Greg Lill
Greg was born in Vancouver Canada and was raised in the Seattle area. His parents emigrated in 1952 from a long line of descendants dating back to the 12th century in Europe as one of the Families from the original walled town of Lille France, hence their ancestral name “DeLille” from which the winery was named. Growing up in a European family, wine was always a part of gatherings and Greg quickly developed respect for the great wine regions of the world. Prior to starting the winery, Greg had a successful career in insurance and real estate investments leading to owning his first home outright at the age of 25.
As a passionate wine collector, Greg was asked by his father Charles in 1991 to create a business for the Lill Family Estate located on 9 acres near Woodinville. With the State’s largest and oldest two wineries within a mile, and Greg’s love of wine, it was natural to look at the prospect of starting a winery. Greg wrote the DeLille Cellars business plan, and utilized funding from the Lill Family to launch DeLille Cellars in 1992, becoming the third winery in Woodinville. As President and CEO, Greg has led the company to over a decade of consistent profitability finishing 2011 with its greatest year in sales and increased revenues in the history of DeLille Cellars.
Greg currently serves on the Boards of the Washington Wine Industry Foundation, Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau, Cystic Fibrosis Leadership Council and “PONCHO” Patrons of Northwest Civic Cultural Charitable Organizations. Philanthropically Greg is on the Auction of Washington Wines Chairman’s Committee and has twice been Chair of the Auction of Washington Wines and for the second time is the Washington Wine Ambassador selected for Oregon’s Classic Wine Auction. Other past Chairmanships include PONCHO Wine Auction, Cystic Fibrosis Breath of Life Gala, Camp Goodtimes Auction for Cancer, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Gala and Washington Wines Festival to name a few. Greg is a known Community Leader and is currently the Chair for the Woodinville Chamber Auction.
Greg is the single largest shareholder in DeLille Cellars. He and his wife Stacy live on three acres adjacent to the winery on the Lill Family Estate and together own two additional wineries separate from DeLille Cellars.
