Lynfred Winery was entirely a creation of the love and ingenuity of Fred and Lynn Koehler. Between Lynn's ideas and Fred's practicality, they created one of the most unique attractions — not to mention gourmet tastes — in the United States today.
The Koehlers were pioneers in the Illinois wine industry, and their road was not an easy one. Naturally, getting the business of a winery in Roselle, Illinois, off the ground took quite a while. Starting in an historic house that was originally built by the Hattendorf family in 1912, the Koehlers quickly went to work restoring the house and organizing a cellar to expand their "hobby" into a business.
Lynfred Winery is celebrating 32 years in 2011. The winery has come a long way from the original tasting room opened in 1979. Lynfred has now expanded into a 24,000-square-foot facility. Fred still carries on the Lynfred legacy but has passed the winemaking duties along to Chilean-born Andres Basso.
IntoWine recently caught up with Andre Basso to discuss wine and thoughts on current trends in the wine industry.
What prompted you to pursue winemaking as a career?
The art behind the science… not everything can be done by the book or recipes
Describe your winemaking philosophy:
Let the grapes dictate the way… be very gentle with the fruit and winemaking process and you will succeed
What are you most proud of so far in your winemaking experience?
The first years of my career I felt good when the wines were fermented and bottled the best way possible. Later, I have been more comforted by other important areas of the winemaking that also deliver a source of pride, such as when being able to watch people enjoying my wines… its very satisfying.
Tell us about the people who influenced or mentored you as a winemaker?
My family always enjoyed wine…I grew up with wine. It was something very common to family meals during my early years. I remember wine served with every meal, not to the point of abusing it, but just enough to enhance the meal. I fell in love with this career when I saw wines aging in old caves and in dark, humid barrel rooms where the wine was a mystery. When I tasted wines out of some of the old barrels, I understood that I wanted to do that for living.
Tell us about your wines:
We produce a wide variety of wines from fruity whites to heavy reds. We also make about 25 different fruit wines, several sparkling and port wines. We believe we can cater to every palate out there and our mission as a company is to have the right wine for each individual. We showcase and teach our customers about the different styles and flavors of wines. It’s very informative and educative.
What is next for Lynfred Wines?
We plan to keep developing new varieties and focus our efforts on our wine club. We currently have 6000 members and the number continues to grow. We created a new line of fortified and another of sparkling wines with great success, so we will continuously work to please our audience and great patrons.
When it comes to winemaking, what's one thing you know now that you wish you had known before you started?
I wish I would have worked for 5 years before taking my university classes… it would have been very helpful in understanding and discussing the process involved in winemaking.
A hot topic in wine circles is the "Parkerization" of wines. Some people claim his 100 point scoring system has been an enabling factor for consumers as they navigate the endless array of brands from which they can choose. Others claim his influence has negatively impacted wine quality as producers are increasingly crafting their wines to earn a high score from Parker at the expense of making the best wine they can with the fruit and resources they have available. Given this, what are your thoughts on Parker and the 100 point scoring system?
I think it’s a great marketing tool for wineries regardless of the effectiveness of the review. Robert Parker is a well-respected judge and most people in the wine business look at the comments and reviews all the time. In my opinion, customers need to taste wines to make their own decisions. People’s preferences are very different from one person to the next, so we encourage each person to pick their own favorites and to take home the wine that is the best for themselves, not the best for me, your neighbor or Robert Parker.
How have the points systems like Parker’s impacted you as a winemaker/producer?
It is our plan to submit our wines to Robert Parker in the future. At the present time, our company participates in competitions all over the US and we consistently get very good scores. We submit wines for reviews in the San Francisco Chronicle, Dallas Morning News International Wine Competition and other well-known wine competitions around the country. We also work with newspapers, magazines and wine writers on a regular basis for marketing purposes.
Rising wine alcohol levels are a hot topic these days in wine circles. What are your thoughts on the subject?
I personally like high alcohol wines. There are lots of reasons to enjoy them: more ripe flavors and aromas, better color, more balanced acidity and tannins, less herbaceous character. When high levels of alcohol become a problem, then there is process to help with reducing this total content but it is very expensive at the moment..
Lastly, where can your wines be purchased?
We have 4 tasting room dedicated to Lynfred wines and our wines are also found in supermarkets and restaurants in the Greater Chicago area, as well as on-line at www.lynfredwinery.com. Our tasting rooms are located in our main winery in Roselle, Illinois, with sister stores located in Wheeling, Wheaton and Naperville. You can find our wines on the lists at fine establishments such as Charlie Trotter, Shaw’s Crab House or in stores like Whole Foods Market, Caputos – among many others.
