Wyandotte Winery's History

If you are interested in seeing some photos of our winery, take a look at the Pictures Page.

Wyandotte Winery has been a labor of love for 30 years!  Amish builders from Wayne County, Ohio built Jones' Wyandotte Wine Cellar in 1976 for Floyd and Peggy Jones. The beautiful, all brick, ranch style building was built specifically as a combination winery and home. The living space is attached to a wine shop and tasting room, and the cellar was specially designed to house the winery facilities. 

The Joneses had a passion for making unique wines including dandelion, elderberry, rhubarb, and red beet wine.  To the left is one of the original Wyandotte Wine Cellar labels. 

Wyandotte Winery was sold in 1984 to Bill and Jane Butler who diligently worked at continuing the production of quality wines.  The labels began to evolve, and the label to the left was one of the new owners first designs. 

It was Jane that introduced the Columbus Classics brand to Wyandotte. Along with the new brand, a set of beautiful watercolors was commissioned from local artist Bonnie Weir. The artwork, now an integral part of the Columbus Classics brand, depicts popular and historical landmarks throughout the Columbus area.  Below is an example of one of these beautiful labels.

In 1990 the owners of Wyandotte Wine Cellar opened the William Graystone Winery and Restaurant in the German Village area of Columbus. Wyandotte and Graystone maintained a partnership that has lasted ever since.

In 2004 after a long, successful run, the owners of Wyandotte decided to pursue other interests. They sold the Graystone Winery in 2003, and the William Graystone Wine Cellar is now a wonderful restaurant and banquet hall.  In December of 2004, Wyandotte Wine Cellar closed it doors and was put up for sale. At the same time, Robin and Valerie Coolidge, after many years of home winemaking, were pursuing the dream of starting their own business. Through a set of fortunate circumstances they heard about Wyandotte Wine Cellar and approached the owners about purchasing the winery.  In November of 2006, the Coolidge's purchased the home and winery, and after several months of remodeling, moved their family into their new home.

In June of 2007, the new Wyandotte Winery re-opened to continue a tradition that has spanned more than 30 years.

The Winery

The wine making facility at Wyandotte is in the cellar of the winery.  Wyandotte is a winery, not a vineyard, so we do not grow our own grapes.  Update 2009: Wyandotte just planted its first vines!  In the spring of 2009 we planted a grape called Marquette.  The first harvest will not be for several years, but we certainly are excited about our first vines! We search for the highest quality juices from the best vineyards and fruit farms in Ohio and the country to hand craft our wines.  The winery facility is in the basement of the home and has all the equipment necessary to ferment, process, age, and bottle wine in the same way Floyd Jones did 30 years ago. 

In the winery yeast is added to the juice and, in the process of converting sugar to alcohol, the yeast also creates special flavors that are found in no other beverage in the world.  The winemaker, Robin Coolidge, uses his skill and expertise to manipulate the environment the yeast are growing in to convert simple fruit juice into a work of art. The winemaking process can take anywhere from months to years depending on the kind of wine and the aging process used.

Wyandotte makes a variety of wines to please any palate.  Dry to sweet, red to white, grape to fruit, we think you will enjoy a wine tasting at the winery.  No matter what kind or style of wine, you can be assured of the highest quality, finest wines from Wyandotte.

When you visit make sure to get a tour of the facility and see exactly how the wine making process works.  We offer free tours every Saturday at 12:30pm.