WINEMAKER’S NOTES
Domaine Reserve
Winemaker’s Notes
Grape: 95% Marechal Foch and 5% Millot, estate-grown – Lake Wisconsin Viticultural Area
Production Method: 100% crushed and destemmed, long warm fermentation
Aging: 12 months of barrel aging – 50% American oak and 50% French oak
Sweetness: dry
Alcohol: 13.5%
Serving Temperature: 60ºF – 65ºF
Aging Potential: 5-10 years
Serve with: dark meats, intensely-flavored foods
Story: Domaine Reserve is among the rare “single field wines,” using only grapes from our oldest vines located on our steepest slopes since 1976. These grapes are harvested last for full ripeness to create a rich full-bodied wine. The age of the vines along with the outstanding exposure to sunlight and the steep limestone slopes contribute to the unique personality of this wine, and offers a tantalizing taste of Wisconsin terroir.
History: started making Domaine Reserve in 1976
Notable Awards:
Gold – 2016 Great Lakes Great Wine Competition, Farmington Hills, MI
Best of Class – 2011 Wisconsin State Fair Professional Wine Competition, Milwaukee, WI
Domaine du Sac
Winemaker’s Notes
Grape: 90% Marechal Foch, 10% Millot, estate-grown Lake Wisconsin Viticultural Area
Production Method: Whole berry fermentation
Aging: French and American oak for five months
Sweetness: dry
Alcohol: 13%
Serving Temperature: 55ºF – 58ºF
Aging Potential: 2-3 years
Serve with: grilled food, spicy food, pasta
History: started making Domaine du Sac in 1981
Notable Awards:
Gold – 2015 Great Lakes Great Wine Judging, Farmington Hills, MI
Gold [90 Points] – 2015 “Best Buy” Beverage Testing Institute, Chicago, IL
Gold – 2015 Grand Harvest Awards Wine Competition, Santa Rosa, CA
Gold – 2014 Great Lakes Great Wine Competition, Farmington Hills, MI
Best of Class (Foch) – 2012 Indy International Wine Competition, West Lafayette, IN
Pinot Noir
Winemaker’s Notes
Grape: 100% Pinot Noir, custom-grown in Washington state
Production Method: Crushed and destemmed, long warm fermentation
Aging: 10-12 months in French oak
Sweetness: dry
Alcohol: 13.5%
Serving Temperature: 60ºF – 65ºF
Aging Potential: 3-5 years
Serve with: game, salmon, lamb
History: started making Pinot Noir in 1987
Notable Awards:
Gold – 2015 Affairs of the Vine Wine Competition, Sebastopol, CA
Silver [89 Points] – 2015 Beverage Testing Institute, Chicago, IL
Silver [89 Points] – 2013 “Best Buy” Beverage Testing Institute, Chicago, IL
Carignan
Winemaker’s Notes
Grape: 100% Carignan, custom-grown in California
Production Method: Crushed, destemmed and fermented on the skins for about 10 days
Aging: Aged 1 year in Eastern European oak barrels
Sweetness: dry
Alcohol: 13.8%
Serving Temperature: 60ºF – 65ºF
Aging Potential: 3-5 years
Serve with: steak, hearty stews
History: started making Carignan in 2013
Notable Awards:
Silver – 2016 Tasters Guild International Wine Competition, Grand Rapids, MI
Silver – 2015 Tasters Guild International Wine Judging, Grand Rapids, MI
Sangiovese
Winemaker’s Notes
Grape: 100% Sangiovese, custom-grown in Washington state
Production Method: crushed, destemmed and fermented on the skins for about a week
Aging: unoaked, no barrel-aging; bottled early spring
Sweetness: dry
Alcohol: 13%
Serving Temperature: 50ºF – 58ºF
Aging Potential: 2-3 years
Serve with: steak, sausage, grilled foods
History: started making Sangiovese in 2005
Notable Awards:
Silver [86 Points] – 2012 “Best Buy” Beverage Testing Institute, Chicago, IL
Prairie Sunburst
Winemaker’s Notes
Grape: 100% Marechal Foch, estate and Wisconsin-grown
Production Method: crushed and destemmed, fermented on the skins for about a week
Aging: unoaked, no barrel aging; bottled early winter
Sweetness: dry
Alcohol: 12%
Serving Temperature: 50ºF – 58ºF
Aging Potential: 2-3 years
Serve with: white meats, spicy foods
History: started making Prairie Sunburst in 2008
Notable Awards:
Gold – 2018 Tasters Guild International Wine Competition, Grand Rapids, MI
Gold – 2018 Grapevine Magazine Best of the Midwest Wine Competition, Davenport, IA
Gold – 2017 Tasters Guild International Wine Competition, Grand Rapids, MI
Gold – 2016 Tasters Guild International Wine Competition, Grand Rapids, MI
Gold – 2012 Wisconsin State Fair Professional Wine Competition, Milwaukee, WI
Gold – 2012 Mid-American Wine Competition, Ankeny, IA
Chardonnay
Winemaker’s Notes
Grape: 100% Chardonnay, custom-grown in Washington state
Production Method: One third stainless steel fermented to retain floral, fruit flavors and two thirds barrel fermented.
