wollersheim distillery tour

Wollersheim Winery & Distillery

Additional Information

7876 Hwy 188 Prairie du Sac, WI 53578

(608) 643-6515 (800) 847-9463

• Get Directions
• Visit Website

• MidwestWeekends on Facebook
• Get trip ideas
• Event Calendar

MidwestWeekends.com (mobile)

Because life's too short to stay home …, a vintage vineyard, more than 175 years after its founding by a hungarian hustler, wollersheim is basking in success..

© Beth Gauper

In the wooded bluffs across the Wisconsin River from Prairie du Sac, the Saturday before Thanksgiving is a red-letter day for wine drinkers.

That's when Wollersheim Winery releases its Ruby Nouveau and throws open its doors for a tasting party that always draws hordes of loyal fans.

The wine is good — better than good, according to judges at international competitions. But visitors also come for the atmospheric setting, on a hillside wrapped by massive oaks and frequented by bald eagles, and for the vineyard's colorful history.

They add a cool factor, a certain * je ne sais quoi,* to Wisconsin's oldest and largest vineyard.

The story starts in 1840, when a flashy Hungarian count arrived in the United States and made his way to a valley along the Wisconsin River with root stock from Europe.

Agoston Haraszthy-who may or may not have been a count, but certainly was a wheeler-dealer-planted his cuttings on a sheltered hillside near Prairie du Sac, between Wisconsin Dells and Madison.

The vines grew, but not well, and in 1849 the count decamped to California. There, he became the first sheriff of San Diego, founded Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma, introduced more than 300 varieties of European grapes and became the first state wine commissioner.

But his vineyards were hit with the first infestation of phylloxera, and in 1868, he left to start a rum distillery in Nicaragua. A year later, he fell into a river and was presumed eaten by alligators.

Still, Haraszthy is known as the father of the California wine industry. In 2007, he was inducted into the Vintners Hall of Fame.

His Wisconsin vineyard was taken over by Peter Kehl, who came from a wine town in Germany's Rhineland, and cultivated until Kehl's son Jacob died in 1899.

That also was a year of record-setting cold, and the vines died. The land went into a deep sleep.

In 1972, Bob and JoAnn Wollersheim of Madison bought the dilapidated farm, moved into Kehl's 1858 stone home and began to see what kinds of vines could survive a Wisconsin winter.

For reds, they turned to Marechal-Foch grapes, which were bred for hardiness in France at the turn of the century, just as Peter Kehl's vines were dying in Wisconsin.

But the wine that kept the winery afloat turned out to be a semi-dry white made with grapes grown in New York. Today, the semi-dry Prairie Fumé is the top-selling wine in Wisconsin.

Winemaker Philippe Coquard does use Wisconsin-grown white grapes to make his Coquard Brandy, which is aged in Wisconsin oak barrels. The brandy debuted in April 2013 and instantly sold all 5,000 bottles.

Now there are four seasons at Wollersheim-port in January, brandy in May, ice wine in October and beaujolais in November. Summer is for sipping a glass in the wine garden.

Fans welcome any excuse to visit. From a parking area, a path lined by limestone-slab walls winds up a vine-covered hill to the tall stone winery, wrapped by the gnarled black limbs of a massive oak.

Along the walkway are weathered wooden barrels banded in red metal, built during the Civil War by Confederate prisoners on an island in Lake Erie.

Next to the winery is Peter Kehl's limestone home, surrounded by a wrought-iron fence with grapevine ornaments. On the hillside behind it are rows of vines, the cave Kehl and his family lived in for more than a year and a wooded ridge on which bald eagles roost in the winter.

It's not exactly "Falcon Crest," but it's as close as Wisconsin gets, and wine buyers love it.

When I visited one year for the Ruby Nouveau tasting, people were tottering down the path loaded with cases of wine.

"That was fun, but expensive," said one woman with a giggle.

Inside the busy wine shop, a guide named Leslie took me and a dozen others to the end of a hall that smelled of yeast and overlooked a two-story fermentation room.

