by
Kathy Sullivan
Summary: Captain’s Walk Winery is located in downtown Green Bay. The tasting room and winery is in a restored building built in 1857. The romance and entertainment of the winery gives a WOW factor when a customer enters the front door. The winery is a sister winery to the von Stiehl winery in Algoma, Wisconsin.
The picturesque winery building begs to be visited. Its Italianate style architecture was reminiscent of the home I grew up in with the cupola at the top. Captain’s Walk Winery has a significant sized cupola that makes it stand out from other surrounding buildings. Tradition says that cupolas were for wives of sailors to watch for their husband’s ships to come in. Cupolas with a walk around were frequently referred to as widow walks. Although this part of the winery is not open to the public, it provides a dramatic sight among the surrounding Green Bay buildings.
Debra Polster, manager, gave us a tour of the house. The winery building was originally the home of Elisha Morrow where he raised six daughters. Occasionally one of the daughters who loved the house and wants it to be well thought of makes her “presence” known. There have been several instances of unexplained happenings including two different water faucets and a radio occasionally being turned on by themselves; books and glassware being mysteriously displaced.
Since the structure was built in the mid 1800s, the building has gone through several ownerships including as a meeting place for a women’s group and lastly as a law office. It is believed that the first woman to have an insurance contract signed it in this house. When the present owners, Aric and Brad Schmiling discovered the property was for sale and purchased it, they quickly began to restore the building. Almost all of the elegant crown molding, created of plaster, is original. After stepping through the front door, there is a curved stairway with a traditional banister of dark wood.
At the top of the stairs are two medium-sized rooms. One with a red loveseat, sofa and chair has a small wine refrigerator. Bookshelves for the law library are displayed across one wall. A television is available. This room is available for rental and when not rented visitors can use the room to just relax and enjoy a glass of wine. Rental is inexpensive; just purchase two bottles of wine for every hour of use. A couple rented the room twice in order to enjoy two Green Bay Packers games with their out of town family. Across the hallway is a room reserved for club members. With walls painted in white and blue and seafaring equipment displayed, the room has a nautical feel.
The tasting room is located on the first floor. A large window in the floor provides a unique view of large oak barrels aging wine. We met Paul Koehler, Sr. who guided us through a wine tasting. Paul has a wealth of wine knowledge and enjoys talking about wines and good food. One of the goals at the winery is to give visitors a gentle wine education. The winery features Riedel stemware.
We began tasting with the Chardonnay 2007. This Chardonnay had a vanilla aroma with a smooth tropical fruit taste. The finish was crisp and fruity. Sangiovese offered a cherry aroma and taste and the crisp finish had tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 was a dark purple. The aroma offered black berry aromas and taste. The finish was crisp with good tannins. Captain’s Red 2007 was the best selling red wine. The aroma had a cherry essence with raspberry notes. The taste was smooth and the finish was slightly sweet with 0.5 percent residual sugar and mild tannins. Captain’s White offered a floral and fruit aroma. The taste was also fruity with floral notes. It was smooth and refreshing.
When in Green Bay, Wisconsin be sure to visit this unique winery and enjoy the experience. The winery is easy to locate and there is plenty of parking.
Captain’s Walk Winery
345 South Adams Street
Green Bay, Wisconsin 54301
GPS: N44º 30.631’ W88º 01.016’
