Cedar Creek Winery Open House

On March 16th and 17th, Cedar Creek Winery hosted an open house that included Wisconsin product samplings from several artisan Wisconsin cheese makers and butchers. Cedar Creek Winery is located in the sleepy town of Cedarburg, about 25 minutes outside of Milwaukee. It is the sister winery of Wisconsin’s largest winery, Wollersheim, which won 2012 Winery of the Year at San Diego International Winery Competition.

Cedarburg has constant visitors because of it’s knack for closing off the main street and having festivals.  The downtown also offers an old world style shopping experience that keeps people coming back season after season.

Cedar Creek Winery is housed in one of the town’s largest historic buildings, The Cedar Creek Settlement.  The building was once an 1860’s woolen mill and was purchased by the Wollersheim family in 1990. Every third weekend in March, Cedar Creek Winery hosts an open house that draws new visitors, as well as returning guests who are familiar with their wine.

Other companies that participated in the Open House include Pine River, which makes spreads that use Cedar Creek’s Pinot Grigio and Cranberry Blush wines. Sartori Cheese was provided by The Ozaukee County Dairy Promotion, which will host a ‘Breakfast on the Farm” event on June 22nd.

Gibbsville Cheese provided cheese curds and Bolzano Artisan Meats sampled their handcrafted salami. Cedar Creek Winery had wines for tasting in their tasting room and in the cellar, as well as wines by the glass. The selection ranged from Bon Vivant, an estate grown Marechal Foch, to the highly regarded and awarded Waterfall Riesling from grapes grown in Washington.

One of the highlights of the Open House was the Barrel Tasting that took place in the cellar where the winemaker, Philippe Coquard, shared wine from the barrel that was not quite ready for bottling.  This special barrel tasting included an unoaked Chardonnay and the winery’s Syrah.

Coquard also talked about his wine and his philosophy of wine making. He learned the art and science of wine making in France but has been in Wisconsin for 29 years now. His unique style, respect for the craft of winemaking and refusal to take short cuts or follow trends creates some of the most highly regarded and award winning wines not just in Wisconsin, but in the U.S.
heather1Heather Harrison is the owner of  Wisconsin Wine & Beer Tours.   Contact her at heather@wisbtours.com
Karyn from Balzano Artisan Meats Serving Samples

Karyn from Balzano Artisan Meats Serving Samples

Julie and Philippe Coquard at Cedar Creek Winery 2013

Julie and Philippe Coquard at Cedar Creek Winery 2013

kskljfaskdj of Cedar Creek Winery

Eva and Stephanie of Cedar Creek Winery

Steve Danner, general manager, Cedar Creek Winery

Steve Danner, general manager, Cedar Creek Winery

Mary Lindeman from Pine River Prepack serving cheese spread made with Cedar Creek Wine

Mary Lindeman from Pine River Prepack serving cheese spread made with Cedar Creek Wine

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1 Response

  1. April 14, 2013

    […] Coquard also talked about his wine and his philosophy of wine making. He learned the art and science of wine making in France but has been in Wisconsin for 29 years now. His unique style, respect for the craft of winemaking and refusal to take short cuts or follow trends creates some of the most highly regarded and award winning wines not just in Wisconsin, but in the U.S. View Article […]