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Roselle

Wheaton

Naper ville

Founder

FRED KOEHLER
February 24, 1928 July 16, 2011

Wheeling

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Fred E. Koehler, founder of Lynfred Winery, also considered the father of the Illinois wine industry, was
a business savvy manand self-taught winemaker whose aspiration to produce wines of excellence
earned him the title of a legend. Robert Mondavi once told him "You're wasting your time in Illinois.
You ought to come to California", but Koehler replied that his roots are in Illinois. In the 1920'sFred's
grandfather and father made wine for the family and local politicians. Then in 1975Fred, along with
hislate wife Lynn, made his first batch of winein the basement oftheir home. We had so much wine
we outgrew our house and had to go commercial. What began as a hobby that got out of hand" led
to the opening of the first winery in Illinois in 1979 with 7 varieties and5,000 gallons of wine.
It was a rough beginning; Koehler had to overcome many obstacles along the journey. Converting a
residence into a commercial business,convincing California vineyards to ship their grapes 2,000 miles
to Illinois, andfighting to getIllinois laws changedtoallow more freedom in producing various
varieties and in larger quantities, just to name a few. Koehlers big break came when his 1983
Chardonnay earned national recognition in 1985 when it won 'Best of Class and Best of Show'
againstother prestigious Californiawineries in a Reno, Nevada judging.One month later, this wine
made history by winning another major national competition, again Double Gold", at the National
Restaurant Show in Chicago. Named in prominent magazines such as the Wine Spectator, Chicago
Tribuneand with TV exposure, peoplebegan to take notice. "Word of mouth is the best advertising",
Koehler would say, and this little business began to grow.

Fred Koehler was a risk-taker..."Are we crazy enough to expand?" Governor Thompson, along with the
mayor of Roselle, and state representative Kay Wojcik initiated the groundbreaking of the new Lynfred
Winery in 1990. The new winery allowed Koehlers wine production to increase to almost 100,000
gallons a year and more than 80 varietals. As the winery continued to grow Fred acquired a worldclass winemaker from Chile to take over the winemaking so that he could run the business. During this
time Koehler was instrumental in the political workings of the emerging Illinois wine industry. In 1999
Koehler opened Tasting deVine (a Lynfred Winery satellite store) in Wheaton, followed by a luxurious
B&B at the Roselle location in 2002. A Naperville location, Tasting deVine Cellars, was opened in
2004 followed by a new Lynfred Winery tasting room in Wheeling in 2008.
Fred Koehler is a man known for wine but his background was truly hospitality. Fred started his career
in the restaurant business when he managed Richards Drive-In on West 95th Street in Chicago. Over
the years Koehler ventured into managing country clubs, including Elmhurst Country Club and Itasca
Country Club. Lynfred Winery began while Fred was still working at Itasca Country Club and he says
he needed the full-time job to boost the winery in the first years.
Learn more about the history of the Fenz Home, the original winery site.
Read 'The Fred in Lynfred'

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Lynfred Winer y Inc.,
15 South Roselle
Road, Roselle, IL
60172
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