Wollersheim Winery Reviews (Prairie Du Sac, Wisconsin)

Historic Wisconsin Winery

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

November 29, 2012

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Best of IgoUgo Located about 40 minutes from Wisconsin Dells, Wollersheim Winery makes for a nice leisurely day trip.In 2012 Wollersheim Winery was named the "Winery of the Year" at the San Diego International Wine Competition. Additionally, they have received ...Read more Located about 40 minutes from Wisconsin Dells, Wollersheim Winery makes for a nice leisurely day trip.

In 2012 Wollersheim Winery was named the "Winery of the Year" at the San Diego International Wine Competition. Additionally, they have received numerous awards and accolades on many of their wines. They were proud to celebrate their 40th anniversary when it was proclaimed "Napa Valley thunder was stolen by a winery in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin."

This location was recognized by the Dane County (Wisconsin) Historical Society in 2011. Originally founded by a Hungarian winemaker who chose this location overlooking the Wisconsin River back in the 1840's for his vineyards. Unfortunately the cold Wisconsin climate was not conducive to the European varieties of grapes he was attempting to grow, so in 1849 he packed up his bags and headed west with the California Gold Rush. There Agoston Haraszthy. became known as the founder of the California wine industry.

The Wisconsin vineyard was later purchased and operated by Haraszthy's manager Peter Kehl in 1856. He continued to operate the winery through the end of the 19th century. In 1899 Wisconsin experienced an especially harsh winter that killed most of the vines. After that the farm became a dairy farm, with cows and other livestock.

Fortunate for wine enthusiasts, the Wollersheim family bought the farm in 1972 from fourth generation heirs of Peter Kehl. Bob & JoAnn Wollersheim were committed to returning the land to grow grapes and produce wine. They experimented to find the best grapes to grow in Wisconsin. Their story continued as they raised their family on the farm, with their oldest daughter meeting and falling in love with a young French exchange student who came from a long family lineage of wine makers.

Today Julie (Wollersheim) and Philippe Coquard operate the Wollersheim Winery. In addition to their wine making business, in 2010 they received licensing to distill and produce brandy. They also own and operate the Cedar Creek Winery in the Milwaukee suburb of Cedarburg.

The winery is open daily 10am to 5pm year-round, with tours offered every hour starting at 10:15am and lasting about an hour. Price for the tour, which includes a tasting at the end is $5 per person. For those folks only interested in a tasting, they offer their "featured wines" sampling in their tasting room free of charge. They also offer a "red flight" or "white flight" for $3 per person.

Wollersheim also offers a Caseclub Membership as well as packaged sales in their visitors' center. During my visit a family was buying all of the stuff necessary for a nice wine & cheese picnic. They bought a couple of bottles of wine, cheese and a box of crackers. They were debating hard cheese or cheese spread, so eventually they settled on buying both along with some summer sausage.

Check out their website to find out more about their Caseclub Membership offerings as well as special events held throughout the year. Close

From journal The Wisconsin Series - Weekend in the Dells

Lessons in Reds and Whites

by MikeInTown

Leesburg, Virginia

November 1, 2009

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Best of IgoUgo We left the Larson's Famous Clydesdale attraction in barely enough time to make the 2-hour drive to our next attraction - the Wollersheim Winery. Tours are given every hour starting at 10:15 AM with the last of these occurring at 4:15 PM.We began by ...Read more We left the Larson's Famous Clydesdale attraction in barely enough time to make the 2-hour drive to our next attraction - the Wollersheim Winery. Tours are given every hour starting at 10:15 AM with the last of these occurring at 4:15 PM.

We began by watching a short film on the history of the winery. It was started by Count Agoston Haraszthy of Hungary in the 1840's. He soon abandoned the winery and moved to the more favorable climate in California where he founded that state's wine industry. The Wollersheim family bought the abandoned Wisconsin winery in 1972. Philippe Coquard, a French winemaker, married into the family and passed on his knowledge of winemaking.

The rain had stopped long enough for our guide to take us outside to see the vineyards on the hillside. We were then led inside to the fermentation room where we watched a film on how the machines before us are used. There were charts on the wall that showed the temperature and duration of fermentation needed to produce the various wine flavors.

Next, our guide took us downstairs to the cellar where the aging of the red wines takes place in oak barrels. The white wines are not aged in barrels. They only go through the fermentation process.

