By the end of summer, Curtis Sigretto hopes to unveil his newest venture to the public. That’s how long it should take to complete the four-floor winery he’s building on Hwy. 330 near the intersection with Hwy. 227.
Since the weather turned warmer a few weeks ago, the sounds of construction have been loud on the building site. The winery will include a barrel room in the basement with enough space for 450 barrels to hold wine made from the grapes grown on Elk Creek’s property as well as those purchased from other vineyards in the community and across the state. The building will include a production facility, a tasting room and a loft area which will be used to showcase local and state artists. A small banquet room is part of the plans, as is an outdoor patio overlooking two lakes on the Elk Creek property.
“We’re designing this as a tourist attraction,” Sigretto explained of the venture, which will be built of timber framing to reflect the nearby Elk Creek Hunt Club and the lodge on the adjoining property.
Sigretto says he and his partners, Chris Koizel and Gary Kathman have invested close to $3 million in the Elk Creek complex. The hunt club stays busy with several prestigious shoots each year. The Boomer Esiason shoot is June 7-8. The Zone 3 championship follows on June 9-11 and the Kentucky State Shoot is July 1 and 2. Local residents will have a chance to shoot on May 6 during the annual Chamber of Commerce shoot.
“This will be a big year for the club,” Sigretto said.
Complete information about the club’s schedule can be found on the Elk Creek Web site at www.elkcreekhuntclub.com
Of the $3 million investment in the Elk Creek complex, Sigretto added that $1 million is in the winery. “We have $350,000 just in stainless steel
Sigretto received approval last May in a local election to sell the wine he makes. His first production run, called “Our First Shot” went on sale earlier this month. The bottle sells for $12.99.
In that first bottling, 2,300 bottles of wine were produced. In the first week, 20 cases were sold.
“This was made from all Kentucky fruit, which was grown in 2004,” Sigretto explained of the bottling. Two additional wines, a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon will be released in May.
Sigretto explained that the label for each bottle of wine produced must be federally approved before it can be utilized. Elk Creek Wineries has received approval for 15 different labels and bottle styles at this point.
Utilizing the Elk Creek theme of the nearby hunt club, Elk Creek Winery’s labels feature the work of outdoors artist John Ruthven. In addition, $10 of every bottle of wine bearing his work is donated to the Cincinnati Nature Center. Each year two labels will feature Ruthven’s paintings. The two wines coming out in May are expected to feature his drawings and will run $34.99 a bottle.
Sigretto currently has about 8,000 grape vines in the ground and will add 5,000 more vines this spring. He will be able to produce wine made from his own grapes this year. A vine takes three years to mature enough to produce grapes suitable for making wines and at that point production is at 50 percent of the vine’s expected output.
He said he expects to crush 18 tons of grapes off the Elk Creek vineyards this year with the capacity to crush 120 tons of grape with equipment purchased for the new winery. The additional grapes will be purchased from other vineyards in the county as well as those across the state that meet his needs. Utilizing Kentucky-grown fruit will help Elk Creek Winery repay a $50,000 grant/loan it received from the state.
“It was a grant, but it still has to be paid back,” he said. “We pay it back by buying Kentucky products.”
Next year, he said he expects to get 36 tons off the initial vines he planted with additional tonnage from vines planted in succeeding years. In 2008, his local production is expected to be 50 tons with as much as 80 tons anticipated in 2009.
The grapes crushed off the local vines this year will be ready for bottling in 2007. Some red varieties, which must spend 12 to 16 months in oak barrels, will be ready by Christmas of 2008.
Sigretto’s license allows him to bottle 50,000 gallons of wine a year or 250,000 bottles of wine. He said he expects to be distributing through various sources, including Kroger, Liquor Barn and Party Town. Sigretto added he’s signed a contract with OC’s Steakhouse in Gallatin County to sell his wine and is talking with the Northern Kentucky Outback franchisee as well.
His hope is that eventually Kentucky will develop and promote a wine trail like similar ones in nearby states. Other nearby wineries include Lover’s Leap in Lawrenceburg — where Sigretto is currently bottling his product — Equus Run and Smith-Berry in Henry County.
In addition to his investment in the local economy and tax base, Elk Creek Winery will fund a $5,000 scholarship to an Owen County High School student interested in pursuing an education in winemaking. If no student has that interest, the scholarship will go to a student pursuing a degree in agriculture.
Information about the scholarship is available in the counselor’s office. The first scholarship is expected to be awarded this spring, Sigretto said.

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