Lynfred Winery

Lynfred Winery is a family winery headquartered in Roselle, Illinois. Founded by Fred and Lynn Koehler, it developed from a small home-based winemaking operation into a multi-location winery, tasting-room business, and hospitality property. The winery's roots predate its formal founding: the Koehlers began producing and selling wine made from California grapes in the cellar of a restored 1912 house in Roselle in 1975. The business was formally established on October 14, 1979, and the original house remains central to the brand's identity. The winery gained early recognition through competition results. Its 1983 Chardonnay received a Double Gold award at the National Restaurant Show in Chicago in 1985 and also won recognition at the National Wine Competition for Chardonnays in Reno, Nevada. These results helped increase demand and contributed to the need for expanded production facilities. In 1990, Lynfred opened a new winery capable of producing nearly 100,000 US gallons of wine per year, allowing the business to move beyond its original cellar-scale operation. Lynfred's production model is associated with fruit sourced from multiple American wine regions rather than a single vineyard estate. The winemaking team has worked with grapes and other fruit from California, Washington, Michigan, Illinois, and other parts of the United States. This sourcing strategy supports a broad portfolio of wine styles and enables the winery to produce wines reflecting different grape varieties, growing regions, and blending approaches. The brand's identity combines regional Illinois hospitality with a wider American sourcing base. The company expanded its customer-facing footprint through satellite tasting and retail locations. It opened Tasting deVine in Wheaton in 1999 and added a Naperville location in 2004. A tasting room in Wheeling opened in 2008, followed by another in Highland Park in 2022. These locations extended Lynfred's reach across the Chicago metropolitan area and gave customers access to tastings and winery products outside the main Roselle site. Hospitality is another important part of the brand. Since 2002, Lynfred has operated a bed and breakfast at its original Roselle property, linking lodging and wine tourism with the winery's historical setting. The combination of production, tasting rooms, retail activity, events, and lodging positions Lynfred as both a wine producer and a destination-oriented hospitality business. The winery's contemporary production leadership includes General Manager and Director of Winemaking Andres Basso and Head Winemaker Rodrigo Gonzalez. Basso was born and raised in Chile and has professional experience associated with Chilean producers as well as wineries in Napa Valley, Washington's Columbia Valley, and Virginia. Gonzalez is also trained in Chile and has worked with Chilean wineries including Cremaschi Furlotti, Casa Lapostolle, and Viña Carmen. Their backgrounds contribute international winemaking experience to an Illinois-based operation. Lynfred is described as the oldest continuously operating family winery in Illinois. Its business scope includes wine production, tasting and retail locations, hospitality, and a bed-and-breakfast operation. The available reference material does not establish a separate parent company, public listing, ownership change, or national distribution footprint. The brand remains primarily associated with Illinois and the greater Chicago area.

Lynfred Winery's origins are connected to the Koehler family's early home winemaking in Roselle, Illinois. In 1975, Fred and Lynn Koehler began selling wine made from California grapes from the cellar of a restored 1912 house. The formal winery was founded on October 14, 1979, and the historic Roselle property became the foundation of the business. The winery's first major documented competitive success came in 1985, when its 1983 Chardonnay received a Double Gold award at the National Restaurant Show in Chicago and also earned recognition at the National Wine Competition for Chardonnays in Reno, Nevada. The awards helped raise demand for Lynfred wines. To support expanded production, the company opened a new winery in 1990. The facility was reported as capable of producing nearly 100,000 US gallons of wine annually, a substantial increase over the original cellar operation. Lynfred subsequently developed a broader retail and tasting-room network. Tasting deVine opened in Wheaton in 1999, followed by a second location in Naperville in 2004. The company opened a tasting room in Wheeling in 2008 and another in Highland Park in 2022. These additions extended the brand's physical presence across the Chicago metropolitan area while maintaining Roselle as its principal winery and historical base. In 2002, Lynfred added a bed and breakfast at the original Roselle location. This move reinforced the property's role as a wine-tourism destination rather than solely a production site. The winery's business model consequently includes wine production, direct customer tastings, retail activity, hospitality, and lodging. The available reference identifies Lynfred as the oldest continuously operating family winery in Illinois. Its wines are made using fruit from several American growing regions, including California, Washington, Michigan, and Illinois. This approach gives the winery access to varied grape supplies and supports a range of wine styles. The production team has also brought experience from outside Illinois and the United States. General Manager and Director of Winemaking Andres Basso has Chilean roots and professional experience in Chile, California, Washington, and Virginia. Head Winemaker Rodrigo Gonzalez trained in Chile and previously worked with several Chilean producers, including Cremaschi Furlotti, Casa Lapostolle, and Viña Carmen. The supplied sources do not document a corporate parent, acquisition, public listing, major financial disclosures, or a formal succession event. The documented development of the brand is instead a gradual expansion from a family cellar operation into a larger Illinois winery with multiple tasting locations and an integrated lodging component.

