Finleyville winery turns passion project into full-fledged production
Lou and Linda Siyufy. Courtesy of Giant Oaks Winery
Courtesy of Giant Oaks Winery
Two of Giant Oaks’s offerings, including a reserve “snob” cabernet sauvignon. Jill Thurston/for the Observer-Reporter
Jill Thurston/for the Observer-Reporter
The interior of Giant Oaks Winery in Finleyville is decorated with retired wine barrels. Jill Thurston/for the Observer-Reporter
Wine grapes await shipping to be processed. Courtesy of Giant Oaks Winery
Jill Thurston/for the Observer-Reporter
Jill Thurston/for the Observer-Reporter
Jill Thurston/for the Observer-Reporter
Jill Thurston/for the Observer-Reporter
Courtesy of Giant Oaks Winery
Background courtesy of Giant Oaks Winery
Artists can display their pieces at Giant Oaks Winery. The Siyufys don’t take a cut of the profits, only asking that a new one takes its place once one is sold. Jill Thurston/for the Observer-Reporter
Courtesy of Giant Oaks Winery
Courtesy of Giant Oaks Winery
Linda and Lou Siyufy
Jill Thurston/for the Observer-Reporter
Jill Thurston/for the Observer-Reporter
Courtesy of Giant Oaks Winery
Linda Siyufy and Judy Spinnenweber.
Courtesy of Giant Oaks Winery
Courtesy of Giant Oaks Winery
Courtesy of Giant Oaks Winery
Jill Thurston/for the Observer-Reporter
Jill Thurston/for the Observer-Reporter
Jill Thurston/for the Observer-Reporter
Jill Thurston/for the Observer-Reporter
Background image: Jill Thurston/for the Observer-Reporter
Courtesy of Giant Oaks Winery
Courtesy of Giant Oaks Winery
The large grape press
The crew celebrates a successful bottling session. Courtesy of Giant Oaks Winery
A bottling session at the Giant Oaks Winery processing facility in Bethel Park. Courtesy of Giant Oaks Winery
Courtesy of Giant Oaks Winery
Pressing grapes is a messy affair. Courtesy of Giant Oaks Winery
Lou Siyufy of Peters Township and his wife Linda opened Giant Oaks Winery in Finleyville on Feb. 8, 2020. A month later, the pandemic shut them down. Not the start they anticipated, but despite the early delay, Giant Oaks is thriving in a niche that caters to wine lovers (both sweet and dry) based on Siyufy’s 20-year winemaking journey.
For Siyufy, years of traveling the country building communications towers for cellular companies came with the fringe benefit of tasting wines from all over the country. He refined his taste and gained knowledge. When a friend gave him a winemaking kit as a gift in 2004, the six-gallon result wasn’t enough. So he bought 20 more kits and had a new hobby.
Each year Siyufy increased the amount of wine made. He replaced the winemaking kits with a 59-gallon barrel, and before he knew it, he had 10 barrels in his basement and then an addition on his house. “It got to the point that I was consuming 250 cases of wine a year myself between giving it away and entertaining,” he said.
A self-proclaimed “wine snob,” it bothered him that he was losing wine while the barrels sat in his basement. Evaporation robbed him of two bottles of wine a month because he could not keep the barrels wet. By this time, he had his own telecommunications business, so he used an industrial building in Bethel Park that he purchased in 2014 to do double duty as a wine cellar. He installed drains to water the barrels and reduce the losses from evaporation.
His wife Linda, who said she never really had a taste for wine, told him he either needed to cut back on making wine or find a way to make money. He wanted to focus more on winemaking and even open a winery. “So in 2015, I decided to retire,” Siyufy said.
He took the big step in 2019, buying the building in Finleyville at 3540 Washington Ave. Although it was a “trainwreck,” he admits location is everything as they say, and the building gave him proximity to Peters Township, South Park, Jefferson Hills and Bethel Park.
“I had to put a small fortune into this building. The tasting room was formerly a motorcycle clubhouse. There were still motorcycle tire marks on the floor,” said Siyufy. He added a kitchen and replaced the floors and walls. He created a neutral, inviting decor with rustic barrels retired from his wine cellar, complimenting them with leather bar stools. A lighted vineyard mural serves as a backdrop for group pictures and entertainers. Two additional event rooms on the far side of the building are available to rent, one for 55 people and a larger room for up to 70 people. The winery will donate space for a charitable event or fundraiser.
The walls showcase art from local artists, including Mrs. Siyufy’s niece and are available for purchase. The proceeds go directly to the artist; Siyufy only asks that when a piece is sold, the artist provides a new one to replace it.
