SISTERS SHERA AND MAXIME KAAN-LILLY LAUNCH THEIR PINOT NOIR AND CHARDONNAY BLEND, WILDLILLY WINE (@WILDLILLYWINE), WHICH FEATURES A LIGHT-BODIED CHILL WITH FLAVOR-FILLED NOTES.

WildLilly Wine co-founders Shera and Maxime Kaan-Lilly PHOTO COURTESY OF WILDLILLY WINE

What was the inspiration behind Wildlilly?

SKL & MKL: We wanted to create a wine that reflects the South Florida lifestyle that we love so much. Given the heat, we often drink our reds chilled, so we wanted to create a quality wine that was quite literally made for chilling. We also couldn’t help but address that women only make up 5% of the wine industry, so we wanted to create a brand that was unabashedly female-first and celebrated our sisterhood.

What is it like to work with your sister?
MKL: Shera and I have been business partners for many years, predominantly in real estate, so our strengths and weaknesses complement each other. Put together, we’re the full package! SKL: We’ve been three times more successful when we work together, so launching this venture together was a no-brainer. Even though we actually have very different tastes, the balance is the magic. That’s why our tagline for Wildlilly is ‘Life is better blended.’ We really live by that motto.

What has been the most exciting part of this journey?
SKL: We love talking with customers and educating them along the way. At a few of our tastings, we've had wine drinkers who have been buying the same wine for 40 years come up to us and say, ‘You’re blending red and white grapes together?’ We explain that the exact same grapes, pinot noir and chardonnay, are in champagne and their attitude totally changes; they end up buying a few bottles of Wildlilly. In a category where often everything looks and tastes the same, Wildlilly’s profile is completely different and takes the same varietals in its own unique direction.

Wildlilly pinot noir chardonnay PHOTO COURTESY OF WILDLILLY WINE

What’s next?
SKL & MKL: We’re just getting started! We definitely want to expand our distribution to be statewide in Florida. We have a lot of family and connections in New York, and Wildlilly is perfect for the Hamptons, so that will probably be our next market.