At a wine tasting event at Mistie Hill Vineyard’s recently opened Tasting Room, the owner pours a glass and tells a customer the story behind the name – one of the family’s past dogs, honored in wine. This kind of personal touch has made the Custer Park winery a destination for wine lovers traveling from as far as California and North Carolina.
But the vineyard’s roots run deeper into the area than most realize. The owner and his wife Deb are Oak Lawn natives who spent decades in the suburbs before answering a long-held dream to move to the country and, eventually, plant vines.
“Starting to sound like a Hallmark movie, huh?” laughs Rich Strylowski when recounting their story.
Since opening their Tasting Room in March 2025, the couple has built a loyal following by treating every visitor like family – an approach that earned them the Daily Journal’s 2026 Excellence in Hospitality award. What started as an experiment with 150 backyard vines in 2008 has grown into a 3,000-vine operation that draws customers from across the country and keeps the couple rooted in the community where they grew up.
Both attended Sward Grade School in Oak Lawn, where they first became friends. She went on to Queen of Peace High School while he attended Richards. They remained close through high school, became best friends afterward, and eventually became much more.
When they married, they moved to Crestwood for a few years before returning to Oak Lawn, where they bought a home on property that had belonged to his best friend’s family. Their two children, Alex and Becky, were both born at Christ Hospital.
But the suburbs, it turned out, were not their final destination.
For years, he had dreamed of living in the country and owning a substantial piece of land. When the right property came on the market in Custer Park, he knew it was time to make the move.
Deb was hesitant.
“She was a strict suburbanite and was very hesitant to make that move,” he recalls. “But once she experienced the country life for a short time, she swore she would never live in another subdivision again.”
The couple moved before their children started school, settling into their new life on acreage that would eventually become something neither had quite anticipated.
From failed ideas to full vineyard
When they first bought the property, he had other plans for the land. Those ideas never materialized, leaving him with a question: “What do I do with all this land?”
He considered a tree farm. But after researching the soil composition and climate, he realized something unexpected. The land was perfect for growing grapes.
“The soils are similar to Napa Valley,” he explains. “They have Silty Loam type from the mountains while here we have Sandy Loam from glacier melt several thousands of years ago. Not the same, but similar.”
Wine had always been a passion for both of them. In 2008, they decided to test the idea, planting about 150 vines right in their backyard. The vines thrived.
A couple of years later, they harvested their first usable crop. After fermenting and aging for about a year, the results were outstanding. “We just kept expanding from there until we got to the approximate 3,000 vines we currently have,” he said.
The first batch of wine was made in 2011. Over the next several years, they perfected the craft, experimenting with different grape varieties and techniques. In 2018, they acquired a Manufacturer’s License from the state and began selling wholesale to local establishments – liquor stores, restaurants, and wine bars.
But wholesale wasn’t the path to success they’d hoped for.
“Selling that way wasn’t as successful as we wanted it to be,” he said.
In 2023, they made a new decision: build a Tasting Room. It took about a year and a half of planning and construction. On March 14, 2025, they finally opened the doors.
“The Tasting Room has been MUCH more successful,” he said.
Most of Mistie Hill’s wines are named after the grape varieties they’re made from – hybrid varietals bred to withstand the cold climate of Illinois. But some bottles carry different names entirely: the names of dogs.
Xena Pena. Roc’s Rosé. Sweet Sami. Zionia Dulce. Pearly White. Each one honors a beloved pet.
Then there’s Rosie’s Rosé. Soon after Deb’s mother passed away, they produced their first rosé. They named it after her – Rosemarie – as a tribute.
But perhaps the most fitting name belongs to the vineyard itself. Mistie Hill is named after one of their other dogs.
“Mistie wasn’t even our best dog, but she was very sweet,” he said. “In the early years of the vineyard she would perch herself on our pool deck on a lounger in the backyard and ‘watch’ over the vineyard as if she was keeping guard. She would sit there for hours at a time.”
It was only fitting that when they named their estate, they chose her.
“People love to hear that story, too,” he said.
Last year, their top seller was Seyval Blanc, which sold out completely. Unfortunately, the next batch won’t be ready until early summer.
“After that one, I would say the Mango and Elderberry are our number one sellers right now,” he said.
The Tasting Room’s success has been built on a simple philosophy: treat every customer like family.
“We have several regulars that come in all the time. They’re getting to be like family,” he said. “I believe we received the hospitality award because we do treat everyone who comes through the door like family. Our customers really appreciate that and like coming back.”
Part of that experience comes from the owners themselves.
“Customers also like that we as owners take the time to go around and talk to them. It makes the whole experience special to them,” he said.
That personal touch has drawn visitors from across the country. A U.S. map on the Tasting Room wall lets customers mark where they’re from. Pins stretch from California on the west coast to North Carolina on the east. But the majority of customers come from within about a 100-mile radius.
Despite a packed summer schedule of events at the winery, the couple still makes time to participate in community activities. They’ll be at the Red Carpet Corridor Route 66 100th Anniversary Event in Wilmington on May 2nd and 3rd. They also occasionally participate in the Illinois Vintage Winefest in Utica, which draws wineries from across the state.
They also conduct tastings at certain establishments as private events when requested.
Customers who can’t visit the Tasting Room in person can order wines directly through the website at MistieHillVineyard.com. Any wine available in the Tasting Room can be shipped to customers.
A dream realized
From Sward Grade School sweethearts to Oak Lawn natives to country vintners, the couple’s journey has come full circle in unexpected ways. They left the suburbs they once called home, found their dream in Custer Park, and built a business rooted in the values that brought them back to their community – family, hospitality, and the kind of personal touch that turns strangers into regulars.
And it all started with a dog on a lounger, watching over vines that would eventually become wine.