The Williams family’s first winery, which they founded in northern Pennsylvania in 1993, was The Winery at Wilcox, which they still own. They founded The Winery at Versailles at 6572 State Route 47 in Darke County in 2002.
“We have expanded our business to include bulk wine sales in 13 states, and were just looking for another opportunity in this industry,” Mike Williams said of the purchase. “Our plans are for the establishment of more vineyard acreage and for expanded production.”
The co-owner of Hunters Valley Winery, Bill Kvaternik, had approached Williams’ son Jamie, who oversees The Winery at Wilcox, to suggest a sale prior to Kvaternik’s death in May 2014. The Williams family purchased the winery from Kvaternik’s wife, Darlene.
“We had done business with them for quite some time, and they appreciated the fact that we were a family-run business that actually cared about others in the industry, and had tried always to do business the right way,” Williams said.
Williams said the purchase coincided with his oldest grandson, Gregg Dauber, expressing interest in entering the family business.
The Williams have more than a dozen growers within Ohio growing grapes for their wines, and they also have brought in grapes from Pennsylvania, New York and Canada. Their Winery at Versailles tasting room offers samples of more than two dozen wines.
For more information about The Winery at Versailles, go to www.wineryatversailles.com.
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