Our History

Established in 2000 Wilhelm Winery was created from a passion for wine-making that started in a basement and grew into a full-scale business.

First introduced to wine-making as a young man, Gary Shilling's passion for wine-making spans over 20 years. This passion began in the basement of Gary Shilling's friend, Gary Rhodes, where he learned the basics of wine-making. Having honed this art in homemade wines and together producing variatles that grew in popularity locally, the desire for more formal training grew. Thus, the exploration into more sophisticated techniques had begun. The attendance of many courses throughout the eastern United States and sharing information with other winemakers helped create a quality wine worth sharing. Soon, a third wine enthusiast decided to not only join the blossoming wine family but join Gary Shilling in a different partnership - marriage. The marriage of Gary and Trish completed the successful union of Wilhelm Winery owners. Since the establishment of the winery in 2000, Gary Rhodes has since moved on to pursue other aspects of the industry. As Gary and Trish Shilling see the winery expand so does their passion for wine-making.

Gary Shilling is not the first in his family history to be involved in the production of spirits. His great grandfather, Mangus Algier, was the owner and operator of the Spring Brewery "Algier Brewery" founded in the fall of 1871. At the height of the brewery the capacity was at 20,000 barrels per year. Unfortunately, the onset of prohibition forced the demise of this once legendary brewery located in Brookville, Pennsylvania.