Harvest season was a fantastic blur! It’s the moment we wait for all year, the one chance to craft the wines that define each vintage. This year’s harvest came and went in a flash, but what a beautiful whirlwind it was.
Between our estate vineyards and trusted Wisconsin grower partners, almost all of our fruit came in during September, making this our most condensed harvest ever.
“Everything came in fast this year,” says Philippe Coquard, Wollersheim’s President, Owner, and Winemaker. “We had beautiful fruit and a very short window to bring it all in. It felt like a blur, but that’s harvest. That’s what we live for.”
The Heart of Harvest
Our winemaking team, Head Winemaker Céline Coquard Lenerz and her father Philippe, led the charge alongside our hardworking production crew. A typical day this season meant harvesting, processing, and pressing finished fermentations, often all in the same day. Add in constant pumpovers, rackings, and endless cleaning, and you’ve got the rhythm of harvest: nonstop movement fueled by coffee, teamwork, and passion.
“There were days we were tasting wines at 2 p.m., 8 p.m., and even 2 a.m.,” says Céline. “You lose track of time, but every tasting tells us how the wine is developing. Those long days and nights are where the magic happens.”
A Busy and Fruitful Season
This year, the winery was buzzing with activity. Production Manager Anthony Meyer shared just how much fruit and cider flowed through the doors:
“We harvested 68 tons of grapes from the estate, 38 tons of reds and 30 tons of whites, and another 32 tons sourced from other Wisconsin vineyards,” Anthony explains. “We also worked with over 20,000 gallons of Wisconsin apple cider for apple brandy and 4 tons of Wisconsin pears for pear brandy.”
It was an all hands on deck season, and the numbers show just how much dedication goes into every bottle that bears the Wollersheim name.
Domaine Reserve 2025: From Vineyard to Barrel
One of the highlights of this year’s harvest was Domaine Reserve 2025, which was hand harvested on September 18. With daily pumpovers and 12 days of fermentation, the team carefully extracted deep color, rich tannins, and complex flavors from the grapes before pressing.
“It’s a beautiful cycle,” says Philippe. “One vintage is finishing its story as the next begins.”
As the new reds settle into barrels, the Vintage 2024 wines are preparing to emerge, a passing of the torch from one harvest to the next.
A Season of Sweet Success
This year’s growing season gave us plenty to celebrate. After a cool and wet start, a four week mini drought in late August and early September provided the ideal window for ripening.
“We were very happy with that stretch of dry weather,” Philippe says. “It allowed us to make up for lost time and build sweetness in the fruit.”
The vineyards produced a beautiful crop with sugar levels ranging from 19.5 to 23 brix, giving our wines balance, brightness, and depth of flavor.
Looking Ahead: Ice Wine on the Horizon
Harvest isn’t quite over yet. One acre of Ice Wine grapes remains on the vines, waiting for that perfect Wisconsin freeze in late November or early December.
“It’s funny to say it, but now we’re hoping for a good freeze,” Philippe says with a smile. “The grapes look gorgeous, and once they’re frozen, we’ll capture that intensity that makes Ice Wine so special.”
As the cellar quiets and the fermentations slow, we can take a deep breath and look back with gratitude for the weather that cooperated (mostly), the crew that never quit, and the wines that are already promising something special.
Here’s to Harvest 2025, short, sweet, and unforgettable.
