wines has risen from 15,000 gallons in 1987 to 220,000 gallons in 2011. Wollersheim and Cedar Creek wines are sold at the two wineries, and in stores and restaurants throughout Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Wollersheim Winery, Inc. has received numerous awards for Cedar Creek and Wollersheim wines and has gained recognition as a leader in the Midwest wine industry.