Members of the case club were there hobnobbing with winemaker Coquard, who came from Beaujolais in 1984 as an agricultural-exchange student, soon became the winemaker and later married the Wollersheims' daughter Julie.

We watched a video about wine production, and Leslie told us the warm, dry summer had been good for the grapes. Then she took us into the underground cellar, filled with the casks to which the wine is brought after fermentation in stainless-steel tanks.

The casks — some made from local white oak, some imported from France — give the wine much of its character. "The extracts in the wood mingles with the wine and mellows it," Leslie said. "The barrels are used more or less like spices in cooking."

Then it was time for the tasting. Leslie ran us through the rudiments — hold the glass by the stem, swirl and sniff — and then we drank: A pinot noir, made from grapes grown in Washington. The sweet Prairie Fume and the Prairie Blush, made with Wisconsin-grown Marechal Foch grapes.

Back in the shop, a chef was dispensing custardy Gruyere cheese puffs and a fragrant coq au vin made with the Ruby Nouveau.

It's taken a while, but eventually Wollersheim won respect for Wisconsin wine. In 2012, it was named Winery of the Year at the San Diego International Wine Competition, and in 2013, its Dry Riesling was named Wine of the Year.

Bob Wollersheim always said that, as Wisconsin's first modern vintner, he "had to make all the mistakes myself."

But Wollersheim, who died in 2005, acknowledged that he was lucky: The vineyard Agoston Haraszthy chose happens to be in a relatively warm spot, a climatic aberration that can be seen only on modern weather maps.

"You wonder how this guy can come riding up over the hills, stick his thumb in the air and say, 'This is the place to grow grapes,' " he said. "It's pretty amazing."

Trip Tips: Wollersheim Winery in Prairie du Sac, Wis.

Getting there: It's half an hour northwest of Madison, across the river from Prairie du Sac off Wisconsin 188.

Winery : The winery is open daily except holidays. Guided tours are $18 and include sampling.

There's also a distillery , with tastings offered daily, and a bistro that offers paninis, salads and desserts.

Events: Last Saturday in January, Port Wine Celebration. First Saturday in March, Winery Open House. First Thursday in October, Ice Wine Release. Third Thursday of November, Ruby Nouveau Tasting. Saturday after Thanksgiving, A Vintage Christmas.

In Prairie du Sac, the biggest events are Bald Eagle Watching Days in mid-January and the Wisconsin State Cow Chip Throw on Labor Day weekend.

For more about the area, see Road trip: Wisconsin River .

Accommodations: In Sauk City, the Cedarberry Inn is a pleasant chain-style hotel.

Ten miles south in Mazomanie, the Iron Amethyst Inn is an 1865 Italianate home with five rooms.

Dining: In Sauk City, Vintage Brewing on Water Street offers daily specials as well as sandwiches, burgers, soups, salads and its own craft beers.

In Roxbury, on County Road Y southeast of Sauk City, the Dorf Haus Supper Club serves German classics.

• Plan A Trip
• Privacy Policy
• Events Policy
• Advertising

© Beth Gauper, 2007 - all rights reserved

Your browser does not support our events calendar page. Please consider an update.

• In the News
• Photo Gallery
• Experiences
• Search for:

Home of Wisconsin’s Favorite Wine.

Winery Hours

Southwest Wisconsin Visitor Bureau

Your Travel Guide to Southwest Wisconsin

Wollersheim Winery & Distillery

Wollershiem Winery sits on a scenic hillside overlooking the Wisconsin River, just across from Prairie du Sac. The winery features a 27-acre vineyard, original 1850’s limestone buildings and cellars, and modern wine-production facilities. Wollershiem Winery’s wine list delights and palate with its red, white, blush, and Port wines that range from dry to sweet. Visitors can take tours, taste wine, or enjoy a light picnic of Wollershiem wine paired with Wisconsin cheese in the wine garden. Wollershiem Winery is open for tours and tastings from 10 am – 5 pm daily, year-round.

