High spirits: Grafton Winery and Brewhaus named business of the month
Grafton – The Grafton Winery and Brewhaus has been recognized as the River Bend Growth Association Business of the Month for February.
“We are very proud,” said Mike Nikonovich, who owns the winery along with his wife, Lori. “It is a great organization to work with, and I was thrilled just to be nominated.”
Lori Nikonovich also serves as an ambassador for the RBGA.
“We were tickled and shocked when we found out,” she said.
The Grafton Winery opened for business at 300 West Main in December 2008. In addition to a full production winery, the business also featured a full gift shop, restaurant and banquet center.
Mike and Lori previously owned a winery in Edwardsville from 2006 until 2009.
“It was much smaller than this one, but we were learning,” Mike said. “We got our feet wet and we really enjoyed it.”
Opening the Grafton location proved to be a much larger undertaking, and the result of the couple’s hard work is a multi-functional business that feels overwhelming, welcoming, cozy and elegant – all at once.
“We were nervous when we opened the restaurant,” Mike said. “We were going to go simple, but it kept growing and evolving.”
The upstairs dining area features an indoor capacity of about 300, with room for another 200 people on the outside patio overlooking the river. The owners added a fireplace to one end of the dining room last October and are planning on adding a second this year.
