Manufacturing | Food & Beverage
Owner and head winemaker
Wollersheim Winery | Prairie du Sac
Born and raised in the Beaujolais region of France, Philippe Coquard joined Wollersheim Winery in Sauk County in 1984 as its winemaker. A 13th-generation winemaker, Coquard grew up working on his family’s farm and went on to earn degrees in winemaking, viticulture and wine marketing.
After moving to the Prairie du Sac winery, Coquard later became a son-in-law of its founder, the late Bob Wollersheim. Today, Coquard co-owns the business with his wife and Bob’s daughter, Julie Coquard. Members of their family work in various areas of the business, including winemaking, distilling, marketing, the vineyard and the stores.
Overlooking the Wisconsin River on a hill in the Lake Wisconsin viticultural area, Wollersheim produces over 1 million bottles of wine annually. The business has expanded over the years with several additions, growing its production capacity and retail operations. Its best-known and most popular wine is Prairie Fumé, which is credited with helping raise Wollersheim’s profile when it was introduced in the late-1980s.
Wollersheim won the Winery of the Year award in 2012 at the San Diego International Wine Competition. In 2015, the business opened its distillery, selling gin, absinthe, whiskey and bourbon. Wollersheim also owns Cedar Creek Winery, a sister business located in Cedarburg.
