Walt Vinoski was destined to make wine.
His family surname "Winowski" means "son of a winemaker."
He can trace his winemaking heritage back to 1200 A.D., when earlier generations were known to have made wine for European royalty.
"I guess it's in my blood," said Vinoski, wearing a wine-colored shirt. "I never get tired or making or tasting wine. I travel all over the world for work and when I do, I often stop at wineries."
Vinoski, and his wife Roxanne, invited others to raise a glass at his newest winery -- Vinoski Winery in Rostraver — during a grand opening Friday, with events continuing through Monday.
The winery is located in a castle-like estate home built in 1997 by Jay Lustig, developer of the nearby Willowbrook Shopping Center and former minority partner with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The 32-room house was purchased by the Vinoskis in April. It will be used for not only wine tastings, but also private parties and entertainment.
They paid $1.95 million and have put $800,000 into what will be a $3.3 million project.
Prior to the opening, 5,500 cases of wine arrived from Lodi, Calif., where the Vinoskis lease a winery and work with Swiss winemaker Markus Niggli to make their private-label wine. Grapes are sourced from vineyards in Lodi, as well as Napa Valley and Sonoma.
The goal is to provide an elegant and welcoming experience for people to be introduced to new wines that are exclusive, complex and sophisticated.
"At our winery in Lodi, we only make what wine connoisseurs have declared as private reserve-class wines," Walt Vinoski said. "We produce our quality wines from the first fruits, hand-sorting each grape. We then ferment with the grapes' natural yeasts, and capture only the free-run young wine. We do not press the wines to gain more bulk wine, therefore our wines do not have the astringency from pressing."
He also uses the finest hand-selected French oak barrels for aging, which is essential to producing a drinkable young wine that can be cellared as desired.
Vinoski first learned the art of winemaking from his grandfather at the age of 4. Before expanding their wine operation to Lodi, Calif., in 2014, the Vinoskis developed their own vineyard and wine production at their home in South Huntingdon Township. They have an 8,000 bottle wine cellar.
In 2007, the couple partnered with a Mt. Pleasant Township berry farm to open Greendance Winery. They began to develop award-winning wines under both the Vinoski and Greendance labels.
At Vinoski Winery, the tasting room and gift shop on the lower level of the mansion has been open about two weeks. The regular tasting is $10, with customers choosing samples of five wines. The premier tasting costs $20 and includes five wines that have been aged three years or more in the French Oak barrels.
There is a selection of sandwiches, cheese and charcuterie plates and other light fare provided by local caterers.
Ten percent of wine sales go to the Vinoski Foundation, a charity that supports children and education, health and wellness, Christian ministries, outreach and mission work.
Roxanne Vinoski says people will come in and say they only drink a certain kind of wine.
"We say to them, 'Well, try this," she said. "And then they will like what we've suggested."
"We want to be able to teach people about wine so they can recognize and know what they are drinking," Walt Vinoski said. "When you taste the same wine in different glasses, it gives off a different perception. We are looking to take wine tasting to a different level. I feel like a lot of people will appreciate what we do."
One of the guests Friday was Dianne Lytle of Confluence.
"This place is fantastic," Lytle said. "The mansion is amazing. The people are friendly and the wine is so good. I like that you can try different wines before you spend money on an entire bottle you may not like."
Pete Tranchita, who was serving wine at one of the tasting areas, says he is learning something new about wine every day.
"I work in such a scenic place," Tranchita says. "Everyone who comes here is happy and enjoying themselves tasting wine and spending a relaxing day or night with friends and family."
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 724-853-5062 or jharrop@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Jharrop_Trib.