Free Inspiration Guide

With Love, Madison

Inspire Your Inbox

Sign up for seasonal emails

Madison On Tap

Concerts at McKee - The Mascot Theory

Wollersheim Winery & Distillery

•      
• Phone: (608) 643-6515
• Toll-free: (800) 847-9463

Wollersheim Winery & Distillery is a historic limestone building featuring meeting space overlooking hillside vineyards.

Cards Accepted

• American Express:
• MasterCard:
• Bus/Motorcoach Friendly:
• Free Wi-Fi:
• On-Site Parking:

Attractions

• Family Friendly:

Food & Drink

• Outdoor Seating:
• Largest Room 1600
• Total Sq. Ft. 1600
• Reception Capacity 60
• Theatre Capacity 60
• Onsite A/V Equipment
• Offsite Catering
• Outdoor Space Available
• Banquet Capacity 40
• Number of Rooms 1
• Classroom Capacity 48

Vineyard Room

• Total Sq. Ft.: 1600
• Theater Capacity: 60
• Classroom Capacity: 48
• Banquet Capacity: 40
• Reception Capacity: 60

For Seasonal Trip-spiration, Sign Up Now

Explore Madison On Tap

Sign Up Now

View & Download

• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Use

22 e. mifflin street, suite 200

madison, wi 53703

(608) 255-2537 • (800) 373-6376

[email protected]

22 e. mifflin street, suite 200, madison, wi 53703

(608) 255-2537 • (800) 373-6376 • [email protected]

© Destination Madison

• Our Partners

Would you like to accept cookies?

Visit Wollersheim Winery & Distillery This Fall

It may not be at the top of your list when it comes to great wine-tasting destinations, but Wisconsin is actually home to some pretty great wineries (and, of course, quite a few breweries as well). The first wine grapes in the state were planted in 1847 at the site of the modern-day Wollersheim Winery, a “must-visit” winery just outside of Madison.

Most Wisconsin wineries, understandably, focus on cold-hardy grape varietals, but they are also increasingly known for things like Rieslings as well. Fall is the perfect time to visit places like Wollersheim Winery and other wonderful Wisconsin wineries.  Give yourselves a few days to thoroughly explore the state, and turn it into a getaway by combining it with a stay at one or more of our incredible Wisconsin Bed and Breakfasts!

The Wisconsin Bed and Breakfast Association features member properties around the state, each of which offers unique and welcoming accommodations and a commitment to safe and welcoming travel. There’s so much to love about the beautiful state of Wisconsin, and there’s no one better positioned to show it to you than our extraordinary innkeepers.   Book your wine tasting adventure with one of our Wisconsin Bed and Breakfasts today!

Enjoy a Tasting at Wollersheim Winery

Wollersheim Winery  is located in the charming town of Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, a scenic part of the state about 30 minutes northwest of Madison. Wollersheim  Winery  is also home to an incredible  Distillery , both of which started operations in the 1840s.  However, during prohibition, the winery & distillery stopped production and instead used the property as a dairy farm. ,

Winemaking at this historic property was revived in 1972 by the Wollersheim family and today is a leading winery in the Midwest.  Wollersheim Winery has earned numerous awards and accolades over the years, including several double-gold awards.  They were also honored as the Winery of the Year in 2012, and their Dry Riesling was chosen as the Wine of the Year in 2013 at the prestigious San Diego International Wine Competition. It’s also registered as a National Historic Site.

Wollersheim Winery and Distillery offers tours and tastings at their historic property. Their guided walking tour of the winery is a 45-minute tour of the property, with delicious tastings along the way. You’ll even have the opportunity to visit their underground limestone aging cellars. Wollersheim Winery and Distillery offers a seated wine and cocktail tasting paired with cheese and other snacks.

You can also round out the experience at Wollersheim Winery and Distillery by enjoying a meal in their delightful  bistro .  All of the food served here is made from scratch and sourced with local ingredients as much as possible. It’s tough to beat sharing a delicious meal over a glass of wine or cocktail, surrounded by the stunning scenery found in this part of the state.

