Venus In Firs, 2023

We are a small solar powered & dry farmed winery located in the western foothills of the North Cascade Mountains in the Upper Pacific Northwest of the United States. Our soils are primarily alluvial, formed by glacial till many eons ago.  We grow grapes (30-year-old Pinot Noir & Pinot Gris vines), apples, pears, plums, cherries, quince, persimmon, fig and kiwis on our estate. Our vineyard is southern facing on the slope of Sumas Mountain and shares its vibrant ecological northern border with a native temperate rainforest. Our mission is to steward our land by promoting biodiversity, restoring critical salmon habitat while farming with regenerative, organic and biodynamic principles that seek to promote a healthy ecosystem above all else.  

Our tree fruits are 100% spray free and dry farmed.  Our vines are not densely planted, which promotes ample airflow through our vineyard.  Rather than seeking high yields, we opt for lower yields so we don't need to rely on a heavy handed chemical spray program.  Our vines receive 3-5 sprays during the growing season and are also dry farmed.  We do not till or cover crop; we utilize the native seed bank in our soils and we rotationally graze animals to promote biodiversity amongst our plantings.  Additionally, we have a salmon spawning stream that runs through our farm, and we work diligently to care for this stream with the help of local nonprofits to restore salmon habitat. We have an incredibly ecologically diverse piece of land with our vines sharing a border with native forest we are preserving.  We share the land with resident cougars, coyotes, nesting eagles & hawks, salmon and many migratory birds.  

We are producing wine, cider, piquette, ciderkin, and other co-ferments utilizing the diversity of the fruit we grow and source locally.  We take a low-intervention approach both in the field and the cellar, utilizing native microbes present on the fruit for fermentation.  Our vessels are made from stainless steel and oak, and we package in glass.  We believe less is more in the cellar, and we are actively promoting transparency in wine making.  Our products are unfined, unfiltered, and are representations of our little slice of heaven here in the Pacific Northwest.