Winfield Winery to close later this year
Butler County’s local winemaking scene is losing one of its members.
The Winfield Winery, located on Winfield Road in Winfield Township, will close its doors at the end of 2025. Owner John Ricchuito says that the closure is due to ongoing health issues.
“When I posted it on Facebook, we had a lot of people responding and saying that they were going to miss us and miss our great wines and everything,” Ricchuito said. “But like I said, I’ve got some health issues going on.”
However, loyal customers will still get a chance to purchase the winery’s 32 varieties of wine until the end of the year. The winery also advises those with gift cards to use them by Dec. 1 of this year.
Over its nearly two decades in business, the winery has won a host of awards for the quality of its wine, including at least 13 gold medals from the Pennsylvania Farm Show’s wine competition, and over 85 total medals and awards from all competitions.
“It’s bittersweet. It’s sad, it really is, because I’m not really ready to quit working,” Ricchuito said.
Although Ricchuito says he is personally stepping away from making wine, he also tells the Butler Eagle that he has been looking for a buyer who would be interested in acquiring the winery. The buyer would have to be well-versed in the winemaking process.
“I've had a few people call me, but they don't know how to make wine. They want me to teach them how to make wine,” Ricchuito said.
If a buyer does come along, Ricchuito says they would have to move the winery somewhere else, since the family lives nearby.
“We want our privacy. We don’t want people coming in and out and I have no control,” Ricchuito said.
