For Roger and Rebecca Van Wyk, owners of Van Wijk Winery, having fun with their new project is the most important thing. Although the couple, along with their two sons Adam and Jon, have been bottling several varieties of wine for some time now, they are renovating a former church in Sully, with plans for much more at the site than just wine.

Currently located in Des Moines, the Van Wyks found the Sully location almost by accident. Rebecca Van Wyk made a business trip to the Napa Valley in California wine country in the mid-1990s, and got inspired to create a winery five years later. They purchased the juice and made their own recipes, meticulously keeping notes, keeping the varieties they liked and discarding the ones that didn’t work. Starting with nine varieties, Van Wijk Winery now has 18 varieties of dry and sweet wines available in stores within a 60 mile radius of Des Moines.

About 18 months ago, Roger Van Wyk and Sully Mayor Gordon Yarrington were at an event with Vermeer together, and during an ice-breaker, Roger mentioned that he was looking for a building to house his winery.