We're Opening Our Farm for Tastings -- Occasionally!

But expect rustic, and Connie may bark at you

We’re opening up Kristof Farms to tastings by appointment!

People keep asking us about coming out to our farm – and since we describe it as “The Most Beautiful Farm in the World,” we want to share some of it, too.

This is no fancy tasting room.  But it’s truly authentic, in the sense that it’s our old sheep shed (with the wall still scarred from when Nick drove the tractor through it at age 13, when he was first learning how to use the tractor).  That means it’s rustic, out in the wild and away from the main roads.  What’s more, we won’t have outside hospitality staff – it’s just us.  If you walk around the vineyard and orchard, you’ll find they’re gorgeous – but you may get your feet muddy. And Connie, our Chief Security Officer, may bark at you if you look suspicious, or insist on being petted if you appear benign.

Here’s our converted sheep-shed, now the tasting room:

So in short, this is not the kind of tasting that you might get in some high-falutin’ winery in Napa. But this is The Most Beautiful Farm in the World, with a lovely old sheep shed dating from when the farm was first homesteaded, plus outstanding Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Rosé, not to mention superb ciders that have won numerous national and international awards. We’re still giddy about Wine Enthusiast naming our Pinot Noir a “cellar selection” a couple of weeks ago and giving it a rating of 93, while bestowing “editor’s choice” on our Chardonnay also with a rating of 93, and giving our Rosé a rating of 90 with a review that began “wow.” You can take a glass of this great wine and cider and, if the weather is nice, walk around the vineyard or orchard and ground yourself in natural beauty – it sure works for us.

Visits will be by appointment only, at limited times, and the sheep shed is modest-sized. We also encourage you to bring friends and make up your own group.  You can choose a 75-minute slot and use it to taste wines in the converted sheep shed and walk the orchard or vineyard. There will be a $50 per person charge, which will be applied to any qualifying purchase of wine or cider. As always, wine club members and cider club members get a discount on purchases.

For now, we’re taking reservations for three dates: Saturday, Nov. 2;  Sunday, Nov. 10 and Saturday, Nov. 23. On each day, we’ll have reservation slots at 1pm, 2:15 and 3;30. You can reserve by emailing us at info@kristoffarms.com with your name, number of people and phone number. Make sure you get a confirmation before showing up; if we get too many bookings, priority will go to wine club members and cider club members. If you want to walk around the farm and it has rained recently, we advise bringing boots.

And remember, if that timing doesn’t work out, you’re always welcome to the tasting room in Carlton that serves Kristof Wines alongside other first-rate local wines. It’s the Carlton Winemakers Studio, open 11 am to 5 pm every day of the week, no appointment needed (tell them we sent you!).  Plus, its bartender is named Nick, so you can’t go wrong.

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In a previous newsletter, we reported on the harvest of the 2024 grapes, and now we’ve finished the apple harvest as well. Here’s Sheryl picking apples:

We’ll be making our full range of ciders, as always with Bauman’s Cider in Gervais and Portland. Here’s Nick with a bin of apples.

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We’ll be sending out wine club and cider club shipments on Thursday. So if you’re thinking of joining our wine club or cider club, this is the moment!  Do so by Wednesday. Membership brings a discount on all our products. You can find out about our wine club here, and our cider club here.

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And finally, a few glimpses of the wildlife on our farm, from our wildlife cameras. We love dogs, as Connie can attest, so here’s a group of coyotes on a hunting mission:

These deer wanted to offer their strong recommendations for our grapes and apples, on which they regularly feast (despite Connie’s objections):

And finally, a bear heard about the “cellar select” and “editor’s choice” encomiums our wines received from Wine Enthusiast, and he wanted to tell the wildlife camera how much he agreed (his belly still full of our Pinot Noir grapes and cider apples):

We wish you a wonderful fall, and we’ll hope to see some of you on the farm for tastings — and for those of you who are members of our wine club or cider club, we’ll see you soon online for our fall club conversation. Warm wishes from the bears, deer, coyotes, dogs and people on The Most Beautiful Farm in the World!