ABOUT THE WEGGY WINERY

Wine sales and production for the Weggy Winery takes place in what used to be a 1935 dairy barn. The original wood structure has been removed, but the massive stone walls remain, covered by a new modern roof. On the interior, the ceiling has been sprayed with Icocine foam to create a cave-like atmosphere.

Our wines are carefully aged in modern stainless steel winery tanks. We pride ourselves on our careful attention to the quality of our wine products.

It took us three years to convert and equip the building with modern wine making technology. The most important process, the fermentation, has been carefully engineered to be performed without interruption. This ensures a quality product. We are sure that once you taste our wines, you will agree that it was worth the effort!

ABOUT OUR VINTNER/WINEMAKER

Who would have guessed in 1992, when Owners & Proprietors Marion and Marlys Weglarz purchased 80 acres in Richland County, WI, that today it would be open to the public for tram tours of the 15-acre vineyard or for guests to harvest apples, peaches, Asian pears and cherries or that Weggy Winery would be open for wine sampling and the purchasing of bottled wines made from the very grapes grown on this land?

Only one person could envision this — Marion Weglarz...

As a little boy in Chicago, IL Marion knew he would end up working the land somehow, but didn't know where or when. He always had the desire to plant and see things grow; he was a horticulturist at heart from the beginning. As an adult Marion, looked for two years for that perfect place to grow grapes in an area that is NOT well known for that purpose. When he came across a former dairy farm in Richland Center, WI he believed he had found the place. He was initially drawn to the sloping hills and Southern exposure on top of the ridge which has become part of Oak Ridge Vineyard.

Marion and his wife Marlys started off small. The first years they planted 550 grapes vines by hand. They had no equipment, just the desire to be a part of something that had the potential of one day being a great attraction for travelers and the community of Richland Center, WI. The following years, Marion committed to planting up to three acres of grape vines a year. By July 2004, 15 acres of vines, offering over 30 varieties of grapes, are thriving.

The grapes grown in this region of Wisconsin grow differently from the Vinifera grape that grows in California and warmer climates. At Oak Ridge Vineyard the grapevines are either a French Hybrid and / or an Elmer Swenson Hybrid, both can withstand temperatures of 20 degrees below zero. The taste produced from the grapes grown on this land is amazing. Currently, Weggy Wine is sold at the Vineyard's winery and is available for sale and consumption in local restaurants and grocery stores.