Visiting Wollersheim Winery and Distillery is an easy day trip from many of Wisconsin’s nearby cities, including Madison and Baraboo. There are several  Wisconsin Bed and Breakfasts near Wollersheim Winery  and some of the state’s other top attractions.

Where to stay:  Inn at Wawanissee Point  and  Ringling House Bed and Breakfast  in Baraboo near Devil’s Lake State Park; or  The Buckingham Inn ,  Hotel Ruby Marie ,  The Livingston Inn , or  The Speckled Hen Inn near Madison .

More Great Wisconsin Wineries to Visit This Fall

As great as Wollersheim Winery and Distillery is, it’s just one of many great Wisconsin wineries worth visiting this fall. More than 80 Wisconsin wineries are spread around the state, giving our guests at Wisconsin Bed and Breakfasts plenty of opportunities to sip and swirl their way through another beautiful Wisconsin fall.

Many of the best Wisconsin wineries also happen to be located in the south-central region of Wisconsin and just a short drive away from Wollersheim Winery. Here are 4 more great Wisconsin wineries nearby that are worth visiting this fall:

• Baraboo Bluff Winery , offering panoramic views of the Baraboo bluffs and a delicious wine tasting experience.
• Broken Bottle Winery , a sister winery of the Baraboo Bluff Winery, offering a rustic wine tasting experience in their new facility.
• Balanced Rock Winery  in Baraboo focuses on cold-hardy grapes and offers tours and a delightful tasting experience in the modern facility.
• Cambridge Winery  is an award-winning winery and event space near Madison. They even have a tasting room in downtown Madison!

Wherever you choose to enjoy wine, beer, or spirits, you’ll have plenty of wonderful places to choose from in Wisconsin.  If you’re looking for more fun with craft beverages this fall, we’ve put together some of our favorite ways to explore the wineries, breweries, and craft beverages of Wisconsin – as well as where to stay when you visit them –  here .

Of course, our innkeepers would be happy to offer you their own personalized recommendations as well! Local knowledge and exceptional service are just two of the incredible perks you’ll enjoy when staying at a Wisconsin Bed and Breakfast. Seek the unique this fall, and enjoy an extraordinary fall getaway!   Find your perfect home away from home, and book your getaway today .

Lodging Properties near topics in our blog

Recent Posts

• Discover the Historic Charm of Galena, Illinois July 9, 2024
• Midwest Wine Trails You Don’t Want to Miss This Summer July 2, 2024
• One of the Best Gardens in the Country! June 25, 2024
• Biking, Paddling, & More at Chain Of Lakes Regional Park June 18, 2024
• Epic Hiking on The Ice Age National Scenic Trail June 11, 2024
• Places To Stay
• Gift Certificates
• Innkeepers Corner

The Best of the Midwest!

The Midwest Association of Independent Inns was formed to help the discerning traveler find the best Bed and Breakfasts, Inns and Boutique Hotels. Our member properties are located throughout the Midwest with plans to welcome properties from all 13 Midwest states.

Our group of independent lodging properties looks forward to welcoming you to the Midwest.

Get Our Newsletter

• 715-942-8180
• [email protected]

Website Accessibility

Privacy policy, copyright 2024 midwest association of independent inns, website & digital marketing by logan marketing.

• North America
• 7 Wisconsin Distilleries You Need...

7 Wisconsin Distilleries You Need to Visit

Freelance Writer

While Wisconsin is commonly associated with beer, the state has experienced a recent rise in the number of distilleries. Prohibition wiped out the industry in the area over 80 years ago, but Wisconsinites are developing a taste once more for high-quality, locally produced spirits. The uptick in craft breweries and small wineries has paved the way for the resurgence of local distilleries around the state, and you’ll want to be sure to check out these seven!

1. infinity beverages winery and distillery.

