Meet Your Neighbors: Steve and Joyce Dieter | Flight Wine and Bourbon Bar in Fitchburg, WI
Matt Winzenried
Matt has worked in Real Estate since 2005. He has experience in changing markets and economies...
Matt has worked in Real Estate since 2005. He has experience in changing markets and economies...
We spoke with Steve and Joyce from Flight Wine and Bourbon Bar in Fitchburg to get to know them better as a Fitchburg business neighbors.
Tell us about yourself, who you are, and what you do!
We are Steve and Joyce Dieter. We moved to Fitchburg in 2001, just before our first of three sons was born. (They are all now UW Badgers - freshman, junior and senior!) We are the proud owners of Flight Wine & Bourbon Bar in Fitchburg, WI as well as The Wine Reserve in Oregon, WI. We also continue to work our day jobs - Joyce works as a project manager at American Family Insurance and Steve works as the director of mechanical engineering at bb7, a local product development company. We currently reside in Oregon, WI and in our spare time we love to travel and do research for the bars at all of the wonderful dining establishments in Dane County!
When did you open Flight and what got you started?
We opened Flight on July 5, 2023. We were approached by Sarah and Jerod Bennet of Alterra Homes to consider a wine and bourbon bar in Fitchburg, as they were familiar with our original wine and bourbon bar, The Wine Reserve in Oregon. They felt it would be a welcome addition to the new and growing Terravessa neighborhood.
What inspired you open in Fitchburg?
Our mission is to create warm spaces for people to gather and celebrate. The proximity to Madison and the growth in the area made it a worthwhile venture to pursue. We also had somewhat of a blueprint from The Wine Reserve as the offerings are similar, but we are able to do a little more at Flight in terms of small plate offerings as well as the wine, bourbon and cocktails. Fitchburg has also always been very supportive in terms of helping small businesses thrive. The Fitchburg Chamber is very active and offers a lot of great opportunities for business owners to connect.
What have you enjoyed about owning a business in Fitchburg?
It’s been great to broaden our reach beyond Oregon to additional customers by having another location in Fitchburg. We also are grateful to be able to contribute to our economy in terms of providing jobs for our awesome bartenders and kitchen staff, as well as give back to local organizations that also have a mission to serve.
What’s the most popular/interesting/unique/fun item you serve?
One of our most popular drinks (aside from the old fashioneds) is our spicy margarita - made with a ghost pepper tequila. In terms of food, when you stop by definitely try the truffle tots - tater tots tossed with truffle oil!
When you’re not tasting bourbon, what can we find you doing?
We like to stay active with strength training at Functional Integrated Training (also in Fitchburg). Joyce is also a fitness instructor at Dragonfly Hot Yoga and Steve enjoys a few games of pickup basketball every week and golf in the summer.
Thank you for your time, thanks for being such a great part of our community here in Fitchburg!
Flight Wine & Bourbon Bar
wine bourbon madison wisconsin old fashioned lounge tasting venue...
Thanks for taking the time to sit down with us, Joyce and Steve!
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