Madison Originals Magazine Madison Originals Magazine May 2014 | Page 16

Besides fan-favorite Prairie Fumé,
Wollersheim makes 17 other wines,
including three types of Port and the
estate-grown Domaine du Sac red. The
Port wines are a personal favorite of
Philippe, who had a custom Port-themed
motorcycle made by Sauk Prairie Harley

in honor of the after-dinner wine. The
winery is making Port—a grape wine
fortified with grape brandy—in the
traditional Portuguese style that brings
out the grape’s natural sweetness. They
also offer a unique white Port, which is
difficult to find outside of Europe.
Currently, Wollersheim Winery employs
20 full-time and 30 part-time staff that
works from harvest season through the
more tourist-heavy summer season. The
Wollersheim family also owns Cedar
Creek Winery in historic Cedarburg,
which they bought in 1990. Being
the largest winery in Wisconsin has
had its benefits. Many up-and-coming
winemakers look to Wollersheim as
leaders, and as Julie points out, “Being in
a region without a certain style, we can
set the style and do what we want.”

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Despite their growth, Wollersheim
Winery is focused on keeping their
winery as local as possible. Phillip and
Julie use 100% Wisconsin-made oak
barrels to age some of their wines, as well
as their brandy, which is normally aged
in French oak. However, they do source
grapes from other regions with climates
similar to Wisconsin. That includes
Washington and New York, which offer
chardonnay and pinot noir grapes that
are impossible to grow in Wisconsin.
With most grapes grown on-site, pruning
begins in late winter/early spring with
most of the harvest occurring around
Labor Day weekend. Ideal weather
conditions that yield the best grapes
include lots of sunshine in August and
not too much rain leading up to the
harvest. “You only get once a year to
make wine,” Julie says. “So you cross
your fingers and hope for the best.”
Wollersheim Winery is constantly
finding ways to expand and improve
upon what they do. Recently, they
restored the old wine cave located in the
hillside, which is now available to tour.
Their biggest new venture, however, is in
brandy. In 2009, state lawmakers passed
legislation authorizing winemakers to
make brandy. In 2010, Philippe began
the brandy-making process, and this
year, Wollersheim is in its second year
of distribution. It typically takes 120