Aging: Ten months in French oak, including “battonage” (stirring of the lees once a week) to develop the smooth creaminess of the wine.
Sweetness: dry
Alcohol: 13.5%
Serving Temperature: 50ºF – 58ºF
Aging Potential: 3-8 years
Serve with: fish, white meats and sauces
History: started making Chardonnay in 1978
Notable Awards:
Silver [87 Points] – 2015 “Best Buy” Beverage Testing Institute, Chicago, IL
Silver [87 Points] – 2014 “Best Buy” Beverage Testing Institute, Chicago, IL
Silver [88 Points] – 2013 “Best Buy” Beverage Testing Institute, Chicago, IL
Dry Riesling
Winemaker’s Notes
Grape: 100% White Riesling, custom-grown in Washington state
Production Method: cold fermentation, natural residual sweetness by stopping fermentation
Aging: none, bottled early spring
Sweetness: semi-dry
Alcohol: 11.5%
Serving Temperature: 40ºF – 45ºF
Aging Potential: enjoy young (up to two years)
Serve with: chicken, sweet and sour foods, stir-fry
History: started making Dry Riesling in 1991
Notable Awards:
Best White Wine & Best of Class – 2018 Pacific Rim International Wine Competition, San Bernardino, CA
Best White Wine – 2018 Mid-American Wine Competition, Ankeny, IA
Best of Class & Double Gold – 2016 International Women’s Wine Competition, Sonoma County, CA
Wine of the Year – 2013 San Diego International Wine Competition, San Diego, CA
Best Riesling & Best of Show – 2013 San Francisco International Wine Competition, San Francisco, CA
Best of Show White & Best of Class – 2013 San Diego International Wine Competition, San Diego, CA
Best of Show & Riesling Championship – 2012 International Eastern Wine Competition, Santa Rosa, CA
Prairie Fumé
Winemaker’s Notes
Grape: 100% Seyval Blanc, custom-grown in New York
Production Method: cold fermentation, natural residual sweetness by stopping fermentation
Aging: none, bottled winter through summer
Sweetness: semi-dry
Alcohol: 10%
Serving Temperature: 40ºF – 45ºF
Aging Potential: enjoy young (up to two years)
Serve with: appetizers, seafood, pasta, grilled foods
Story: The idea for Prairie Fumé was born in the fall of 1988 when winemaker Philippe and his wife Julie were dining out in Madison. While enjoying a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, Philippe realized Wollersheim needed a fresh, fruity, light wine to offer, much like what they had experienced that evening. Luckily it was winemaking season, so Philippe quickly went back and referenced his old college text books and tried a new method of winemaking. By stopping fermentation before completion, some natural sweetness from the grapes remained to produce a fresh and fruity wine. In the spring of 1989, Prairie Fumé was bottled, introduced and released. It quickly gained national recognition and won multiple gold medals in wine competitions. As Bob Wollersheim would say, it was the beginning of the “Prairie Fumé phenomenon,” which continues to this very day.
