Our Story
Island Winery is a small, family-owned winery on Hilton Head Island, founded by Loren and Georgene Mortimer. Long before opening the winery, our interest in wine started by learning different styles and tasting widely to understand what made a wine good. That curiosity led to making small batches of wine at home and, over time, grew into a working winery focused on well-made classic reds and whites, along with a range of specialty wines shaped by the same thinking.
Westfall Winery
In 2001, Loren and Georgene opened Westfall Winery on Loren’s family farm in Montague, New Jersey. The winery operated on a historic working farm, with vineyards planted on the property and a barn-style tasting space open to the public. Visitors could taste wine, walk the grounds, and picnic on the farm.
Westfall Winery produced both classic grape wines and a range of specialty wines, operating as a hands-on, working winery throughout its years in New Jersey.
Island Winery on Hilton Head
Island Winery opened on Hilton Head Island in 2005, originally operating out of a rented building across the street from our current location. For fifteen years, that space served as Island Winery’s original home, welcoming guests for tastings and bottle purchases.
The land across the street—now home to Island Winery’s red barn—was the last undeveloped parcel in the area, a natural wetland setting that had remained untouched. When the opportunity arose, we purchased the property and built a permanent home for the winery, completing the red barn in 2020. Designed to reflect the agricultural roots of our earlier winery while fitting naturally into the Lowcountry landscape, the space allows us to ferment, age, and finish our wines on-site, with room for guests to enjoy the setting at their own pace.
Shop Online
Visit our online shop, where we promise every sip will be filled with the spirit of adventure and the warmth of hospitality. Your wine journey awaits.