Panther Hills was established as a licensed and bonded winery in the summer of 2004. Located in west central Oklahoma, south of Clinton, the climate and red soils of the region are well suited to grow vinifera grapes that have excellent wine potential. Panther Hills grows several varieties of grapes including pinot noir, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, riesling, and specializes in shiraz. Currently, all wines are estate grown, vinted, bottled, and sold through the winery's tasting room.
Panther Hills is owned and operated by Ronald (Ron) Wollmann and is located on the home base of his commercial farming operation. The farming operation operates under the name of Kast Trust Farms and grows wheat, cotton, grain sorghum, cattle, and some hay, as well as the grapes. Ron established the farming operation in 1977.
After completing graduate studies in chemistry at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Ron has also taught part-time and full-time in both the Chemistry and Physics Departments at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Weatherford, Oklahoma, during the 1980's and 1990's. In 1997, he decided to devote his full attention to the farming operation, and in 2002, planted the first grapes in the vineyard. Ron began design and construction of the winery and tasting room facilities in late summer 2003. Ron performed most of the construction but did hire some help with the interior work and completed construction in March 2005. In August 2006, Ron partnered with Jan Roby to establish a real estate office, At Home Realty, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In October 2006, Ron passed the exam to obtain an active Oklahoma Real Estate license which he still holds.
Ron's love for growing plants and raising animals, coupled with his scientific skills, make for a unique marriage of diverse endeavors that compliment each other in the vineyard and in the winery. Ron performs all laboratory testing for the winery, including tests for sugar content, total acid, and alcohol content.
The volume of wine produced by Panther Hills will increase through the years as the vineyard acreage is increased annually. Currently, all vineyard work is performed by Ron and his three children, Kate, Stefanie, and Sam. His sister Elaine also helps periodically, especially during grape harvest.
Ron's viticulture philosophy is to keep it as natural and organic as possible. Limited use of glyphosate chemicals are used for weed control in the vineyard. The only chemical used for disease control on the grapes is an environmentally friendly baking soda-equivalent chemical. Very limited irrigation is utilized in the vineyard. This results in lower production as compared to irrigating the vines, but Ron firmly believes that this results in a superior wine having all the maximum flavor and character that the soil and climate can give.
In the winery, Ron has a similar philosophy. All wines are allowed to undergo fermentation using only the naturally occurring yeasts that are present on the grapes. Fermentation is conducted under temperature controlled conditions and monitored closely. Bottling is conducted in a carbon dioxide enriched atmosphere to retard oxidation of the wine and insure that the bottle you open will be as flavorful as the day it was bottled.