History: started making Prairie Fumé in 1989
Notable Awards:
Best of Show – 2018 Grapevine Magazine Best of the Midwest Wine Competition, Davenport, IA
Best Seyval Blanc – 2017 San Francisco International Wine Competition, San Francisco, CA
Best Seyval Blanc & Hybrid White – 2015 San Francisco Int’l Wine Competition, San Francisco, CA
Best Wisconsin White Wine – 2013 Midwest Wine Challenge, Chicago, IL
Sweepstakes Best White – 2013 Long Beach Grand Cru International Wine Competition, Long Beach, CA
Prairie Blush
Winemaker’s Notes
Grape: 100% Marechal Foch, Wisconsin grown
Production Method: cold fermentation, natural residual sweetness by stopping fermentation
Aging: none, bottled early spring
Sweetness: semi-dry
Alcohol: 11%
Serving Temperature: 40ºF – 45ºF
Aging Potential: enjoy young (up to two years)
Serve with: cheese, appetizers, picnics
History: started making Prairie Blush in 1993
Notable Awards:
Best of Division – 2016 Wisconsin State Fair Professional Wine Competition, Milwaukee, WI
Best of Show – 2015 Winemaker Challenge International Wine Competition, San Diego, CA
Best of Show Rose – 2015 Mid-American Wine Competition, Ankeny, IA
Best of Varietal & Best of Class [98 Points] – 2015 New World International Wine Competition, Ontario, CA
Best of Show Blush/Rosé – 2014 Florida State Fair International Wine Competition, Tampa, FL
Best Wisconsin Wine & Best of Class – 2013 Wisconsin State Fair Professional Wine Competition, Milwaukee, WI
Best of Show Rosé – 2013 International Eastern Wine Competition, Santa Rosa, CA
Best of Varietal & Best of Class – 2013 New World International Wine Competition, Ontario, CA
Best Rosé – 2012 International Eastern Wine Competition, Santa Rosa, CA
Best Pacific Rim Blush/Rosé & Best of Class – 2012 Pacific Rim Wine Competition, San Bernardino, CA
Best of Class Varietal Rosé – 2012 International Eastern Wine Competition, Santa Rosa, CA
White Riesling
Winemaker’s Notes
Grape: 100% White Riesling, custom-grown in Washington state
Production Method: cold fermentation, natural residual sweetness by stopping fermentation
Aging: none, bottled early spring
Sweetness: semi-sweet
Alcohol: 10.5%
Serving Temperature: 40ºF – 45ºF
Aging Potential: enjoy young (up to two years)
Serve with: appetizers, cheese, sweet and sour foods and stir-fries
History: started making White Riesling in 1986 (originally called Johannisberg Riesling)
Notable Awards:
Double Gold – 2017 Indy International Wine Competition, West Lafayette, IN
Gold [90 Points] – 2016 Los Angeles International Wine Competition, Los Angeles, CA
Best of Class & Gold [94 Points] – 2015 Los Angeles International Wine Competition, Los Angeles, CA
Best of Class – 2014 Pacific Rim Wine Competition, San Bernardino, CA
Best of Class & Gold [96 Points] – 2014 Los Angeles International Wine Competition, Los Angeles, CA
Best of Class – 2014 Long Beach Grand Cru International Wine Competition, Long Beach, CA
Blushing Rose
Winemaker’s Notes
Grape: Seyval Blanc and Marechal Foch from New York pressed together
Production Method: cold fermentation, natural residual sweetness by stopping fermentation
Aging: none, bottled early spring
Sweetness: semi-sweet
Alcohol: 10.5%
Serving Temperature: 40ºF – 45ºF
Aging Potential: enjoy young (up to two years)
Serve with: appetizers, cheese, picnics
History: started making Blushing Rose in 1985
Notable Awards:
Best Rose Wine – 2018 Mid-American Wine Competition, Ankeny, IA
Gold – 2018 Mid-American Wine Competition, Ankeny, IA
Gold – 2017 Mid-American Wine Competition, Ankeny, IA
Best Value Rose – 2015 World Value Wine Challenge, Chicago, IL
Best of Class & Gold – 2012 Wisconsin State Fair Professional Wine Competition, Milwaukee, WI
River Gold
Winemaker’s Notes
Grape: Seyval Blanc from New York
