We are a small farm winery in Warren, Maine. Since 2007 we have been making lively wines and ciders in a low-intervention style from both our own fruit, and fruit that we source from other growers in the Northeast. Our own vineyards and orchards are managed organically. In the summer months our barn opens as a popular gathering spot for adventurous wine drinkers from near and far.
Brian Smith is the winemaker at Oyster River Winegrowers. He has a traditional education in winemaking from Fresno State University, and uses that knowledge base to make distinct wines in ways that may have been common in pre-industrial times. He believes his role in the winemaking process to be more nature's assistant than winemaker. Most of our fermentations start spontaneously with wild yeasts that occur on the fruit and in the cellar, and play out over the course of several months. We add nothing and take nothing away from the natural chemistry of the fruit. All of our ciders and our sparkling wines are bottled without the addition of sulfites and are not filtered. Our still wines are minimally sulfited where necessary. Our farm supplies the fruit for Chaos, our homegrown traditional method sparkling wine, Carbonic Nation, and a good portion of our cider. Our other wines are made with fruit purchased from close contacts in the Northeast.
Our vineyards consist of the following varieties: LaCrescent, Vidal Blanc, L’Acadie Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Marquette, Sabrevois, and St. Croix. We have a couple acres of orchards, consisting of Cider-specific varieties as well as wild “seedling” apples on the farm. Our vineyards and orchards are managed organically.
For our first seven seasons, our vineyards were cultivated entirely by draft horse power and by hand. In 2017, after much deliberation, we decided to say farewell to our horses Fred and Don, to effectively meet the growing demand for our wines. Wild discoveries and adjustments occur daily as we strive to bottle the best expressions of our region. We thank all our fans who are along for the ride.
WHO WE ARE :
Photo by James Jackman
