We are so proud to share that as of the 2025 vintage, we have officially achieved USDA National Organic Standard Certification for our estate grapes, apples and pears through the Midwest Organic Services Association (MOSA). Somehow in the harvest hustle, we completed and passed our organic inspection. Thank you to MOSA and the Transition to Organic Partnership Program for working with us through this process!

Following USDA National Organic Standard, we completed and documented 3 years of organic practice on our land and with no prohibited substances applied to it before the harvest of an organic crop.

Does that mean you will see the organic seal on our wine bottles? Not yet! Crops (grapes, apples, pears) and handling (winemaking) are two separate certifications and we look forward to applying for our handling certification soon! We also want to be very clear that the certification only applies to the grapes, apples and pears we grow here at our farm as of the 2025 harvest.

Farming in a way that co-exists with our environment instead of dominating it and producing wines that embrace the season they grew in and taste alive have been our goals since day one. Organic certification has been an important step in that vision for a couple fundamental reasons:

🌱 This is how we believe we can make the best possible wines and ciders

🌱 Protecting land, water and ecosystem are core values for us as a business and as individuals

🌱 We believe that chemical intervention in the vineyard and cellar rob us of truly experiencing and tasting place

🌱 We value accountability and transparency and think it's important to have a third-party evaluate our practices

Organic certification is not the end goal for us, it's the baseline and jumping off point for our farming and winemaking.

Listening and learning from the land, building soil, increasing biodiversity in our farm system, encouraging our vines to develop relationships with soil microbes and engaging our neighbors and peers to join us in this work continue to be priorities. That, and hopefully making wines that knock your socks off 🍷✨

I would be remiss not to acknowledge the tremendous amount of research, meditation and back-breaking work Derrick has done to make this a reality. From putting in long days in the vineyard, to agonizing over which varietals to plant, backpack spraying every single vine out here, filling out volumes of paperwork, hunting down chemicals, and walking the vineyards every single day - most days twice a day - to keep the farm healthy and growing. I'm so proud of Derrick for making this a reality!

Thanks for taking a minute to celebrate this accomplishment with us and for your continued support. When we talk about sustainability, the business part is just as important as the farming and you are a big part of that equation.