Owners of Hidden Lake Winery in Aviston to open Bella Vista Winery in Maryville
Angela and Steve Gorazd bought Hidden Lake Winery in Aviston two years ago and went to work expanding the wine selection, adding a new venue and making other improvements.
Now they’re ready for a new challenge.
The Lebanon couple has purchased the building and grounds of the former Villa Marie Winery at 6633 E. Main St. on the outskirts of Maryville. They plan to open Bella Vista Winery after the first of the year.
“We are both wine geeks,” said Angela, 54, who also is a nurse practitioner in a doctor’s office. “We love wine. We go to wineries whenever we travel.”
Steve, 55, is a retired senior manager at Boeing.
Bella Vista will serve Hidden Lake wines while the Gorazds get the Maryville vineyards back in shape. That includes a chambourcin that won a double gold medal at the Illinois State Fair last summer.
Patterned on Tuscan villa
The 21,000-square-foot stucco and stone building at Bella Vista was patterned off a Tuscan villa with an arch-lined porch, patio and veranda overlooking 50 acres of rolling hills, woods, grapevines and three lakes.
Inside, the centerpiece is a 300-person wedding and banquet venue with a 21-foot-high vaulted ceiling, giant bowl-shaped light fixtures, glazed walls with marble accents and chiffon swags draped from iron rings.
A see-through bar separates the banquet room from a combination restaurant, tasting room and gift shop with a fireplace. The building also has two smaller party rooms.
“The winery and tasting room will be open to the public, even when events are being held,” said General Manager Sheila Woodcock, 52, of Belleville, Angela’s sister, who formerly worked in banking for 20 years.
Steve and Angela’s son, Matt Gorazd, is in charge of maintaining the buildings and managing the grounds at Bella Vista and Hidden Lake.
“I’ve got my parents’ passion for wine,” said Matt, 26, of Aviston. “It’s rubbed off on me. I love being out here. Rather than sitting in the office, I’m working with my hands outside, and I love learning about the process of wine-making.”
Changes at Hidden Lake
Hidden Lake Winery, which opened in 2005, also is known for a picturesque view, although its 92-acre property is more wooded than Bella Vista. The Gorazds bought it in 2017.
The couple added a 6,500-square-foot venue for private parties to replace a large white tent destroyed in a storm. Seven garage-style doors can be raised for an open-air atmosphere.
“It has an outdoor-barn feel, but it’s an indoor space,” Angela said. “It rents out pretty quickly because it’s so beautiful.”
The Gorazds stopped using a caterer to give them greater control over food quality. They’ve made the menu more seasonal with an emphasis on locally-sourced meat, vegetables and breads.
Wine-maker Cory Kunkle continues to produce popular sweet wines, but he’s increased the number of dry wines.
“We purchased all new wine-making equipment, including a crusher, a stemmer, a 10-ton wine press and a whole bunch of stainless-steel tanks and oak barrels,” Steve said.
Villa Marie operated 11 years
Villa Marie Winery opened in 2008 as a retirement venture for Maryville native Judy Wiemann, who had worked more than 30 years for May Department Stores Co.
Last year, Wiemann filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to avoid foreclosure, according to a KSDK story.
“Wiemann said Villa Marie generated about $1 million in sales by 2013, but that a two-and-a-half-year construction project on Main Street hurt business,” it stated. “She hopes to boost sales, in part by continuing to offer the space for weddings and other events.”
A bank foreclosed on the property in February and Villa Marie closed, upsetting people who had reserved the venue for weddings and special events.
The Gorazds thought it was important to change the name when they took over in October.
“We have nothing to do with Villa Marie,” Angela said. “We did not buy the business. We just bought the building, land and vineyard.”
Menu will build gradually
The Gorazds want to make Bella Vista a place where people feel comfortable and welcome and can count on quality food and service, whether attending a wedding reception or just meeting friends.
They also expect it to become a regional destination.
“This will be the closest winery to downtown St. Louis,” Angela said. “It’s a 15- to 20-minute drive.”
The Gorazds hired chef Todd Schrage, who formerly ran the kitchen at the Apartment Community at Our Lady of the Snows. He’s also a former Belleville Chili Cook-off winner.
Schrage plans to build the Bella Vista menu gradually, serving meat-and-cheese trays, appetizers, soups, salads, flatbreads, pasta, steaks and other entrees.
“We purchased a double-stone pizza oven,” Matt said. “So we’re going to be offering all kinds of pizza, and we plan to do lasagna, strombolis and other Italian dishes in the oven.”
This story was originally published November 29, 2019 at 8:34 AM.
