Wollersheim Distillery Press House Brandy
Wollersheim Winery is located on a scenic hillside overlooking the the Wisconsin River, across from Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, about 30 miles northwest of Madison. In addition to the winery, the property now includes a distillery and a bistro.
Wollersheim is considered one of the more established wineries in Wisconsin, and is known for producing both wine and distilled spirits on site.
The Winery
The vineyards were first planted by Agoston Haraszthy (a Hungarian nobleman) in the 1840s. However, finding Wisconsin winters too inhospitable for what he wanted to do. Haraszthy left the state in December of 1849, and headed west. He brought close to 100,000 grapevine cuttings from Europe, (predictably, mostly vines from Hungary) to Sonoma, California, in 1852, the introduction of the first European vines and grape varieties to California. He then founded the first commercial winery in California, Buena Vista Winery, in 1857, and went on to be known as “The father of California viticulture.”
Following Haraszthy, German immigrant Peter Kehl took over. He planted American grape species better suited to the cold climate, and built a winery in 1876. In the late 1800s, Kehl’s son Jacob made brandy as well as wine, mostly used to fortify some of the wines, much like Port, rather than as a stand-alone spirit. But after Jacob’s death in 1899 and a difficult winter, the vineyard/winery operations ceased, and it reverted to a conventional farm.
In 1972, Robert and JoAnn Wollersheim purchased the property from a Kehl’s great-grandson, and began restoring it as a working winery. The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places as “Kehl Winery” in 1976.
Philippe Coquard, from the Beaujolais region of France, arrived at Wollersheim in 1984 as part of an agriculture exchange. A year later he became the winemaker. He later married Julie Wollersheim, the daughter of Robert and JoAnn, and continues to co-own and operate the facility.
A new fermentation room and bottling storage was added in 1994 to expand capacity. The historic hillside wine cave (originally started by Haraszthy / Kehls) was renovated in 2013 into an exhibit space telling the history of the winery. The distillery was built in on site in 2015, offering a dedicated space for distilling spirits, plus more storage space of the wines destined for conversion into brandy. In 2019 a bistro was added (in the historic carriage house) with a professional kitchen and food offerings alongside wine. So, the property has layers of history — from its early mid-19th century planting, dormant decades, then revival in the 1970s, and expansion into distilling and hospitality.
Viticulture, Appellation, and Wines
Wollersheim is in the Lake Wisconsin AVA, which was formally established in 1994. In fact, the petition for the Lake Wisconsin AVA was submitted by the Wollersheims, proposing that area for viticultural designation. The soils are commonly gravel and sandy loam (glacial deposits), overlying glacial till or dolomitic bedrock. Wollersheim is unique in being the only winery whose vintages carry the Lake Wisconsin AVA appellation on labels. The climate is continental, and the growing season is relatively short (typical of the Upper Midwest). The property’s microclimate is somewhat favorable: the hillside, sun exposure, and slightly moderated temperatures help ripen grapes in an otherwise challenging climate.
Because of Wisconsin’s cold winters, the grapes are cold-hardy hybrid varieties (rather than classic European vitis vinifera species). Wollersheim grows some of their fruit on-site and sources a large proportion from other regions, but the fermentation is done entirely on site.
The Distillery
The distillery produces brandy, as well as other spirits including bourbon, whiskey, gin, and absinthe. The barrel room is engineered to use Wisconsin’s seasonal weather changes and temperature fluctuations to aid in spirit maturation and barrel aging. Like their wine operations, the distillery ferments all products on site.
Wollersheim Distillery Press House Brandy
Press House Brandy is Wollersheim’s third-tier brandy, overseen by Coquard’s son-in-law Tom Lenerz. The name “Press House” refers back to the historic winery operations. In the late 19th century, the winery on the property was commonly known as the “Press House” because it was the site of grape pressing and fermentation. There is a recorded ledger entry from September 10, 1876, showing “10 gallons Brandy – $30.00,” which served as a historical reference for the distillery.
Press House is made from American native white grapes. After a single distillation in copper pot stills, it is aged for a minimum of two years in a mix of new and used American oak.
This brandy pours a medium golden amber in the glass. The accessible nose offers aromas of leather and cedar. The mouthfeel is crisp and very dry, with flavors of herbs and straw. Oak extraction is restrained. But this might be the most interesting take-away: in my observation, there are whiskey drinkers and there are brandy drinkers, and the two almost never overlap. In both flavor and character, this is a brandy for whiskey drinkers; I think in a blind taste test most sippers would call this out as a whiskey, not a brandy. There’s nothing wrong with that, it is just highly unusual. For me, this spirit is more suitable for use in a classic brandy old-fashioned, rather than drinking neat. The ABV is 40.0%.
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