A wine bottle with two full glasses on a long table at Templin Family Brewing taproom.
Primarily in the business of lagers and hops, the locally-owned Templin Family Brewing pours one out in the field of wine. Photo: John Barkiple.
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Au Naturel: Templin Family Wines

By
April 2, 2025

Beer & Spirits

Some of you are confused, reading the title and thinking, “Isn’t that the name of a brewery?” But the team at Templin Family Brewing wants you to know they make wine, too! Dipping their toes into wine production with a few beer/wine hybrids (known as “oenobeers”) as early as 2021, they fully launched Templin Family Wines with the summer 2024 release of a 100% Riesling on draft and bottled as a pét-nat (a naturally sparkling wine). The response was positive and since then, the wine has been flowing!

How did a brewery get started making wine? The brand’s tongue-in-cheek tagline from owners Kevin Templin and Britt Templin, “My wife wanted to make wine, so we made wine,” hints at the collaborative nature of the project — but Britt qualifies it, saying, “I don’t know a ton about wine, but I know that I like wine. I knew that [Kevin] could nail it, and he did.” For company Vice President Brittany Watts, it’s all about new challenges. “I think there are a few breweries in the nation that are taking on wine production as well, and for us it’s important to keep challenging ourselves,” she relates.

“The way that these guys know about hops, they’re going to start to learn about grape varietals.”

Patrons at tables in a taproom.
Patrons at the Templin Family Brewing taproom can now enjoy a continuously growing menu of Templin Family Wines. Photo: John Barkiple.

First steps included field trips to visit Evan Lewandowski of the popular and formerly Utah-based Ruth Lewandowski Wines, now based in Healdsburg, California, where the team learned about the ‘natural wine’ approach and made connections for sourcing grapes. Making beer and making wine are different and methods don’t always translate. “It’s a little bit more barbaric,” Watts adds. Kevin’s fondness for German beer styles expressed itself in the choice to do a Riesling (a classic German grape) for their first attempt, which was fermented with natural yeast and no chemical additions or filtration. Eschewing long periods of aging, the wine was served relatively young on draft and the result was a bright, tart, bubbly and refreshing white wine, perfect for summer. A bottled pét-nat version followed shortly after and was extremely popular.

Wine releases since then have included the 2024 Red Blend with big notes of leather, grape skin and a pronounced floral aroma, and a 2024 Pinot Noir, notably dry for the style with smooth, velvety tannins and tart berry notes. These are sold on draft in the TF Brewing taproom or bottled in their to-go shop. The initial risk of selling wine to beer drinkers seems to have paid off. “It’s always scary, because wine drinkers are a whole different ball game. Pushing it out there to see, ‘Do they like it?’” says Britt. “I think it’s a really nice marriage of the two here.” The brewery had been buying natural wines to serve in their taproom, but now sell far more of their own.

“There are a few breweries in the nation that are taking on wine production as well, and for us it’s important to keep challenging ourselves.”

The to-go fridge at a local brewery.
Patrons can also find Templin Family Wines in the to-go fridge at the taproom. Photo: John Barkiple.

The wine/beer hybrids haven’t stopped flowing either, although those are a harder sell to the public who may not know what they are. “The oenobeers are a little tiny side project,” says Kevin. “It’s the kind of thing we do maybe once a year, just to learn.” And learning is a constant theme for this program. “The brewers are learning methods from winemaking … They’re really excited about it,” gushes Watts. “The way that these guys know about hops, they’re going to start to learn about grape varietals.” 2023 and 2024 saw the release of a series of grisettes, or farmhouse ales, influenced by wine ingredients. The most recent was their Giddy Up Grisette aged in Chardonnay casks with rosé wine must, a canned release that sold out quickly.

The team at Templin Family Wines are just getting started. The barrel room at the brewery is stocked with barrels full of wines and oenobeers aging and maturing, waiting to be blended into future projects. Stop by their taproom and bottle shop at 936 S. 300 W. to try their latest releases and keep an eye out for what’s coming next on their Instagram @tfbrewing. As long as we keep drinking it, they won’t stop trying something new.

Read more about local brewing:
Slinging Booch At HK Brewing Collective
Beer Is For Queers: The LGBTQ+ Brewers of SaltFire Brewing Co.