• 2022

  Highland Park tasting room

  [1]Lynfred Wineryen.wikipedia.org

  The company opened a tasting room in Highland Park, Illinois.

• 2008

  Wheeling tasting room

  [1]Lynfred Wineryen.wikipedia.org

  Lynfred opened a tasting room in Wheeling, Illinois.

• 2004

  Naperville expansion

  [1]Lynfred Wineryen.wikipedia.org

  A second Tasting deVine location opened in Naperville, Illinois.

• 2002

  Bed-and-breakfast operation

  [1]Lynfred Wineryen.wikipedia.org

  Lynfred began operating a bed and breakfast at its original Roselle property.

• 1999

  Wheaton satellite location

  [1]Lynfred Wineryen.wikipedia.org

  The company opened Tasting deVine as a satellite store in Wheaton, Illinois.

• 1990

  Production expansion

  [1]Lynfred Wineryen.wikipedia.org

  Lynfred opened a new winery to meet demand, with reported production capacity of nearly 100,000 US gallons per year.

• 1985

  Early Chardonnay competition recognition

  [1]Lynfred Wineryen.wikipedia.org

  The winery's 1983 Chardonnay received a Double Gold award at the National Restaurant Show in Chicago and recognition at the National Wine Competition in Reno.

• 1979

  Formal founding

  [1]Lynfred Wineryen.wikipedia.org

  Lynfred Winery was formally founded on October 14, 1979, by Fred and Lynn Koehler.

• 1975

  Early cellar-based wine sales

  [1]Lynfred Wineryen.wikipedia.org

  Fred and Lynn Koehler began selling wine made from California grapes from the cellar of a restored 1912 house in Roselle, Illinois.

A family-owned Illinois winery combining locally rooted hospitality, multi-region American grape sourcing, tasting-room retail, and destination lodging.

• Wine

  Lynfred wines

  Lynfred produces a broad range of wines using fruit sourced from American growing regions including California, Washington, Michigan, and Illinois. The portfolio reflects the winery's multi-region sourcing model and its emphasis on producing varied styles at an Illinois facility. The supplied references do not provide a complete current catalog or identify individual product names beyond the documented Chardonnay.

• Chardonnay · 1983

  1983 Chardonnay

  The 1983 Chardonnay is the historically documented Lynfred wine associated with the winery's early national recognition. Its awards in 1985 included a Double Gold at the National Restaurant Show in Chicago and recognition at the National Wine Competition for Chardonnays in Reno, Nevada. The available material does not establish whether this historical vintage remains commercially available.

• Winery hospitality · 2002

  Lynfred hospitality experience

  The brand's customer offering extends beyond packaged wine to tastings, winery visits, satellite tasting locations, and lodging at the Roselle bed and breakfast. These services connect Lynfred's wine production with tourism and direct consumer engagement across the Chicago metropolitan area.

• 2002

  Addition of lodgingStrategy

  Background

  Lynfred's historic Roselle property provided an opportunity to combine wine tourism with hospitality.

  Action taken

  The winery began operating a bed and breakfast at its original location.

  Aftermath

  The Roselle site became both a winery destination and an overnight hospitality venue.

  Source

• 1999

  Development of satellite tasting retailStrategy

  Background

  The winery sought to reach customers beyond its principal Roselle property.

  Action taken

  It opened Tasting deVine in Wheaton and later added a Naperville location in 2004.

  Aftermath

  The move created a broader direct-to-consumer presence in the Chicago metropolitan area.

  Source

• 1990

  Expansion of winery production capacityStrategy

  Background

  Demand increased after the winery's early competition recognition, creating a need for production beyond the original Roselle cellar.

  Action taken

  Lynfred opened a new winery reported to be capable of producing nearly 100,000 US gallons of wine annually.

  Aftermath

  The expansion enabled the business to operate at a larger production scale while retaining its family-winery identity.

  Source

1. 1Lynfred Wineryen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Lynfred Winery official websitelynfredwinery.com