Finally, we were led upstairs to the wine tasting room. My mother, my wife, and I generally do not drink alcohol but decided to partake in the tasting anyway. We were given a list of the wines we'd be tasting, some oyster crackers to cleanse our palates between tastings, and water to rinse the glasses between tastings. Our guide gave us instructions on how to inspect the wine by sight, by smell, and finally by taste. He recommended we rate each wine we tasted on the list he gave us so that we could remember the names of the ones we liked just in case we decide to buy a bottle.

We tasted the five products (four wines and one non-alcoholic champagne) the winery recommends and then we could request any of the remaining eight wines listed. My mother and I tried two or three more beyond the five while my wife, being the thorough person she is, tasted all of them. I never knew there were so many variations of the beverage.

The tour and tasting lasted about 45 minutes. The winery was closing by the time we finished but we had a quick look around its store where you can purchase their products. Their wines are mainly sold in Wisconsin and in parts of Illinois.

The Wollersheim Winery tour was a fun, inexpensive outing. It costs $3.50 per person. Our Southwest Wisconsin Passes covered that price. The wine tasting is free regardless of whether or not you do the tour.
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From journal Wisconsin: The Farmers and the Dells

Wollersheim Winery

by Asia Traveler

Onalaska, Wisconsin

January 7, 2006

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We decided to head down to the winery because it was open in the winter and a cheap attraction ($3.50 each for a tour). We had a good time! We joined the tour of the winery about 10 minutes late (it was the last tour of the day), but it was ...Read more

From journal A Winter Getaway in the Dells

Wollersheim Winery

by goodmother

Rogers, Minnesota

September 13, 2005

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This is a very nice winery. You would not expect this in Wisconsin. The tour guides were great in giving the history of the place and explaining the wine-making process. The wine tasting at the end was fun. They had sparkling juice for the kids ...Read more

From journal The Dells of Wisconsin

Wollersheim Winery

by GrAmTr

Williston, North Dakota

June 19, 2005

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Best of IgoUgo On our off-the-Dells path to the Cave of the Mounds, we planned on our way back to have a leisurely country drive and finish it off with a tour and wine-tasting at Wollersheim. The winery sits on southern slopes overlooking the Wisconsin River. ...Read more On our off-the-Dells path to the Cave of the Mounds, we planned on our way back to have a leisurely country drive and finish it off with a tour and wine-tasting at Wollersheim. The winery sits on southern slopes overlooking the Wisconsin River. This site was selected 150 years ago because the temperature here remains steadier because of the river. This is a beautiful establishment. We felt like we had stepped back in time and were in Italy or France. The original huge limestone winery, covered in vines, still stands, and the basement is still used as their cellar storage, while the main floor now is the wine and gift shop and wine-tasting area. They have five estate wines grown here on 25 acres, plus they work with other vineyards from NY and Washington state to make approximately 900,000 bottles per growing season. Wine is my choice of drink, and I learned so much on this tour.

At the end of the tour, we were taught the correct way to examine, swirl, and taste the wine. Our tour group all got the giggles acting like wine connoisseurs. There was quite a variety to sample, tasting first the five estate wines and moving on to any of the other 15 or so they create if you wanted. These wines have won hundreds of awards in national and international competitions. Children are welcome on the tours and were served their own grape juice champagne during the tasting. This champagne is also made here. Guided tours run daily starting at 10:15am, running on the hour until 4:15pm. Tours last an hour and cost $3.50 for adults, with 11 and under free. Wine-tasting is at no charge and available at any time during the day or along with the tour. You must be 21, of course. They also had a wine garden where you can purchase a glass of wine and some Wisconsin cheese and enjoy looking out over the vineyards. What a relaxing way to end our country drive. And needless to say, I didn't go home empty-handed. To reach the winery from the Dells, take Hwy 12 East (going south) past Baraboo, turn left on Hwy PF going through Prairie du Sac, continue straight ahead to cross Hwy 60 bridge, and turn right on Hwy 188; the winery is 3/4 of a mile on the left, approxmately 30-40 minutes from the Dells.

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From journal Wisconsin Dells - Playing Like a Child

Wollersheim Winery

by chasindaylight

Bloomington, Illinois

May 9, 2005

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If you're looking for a slow-paced activity that's a little off the beaten path, this might just be what you're looking for. On a hillside in Wisconsin (yes, there are hills in America's Dairyland) sits Wollersheim Winery, established in the ...Read more

From journal Door County/Lake Michigan/WI Road Trip

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