Production Method: cold fermentation, natural residual sweetness by stopping fermentation
Aging: none, bottled early spring
Sweetness: sweet
Alcohol: 10.5%
Serving Temperature: 40ºF – 45ºF
Aging Potential: enjoy young (up to two years)
Serve with: dessert, cheesecake
History: started making River Gold in 1977
Port
Winemaker’s Notes
Grape: 100% Marechal Foch from New York
Production Method: traditional Port, short fermentation on the skins, fermentation stopped by adding grape brandy
Aging: 13 months in older American oak barrels
Sweetness: sweet
Alcohol: 20%
Serving Temperature: 50ºF – 58ºF
Aging Potential: up to 20 years
Serve with: desserts, blue cheese
History: started making Port in 2001
Notable Awards:
Silver [86 Points] – 2017 Tastings World Wine Championships, Chicago, IL
Silver [88 Points] – 2016 Tastings World Wine Championships, Chicago, IL
86 Points – 2015 Ultimate Wine Challenge, Westchester County, NY
Silver – 2014 Wine Lovers International Consumers’ Wine Judging, Port Aransas, TX
Gold – 2013 Wisconsin State Fair Professional Wine Competition, Milwaukee, WI
White Port
Winemaker’s Notes
Grape: 100% Muscat from New York
Production Method: traditional Port methods, short fermentation on the skin, fermentation stopped by adding grape brandy
Aging: 6 months in older French oak barrels
Sweetness: sweet
Alcohol: 20%
Serving Temperature: 40ºF – 45ºF
Aging Potential: up to 20 years
Serve with: asiago cheese, truffles, dried fruit, nuts
Story: Winemaker Philippe and his wife Julie fell in love with fortified Muscat wines while traveling in the south of France visiting family. The light aromatic Muscat grape makes for a sweet and pleasant white wine traditionally enjoyed as an aperitif in the southwest portion of Europe, especially Portugal. Philippe wanted to make something magnificent and unique like these wonderful wines he had enjoyed so often, and began working with grape growers in New York state to get the fresh white Muscat juice. In the fall 2009, Wollersheim Winery produced the first vintage of White Port.
History: started making White Port in 2009
Notable Awards:
Silver [88 Points] – 2017 Tastings World Wine Championships, Chicago, IL
Silver [87 Points] – 2016 Tastings World Wine Championships, Chicago, IL
Gold – 2014 Wine Lovers International Consumers’ Wine Judging, Port Aransas, TX
Tawny Port
Winemaker’s Notes
Grape: 100% Marechal Foch from New York
Production Method: traditional Port, short fermentation on the skin, fermentation stopped by adding grape brandy
Aging: 4-5 years in American oak
Sweetness: sweet
Alcohol: 20%
Serving Temperature: 50ºF – 58ºF
Aging Potential: 20 years or more
History: started making Tawny Port in 2004
Ice Wine
Winemaker’s Notes
Grape: 100% St. Pepin, estate-grown – Lake Wisconsin Viticultural Area
Production Method: long, slow, cool fermentation
Aging: none, bottled in summer
Sweetness: sweet
Alcohol: 12%
Serving Temperature: 40ºF – 45ºF
Aging Potential: up to 15 years and beyond
Serve with: cheesecake, pecans, extra special desserts
Story: Ice wine is a traditional dessert wine produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine, and our Wisconsin winters give us the perfect conditions to make a genuine Ice Wine. A select portion of our vines is set aside for the fruit to continue ripening throughout the fall. Then the grapes are hand-picked at the winery vineyards in mid-December when the grapes are completely frozen and temperatures are between 10 – 12 degrees. This allows the water in the grapes to freeze while the sugars don’t, so the highly ripened grapes are between 33 – 36 degrees brix (a measurement of sugar) when they are harvested. The highly concentrated juice is press from the frozen grapes, and then fermented slowly to produce an intensely sweet and concentrated wine that is like liquid honey.
