How, when, and why did you start your business?

Starting our business was a pure leap of faith and was something we weren’t expecting or planning on doing. We found out about the business being for sale April 2021, the same day I dealt with an extremely rough day at my corporate job — the majority of our team had lost their jobs with the company. Our team didn’t see this layoff coming even though there were many layoffs over the years. My position was safe but my heart was broken. Being the tough day that it was, my heart was also heavy because my daughter was leaving early the next morning to Maryland for her first traveling Respiratory Therapy job. Her favorite wine was at the Lil’ Ole Winemaker, so I stopped in after work to grab a bottle. The previous owner was at the shop when I came in; I didn’t know who she was but we talked and she asked what the occasion was and then she mentioned with a sad look on her face that they’d been trying to sell the shop for 2 ½ years but no one wanted to take over the shop’s legacy. She thought that someone who lost their job during COVID might buy it so they didn’t have to liquidate the business. When she said those words, “Lost their job,” I felt a calling inside to ask more questions. The rest is history! We knew it was the right thing to do — faith will always guide us — but we need to listen and I am so thankful I listened this time.

What makes your business unique?

Our business is unique because we make all of the wine that we have on the shelf here at our winery. We work with the best people that travel the world for us to retrieve the best fruit from the best vineyards globally: Italy, France, Chili, Australia, Germany, Argentina, California, and Washington. We are looking for a Spaniard grape at the moment. Every harvest is tested vigorously to make sure we get only the highest quality grapes. We don’t bottle our batches until we taste them; that is our true guide to bottling and putting them on the shelves for our friends and visitors that come to see us.

What product/service is your most popular, or what you are known for?

Our wines each have a strong following, and they go so quickly because the wine is known for being full-flavored and smooth. A few of the flavors people love most are the Strawberry Watermelon, Blueberry, Pomegranate, Raspberry Dragon, White Cranberry, Shiraz (Grape from Barossa Valley), Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese (Chianti), Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and the list goes on!

Why did you locate your business in the Wausau River District?

We’ve been at this location for a few years and so thankful the Wausau River District contacted us about the Friends of the River District program. This program is a great opportunity for residents and visitors to learn about the small businesses that are close to the downtown area. Keeping everyone going is definitely a community effort and it takes a village!

What motivates you as a business owner?

Our family, friends, and visitors motivate us as business owners. Every day is amazing.

How do you measure/define success?

We measure/define success by making sure we can keep giving everyone who walks in our door an experience that they weren’t expecting. Everyone always leaves with a smile and that is our success.

How do you generate new ideas?

We generate new ideas by feeling the need of what the people want and talking and listening to them.

Talk about your staff.

We are a very small, family-owned business. Paul, my husband, is a wonderful winemaker and I run the shop upstairs. His parents, Chuck and Darla, and our oldest child, Collin, help mix the wine and bottle. Ryder, our 13-year-old, helps with labeling and packaging. Our son Brandon often helps upstairs. Our daughter Brittany makes jewelry and assists with marketing photography and in-store design. Our 10-year-old is great at observing! Payroll is something we haven’t started yet but we’ve had many family and friends help us and still do. Our family and friends that help us when we need time at home are absolutely amazing but no one works full-time yet. A shout out to our friends Sydney, Brooke, Lisa, Jeremy and Kristin! One day we’ll get there!

What excites you most about the future of downtown Wausau?

What excites us the most is to see Wausau grow and flourish! It has such a small town feel and once people feel that, they won’t want to leave.