Wollersheim Winery and Distillery sits on the slopes of a picturesque riverside bluff, nestled just 20 miles northwest of Madison, Wisconsin. This uniquely beautiful location lies just below the final dam on the winding Wisconsin River and marks the start of the final leg for the state’s largest waterway, before it finally makes its way to the Mighty Mississippi. This natural combination of Wisconsin water, soil, air and the people who call the Badger State home, are what genuinely make our wine and spirits something truly special.
Broken down, the concept is not all that complicated. “Good wine starts in the vineyard… Not at the crusher,” said Philippe Coquard, Wollersheim’s 13th generation winemaker from the Beaujolais region of France. “It takes high quality grapes to make high quality wine.” These are the principals that have guided not only the winery, but the grain-to-glass distillery as well. Wollersheim partners with hardworking local farmers because just as superior wine requires superior fruit, superior spirits come from superior grains.
Farming in a temperamental climate that can shift from 100 degrees in the summer to -30 degrees in the winter, however, presents unique challenges that can be difficult to overcome. But every so often mother nature provides us with the near perfect climate and environmental combinations to make remarkable wine. That is what happened in the 2017 growing season.
“It has been a long time since we have had a vintage that stood out from our ‘good’ normal,” stated Philippe. “This vintage has a very concentrated, deep color that is rich with flavors reminiscent of small berries like mulberries and blackcurrants. It has no end.”
Much like tasting the 2017 vintage, whose full-bodied flavor is unveiled with each new sip, this week on our various social media channels (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) Wollersheim Winery & Distillery will be pealing back the layers on the 2017 vintage by highlighting why it was a noteworthy year in the mind of Philippe and the family at Wollersheim. The Wisconsin soil, weather, fruit – and perhaps most importantly, the people – all had a hand in the creation of this year’s marvelous wine.
In celebration of this extraordinary vintage, Wollersheim Winery and Distillery would like to invite you, along with your family and friends, to join us at this year’s Open House event on March 3rd, from 10 a.m – 4 p.m.
To hear more of Wollersheim’s vintage story throughout the week…
Follow Wollersheim on Facebook – Wollersheim Winery & Wollersheim Distillery (separate pages)
Follow Wollersheim on Instagram – @WollersheimWine & @WollersheimDistillery
Follow Wollersheim on Twitter – @Wollersheimwine