The February 2020 opening was a success, and Siyufy planned for a robust year. “I sold so much wine between Feb. 8, 2020, and March 1, that I calculated we’d run out by Thanksgiving,” he said. He panicked, he said. “I called my grape suppliers and told them in the fall I’m going to need triple the amount of grapes, and as soon as I cut all of the deals, COVID hit. I wasn’t selling any wine. Fortunately, all of my suppliers worked with me,” he said.
He used the downtime during the pandemic to stockpile wine, which worked in his favor. He called his manufacturers and ordered more equipment and more barrels.
“In 2020, I brought in 48,000 lbs. of grapes. In 2021, I brought in around the same amount, and I also brought in white juice to make white wine, including chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and pinot grigio,” he said.
The deck on the back of the building was a haven for guests during the pandemic restrictions. That’s when Judy Spinnenweber and her friend Joyce Pringle, both from Bethel Park, made the deck their Sunday afternoon retreat. The two picked up wine curbside on a Sunday in April 2020, as required at the time. They thought it was good, so they returned the next Sunday, eventually asking if they could sit on the deck to drink it. That was the start of a long-lasting friendship with the Siyufys. Spinnenweber said she always wanted to learn more about wine, and this was better than taking a class.” I was able to experience it, and I just loved it.” She had the opportunity to help with each process: crushing, pressing and bottling over the next few years. “I’ve learned so much about where wine comes from and how different it can be. You can have 10 bottles of merlot, and each of them tastes different. There’s a lot of science that goes into this, more than I realized.”
His barrel-aged, dry red wines are made from grapes grown in volcanic regions: California, Washington State and Chile. “I’m a firm believer that you can’t make a good red wine with Pennsylvania grapes. So all of my barrel-aged dry reds come from volcanic regions around the world.” He’s been to all of these areas except Chile. That trip was canceled in April 2020 due to the pandemic.
“Eighty percent of the market in Pennsylvania is sweet wines, so only two of ten customers like dry wines. A lot of people come here specifically for our dry wine,” he said. He said he also wanted to increase the number of sweet wines offered, which the younger demographic seems to prefer. So In 2021, he went to Keuka Lake Vineyards, located in the Finger Lakes region of New York, to purchase juice for his riesling.
A small crew of friends and family help unload the grapes from cartons hauled in on 18-wheelers two times a year, spring and fall. While white wine takes four months to make, his dry, aged red wines take 18 months. He tastes a sample after 12 months and decides whether to allow the wine to age another six months. He’s working on his first Barolo, derived from Nebbiolo grapes. “When you age these grapes for three years, you can call it a Barolo, after five years, a reserve Barolo.” These wines often appeal to wine “snobs,” an affectionate term for people with superior wine knowledge. And yes, Siyufy considers himself a snob.
His menu offers eight white and 20 red wines under the Giant Oaks label, named for the Peters Township plan where the couple lives. A handful of the reserve, or higher quality wines, have the “snob” label.
He added a bonded distillery license in 2021 to make “grappa,” or alcohol from the skins of grapes. For this process, he repurposes the used grape skins and presses them a second time, adding yeast, sugar and water to make the stronger alcohol for moonshine. The menu now includes more than 20 moonshine flavors, such as apple pie, bubblegum and espresso.
For non-wine-loving guests, he sells Pennsylvania-produced liquor and beer, plus soft drinks and mixers. From the food menu, guests can order pizza (made with ingredients purchased from Luciano’s Pizza in Bethel Park), hummus and vegetables, two types of charcuterie trays, brie cheese, popcorn or artichoke dip with chips.
“Usually wineries don’t offer table service,” said Mrs. Siyufy, whose parents owned a restaurant. From her experience, she suggested rather than having people order at a crowded bar, they could be seated and take their time looking at the selections. “Sometimes people don’t know what they want, and this way, you can take time to explain the wine choices,” she said. There is a staff of five part-time employees to serve guests. “All of our customers are so nice, and I have great staff. They are either family or friends,” said Linda.
Even with a rough start, Siyufy said he’d do it again. “We’ve gained so many new friends, now lifelong friends. I love talking about wine and explaining the winemaking process,” he said, turning his passion into his livelihood.
Guests can enjoy wine and hear entertainment each night the winery is open. Hours are Thursday and Friday, 4 to 10 p.m., Saturday, noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 8 p.m.
House white wines range from $7 to $8 per glass and up to $29 for a bottle; house red wines are $7 to $9 per glass and up to $34 for a bottle; and the reserve snob label glasses are between $9 and $11.50 for a glass and up to $49 for a bottle. Visit giantoakswinery.com for further selections and pricing, and follow them on Facebook and Twitter. Reservations can be made by calling 724-782-0216.