Chilling out with Shera and Maxie Kaan-Lilly often means relaxing with a bottle of their Wildlilly wine on ice. Wildlilly is a new venture for the entrepreneurial Boca Raton sisters who also sell luxury real estate in South Florida as the KL Team.
The fledgling winemakers, who were born in Boston but have been in South Florida since 1999, always liked to beat the heat with their red wines chilled.
“We started to notice it wasn’t just us,” says Shera, 33. “We would go out to restaurants and people were sneaking ice cubes into their red wine. We thought we’re onto something.”
The idea to make wine took root during COVID-19 when the close-knit sisters spent a lot of time at home cooking and sharing meals with family. “We’re foodies,” says Maxie, 31.
The two joined forces with Shera’s venture capitalist husband Keith Glickman to craft and produce a blend of pinot noir and chardonnay under the Blended Estates Portfolio in Napa, Calif. Through many cross-country trips and taste-testing with girlfriends, the siblings finally hit on a red that was perfect for chilling. Launched in October 2022, Wildlilly is meant to pair with a variety of food or even just enjoyed on its own.
Having women consult in the process was important to them and Shera adds, “Women are the biggest consumers of wine.”
The lower alcohol content, at 12.5% AVB, also appeals to women, Maxie explains.
The social media savvy sisters make a striking duo to represent their brand. Maxie is 6’2 and brunette. Shera is blonde and 5’5. “We have the same parents,” jokes Shera.
They wear many different hats with Wildlilly, working on all fronts from marketing to creative to accounts.
Fitting wine into their lifestyle is part of their healthy living. Fitness is a top priority in the family. “We like to say ‘health is wealth,’” says Maxie.
Maxie is single, lives in Miami and Boca Raton, and Shera lives in Boca with her husband and daughter Willa who celebrates her first birthday in June.
Although the liquor industry is complicated, the two hope more women will get into the business.
“Women make up 5% of the industry. We’d like to inspire other women to get involved in the wine industry or any industry out there, to follow their dreams. It’s special to have women come up to us and say they love what we’re doing,” says Shera.