Distillery, Winery

What started as a dream for a high school student has now become one of Wisconsin’s best places for locally produced wine and spirits. Infinity Beverages is both a winery and distillery that prides itself on its innovation. All of their beverages are truly unique and made from materials sourced from American suppliers and growers. Stop by for one of their Tour & Tasting events to learn more about the distillery’s operation or enjoy some samples at the Tasting Lounge.

2. Great Lakes Distillery

Milwaukee may be a beer city, but Great Lakes Distillery has made a name for itself with its award-winning spirits. Opened in 2004, it became the first distillery in the state since Prohibition. Traditional old-world methods are used to make their high-quality, small-batch spirits, and local ingredients are used whenever possible to ensure that each product has a bit of Wisconsin in it. Their distillery tour was voted the best wine and spirits tour in the city, so be sure to check it out.

3. Northern Waters Distillery

The natural beauty of Wisconsin’s Northwoods is what inspires the craft distilling of Northern Waters Distillery . What makes this distillery unique is that it aims to produce spirits as traditionally as possible, doing as much as they can by hand and producing batches of fewer than 100 bottles. Visitors can learn more about this process by touring the distillery on weekends or stopping by the Tasting Room for samples. For those who are very interested in distilling, Northern Waters offers the opportunity to spend an entire day observing the production process.

4. 45th Parallel Distillery

One of the first 50 craft distilleries in the USA, 45th Parallel Distillery has seen fast growth since its opening but remains family-owned. It also has retained a strong focus on sourcing local ingredients for its sprits—the grain used comes from a small farm just eight miles (12.8 kilometers) away. Visitors can taste their signature vodkas, gins, whiskeys, and more at one of their tasting events or combine it with a tour. For those who are wondering, the distillery’s unusual name comes from the fact that it lies halfway between the North Pole and the Equator on the 45th parallel.

5. Wollersheim Distillery

Crafting high-quality spirits at Wollersheim dates back to the 1800s. For a time, regulations prohibited wineries in Wisconsin from distilling, but once that was lifted, Wollersheim Distillery was back in the brandy-making game. Now in addition to several brandies, they also produce gin, absinthe, and whiskey. Visitors are invited to stop by for a distillery tour, spirit tasting, or to enjoy one of their expertly made cocktails .

Become a Culture Tripper!

Sign up to our newsletter to save up to $1,395 on our unique trips..

See privacy policy .

6. Yahara Bay Distillers

Madison’s first post-Prohibition distillery, Yahara Bay Distillers started with only three products but has expanded to over 40. While sold in 20 different states now, they haven’t forgotten their Wisconsin roots, and each batch of spirits is still made using local ingredients. If you take their distillery tour, not only will you learn about the ins and outs of producing spirits, but you’ll also get to visit their art gallery, which showcases artwork from regional and local artists. With a number of live music events, grabbing a drink at the Public House is also a must.

7. Minhas Micro Distillery

The Minhas Micro Distillery is part of the Minhas Brewery and produces some of the best artisan liqueurs and spirits in the state. Age-old distilling and blending methods are used to create liquors so smooth that they can be enjoyed straight. Whether you have a taste for vodka, whiskey, gin, or rum, take part in the distillery tour to learn more about how they are crafted. The distillery even offers additional services to those who are interested in starting their own distilling business.

See & Do

The best road trips in wisconsin.

Beautiful Lakes Worth a Visit in Wisconsin

Must-Visit Historical Sites in Wisconsin

Places to Stay

The best hotels to book in wisconsin, usa.

The Best Weekend Getaways in Wisconsin

The Best Spa Hotels to Book in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Where to See Fall Foliage in Wisconsin, USA

The Best Things to Do in Wisconsin

The Best Things To Do in Wisconsin Dells

The Best Cheap Hotels to Book in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

State Parks You Need to Visit in Wisconsin

Where to Go Camping in Wisconsin, USA

Culture Trip Summer Sale

Save up to $1,395 on our unique small-group trips! Limited spots.

• Post ID: 2216066
• Sponsored? No
• View Payload