Stories.

Read the stories behind the wine. Join Steve and Candice on their journey from asking, "What if we made some wine this fall?" to building a winery and selling their wine.

Candice Aiston 1/22/24 Candice Aiston 1/22/24

Our First Day of WSET2

We started WSET2 today at Wine & Spirit Archive in Portland to be able to better taste wines and ultimately become better winemakers. We already learned a lot and tasted some great wines.

Candice Aiston 1/9/24 Candice Aiston 1/9/24

Candice’s First Day of Winemaking School

Candice started classes in the Winemaking program at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Oregon today. After the 2023 Harvest crash course into winemaking, she got the winemaking bug and wants to get the foundational knowledge and skills she needs to succeed.

Candice Aiston 11/10/23 Candice Aiston 11/10/23

Smoke Taint

We learned that our Syrah has smoke taint, and we used various techniques to mitigate the damage.

Candice Aiston 10/28/23 Candice Aiston 10/28/23

Harvest 2023: Wild Merlot + Fools Rush In Pét-Nat

We had the opportunity to harvest some wild Merlot at Freed Estate for free. We decided to use it for a Pét-Nat, which we named ‘Fools Rush In.’

Candice Aiston 10/21/23 Candice Aiston 10/21/23

Harvest 2023: Syrah

We harvested Syrah from Freed Estate Vineyard and Melrose Vineyard in Umpqua Valley, Oregon. It was a tough experience, to say the least.

Candice Aiston 9/23/23 Candice Aiston 9/23/23

Harvest 2023: Tempranillo

We did it. Our first harvest. Tempranillo from Freed Estate Vineyard, Umpqua Valley, Oregon.

Candice Aiston 9/18/23 Candice Aiston 9/18/23

Plans change.

We found out recently that we are not likely to get our permits and licenses in place in time for harvest, but we found a place to make our wine.