Oyster River

About

Owner & winemaker: Brian Smith
Vineyards: 8 acres of estate vineyards in Maine, plus sourcing fruit from Long Island, NY and Finger Lakes, NY
Vineyard management: Practicing organic at the estate, certified sustainable for purchased fruit
Grapes grown: LaCrescent, Vidal Blanc, L’Acadie Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Marquette, Sabrevois, and St. Croix, plus cider apples. Sourcing Cayuga, Seval, and Merlot.

Quick facts:

• Winemaker Brian Smith was traditionally educated in winemaking at Fresno State University, but he prefers to make wine in a “pre-industrial” style, seeing himself more as “nature’s assistant” than “winemaker.”
• The fruit for the Morphos White and Rose Pet Nats is sourced from vineyards farmed by close contacts in New York. Both wines are wild-fermented in stainless steel then bottled before the end of active fermentation without any fining, filtration, or added sulfur.