History: started making Ice Wine in 2004
Ruby Nouveau
Winemaker’s Notes
Grape: 80% Marechal Foch and 20% Millot, estate-grown grapes
Lake Wisconsin Viticultural Area
Production Method: whole berry fermentation
Aging: no barrel-aging, bottled early fall
Sweetness: dry
Alcohol: 13%
Serving Temperature: 50ºF – 58ºF
Aging Potential: ideally within 6 months, but can age up to 1 year
Serve with: white meats, lightly spiced dishes
Story: Ruby Nouveau is the first taste of the new harvest and a tribute to the tradition of our winemaker’s birthplace in the Beaujolais region of France. A traditional Beaujolais Nouveau is released during the same fall in which the grapes are picked, so a short fermentation makes a light, fresh and fruity wine with unique flavors such as raspberry, black cherry and banana, and a brilliant ruby-red color. Just as is custom in Beaujolais, our Ruby Nouveau is released at Wollersheim on the third Thursday in November. As part of our annual celebration, we pair Wisconsin cheeses with our Ruby Nouveau as a toast to true Wisconsin flavor!
History: started making Ruby Nouveau in 1984
Eagle White
Winemaker’s Notes
Grape: 50% St. Pepin and 50% Lacrosse, estate-grown – Lake Wisconsin Viticultural Area
Production Method: cold fermentation, natural residual sweetness by stopping fermentation
Aging: none, bottled early fall
Sweetness: semi-dry
Alcohol: 10%
Serving Temperature: 40ºF – 45ºF
Aging Potential: enjoy young (up to two years)
Serve with: fish, appetizers, pizza
Story: During the heart of winter, the Sauk Prairie area near Wollersheim Winery becomes a crucial place for nesting bald eagles that flock here to fish the open waters along the dam of the Wisconsin River. But the wintering eagles need more than open water to survive – the valleys and bluffs where they roost must be protected. For this reason, Wollersheim Winery has dedicated its efforts to the preservation of the eagles by donating a portion of the sales from each bottle of Eagle White to care for local habitats for bald eagles.
History: started making Eagle White in 1980
Notable Awards:
Best of Show – 2018 Florida State Fair International Wine Competition, Tampa, FL
Double Gold – 2018 Florida State Fair International Wine Competition, Tampa, FL
Best of Class – 2012 Wisconsin State Fair Professional Wine Competition, Milwaukee, WI
Best Wisconsin Wine – 2011 Wisconsin State Fair Professional Wine Competition, Milwaukee, WI
Best of Class – 2011 Wisconsin State Fair Professional Wine Competition, Milwaukee, WI
Uncle Jean Beaujolais - Domaine de la Terriere
Winemaker’s Notes
Grape: Gamay Beaujolais
Production Method: whole berry fermentation
Aging: four to eight months in old big casks
Sweetness: dry
Alcohol: 12.5%
Serving Temperature: 50ºF – 58ºF
Aging Potential: 2-3 years
Serve with: summer sausage, white meats
History: started importing Beaujolais Uncle Jean in 1985
Little Brother Bonarda – Torre del Sale
Winemaker’s Notes
Grape: 100% Bonarda
Production Method: crushed and destemmed, fermented in stainless steel tanks
Aging: six months in stainless steel tanks
Sweetness: dry
Alcohol: 13%
Serving Temperature: 60ºF – 65ºF
Aging Potential: 3-5 years
Serve with: game, hearty meats, intensely-flavored foods
History: started importing Little Brother Bondarda in 2002
Sparkling Grape Juice
Winemaker’s Notes
Grape: Niagara from Michigan
Aging: none
Sweetness: sweet
Alcohol: none
Serving Temperature: 40ºF – 45ºF
Aging Potential: enjoy young for the most fresh grapey flavors