Rising Stars: Meet John Gombar of Litchfield

Today we’d like to introduce you to John Gombar.

Hi John, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
We are a small farm established in 1931 when my great grandfather, Louis Nameth, bought the property. It passed to my grandmother, Mary, and grandfather, John Gombar.

I returned with my family to the farm in 1997 to care for my grandmother and the farm. While not in the grand plan, the winery and vineyard started in 2015 when we planted an acre of hybrid cold climate grapes to add to the existing 1/3 of an acre Concord, Niagara, and Catawba grapes. We now have 18 acres of grapes, mostly varieties developed by University of Minnesota and Cornell for colder climates.

We have 21 wines currently and make several thousand gallons of wine each year.

The winery overlooks a one acre lake with a large deck and patio area.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Nothing is a smooth road. We probably planted more grapes than we should have as manpower is difficult to find for the boring, monotonous, repetitive work of tending the vines.

We have compensated by mechanizing as much as possible.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a retired military office, retired airline pilot, and retired FAA Safety Inspector. This current adventure is to find a way to keep the farm a farm.

We specialize in wines from hybrid grapes and flavored wines from our Concord.

I’m proud of the effort to maintain the farm in a time when farms are becoming subdivisions.

We are a family friendly winery in a rural location.

What matters most to you?
Making quality wines to sell and providing a venue for them to be enjoyed.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dasweinhausllc.com
• Facebook: Das Weinhaus