The Farm Shed

Ok, so I mentioned a "particular hot air balloon flight" last week, and the fact that I have Shawn to thank for finding The Farm Shed. Well... we acquired permission to take off from a new launch spot, and I just so happened to go along to “help” crew on the afore mentioned morning. I noticed The Farm Shed sign when we drove by, it was right before we pulled into our launch destination. While we were waiting around to make sure the weather was going to cooperate, I walked back out to the road get a better look. Wouldn’t you know that it advertised to be a winery!? Hahaha They only had weekend hours, so I put it in my memory bank to revisit on the weekend. Guess what!? It is now the weekend!! LOL

I did a little research and found an address for The Farm Shed, and came back up the Sumner Buckley Highway. As we were driving up the lane, it appeared like we were going right up to someone’s home. Once we went through the gate though, we saw a bigger parking area and the cutest little tasting room!! [pictured below] I mean, how fun does this look!? We are also [in fact] totally at a house, in the "backyard" of the VanLierop-Anderson family!! This unique tasting room was giving off some industrial farm style vibes... very comfortable and inviting. They offer a great selections of snacks [including delicious charcuterie] that you can pair with a wide variety of wines.

Madeline [aka Maddie] VanLierop-Anderson is the daughter of a local famous bulb-farming family [on her mom’s side] and dairy farming family. [on her dad’s side] She has always dreamed of opening and operating a wine tasting room, and keeping the the family farming legacy going into the next generation!! In 2016, she realized this dream on her 40-acre farm in Buckley, WA with her husband and daughter. We got to meet Maddie and her daughter on our first visit to The Farm Shed!! They have been having a grand time with The Farm Shed’s startup and said they get to spend plenty of quality mom-dad-daughter time in the process.

The VanLierop-Anderson’s acquire small productions of quality wines, it is something they are very passionate about. They change their flights weekly to keep you coming back with the threat of FOMO!! [fear of miss out… Hahaha] Maddie hand selects every bottle of wine that is offered at The Farm Shed. She not only choses the wine for its characteristics, but also for the story behind it and how it got its name. [I love this!!] It makes for a good story behind every pour, and adds to the The Farm Sheds one of a kind-ness!! [I am not sure... is kind-ness even a word?? Either way, I think you get my meaning.. LOL]

As you can see from the photo above [of me and my girl, Katie Gordy] that I have visited The Farm Shed on more than one occasion!! Truth be told, I chalked up my first visit to research for Katie's visit... the things I do for friends!! Haha!! Another aspect that makes The Farm Shed so unique is that while building their wine-tasting room they came up with another idea. Adding a brewery into the mix and growing their own hops right here on the farm!! This makes them an estate brewery, which is incredibly rare in the Northwest. Maddie wanted to try growing smaller, less-known hops and then have their very own beer on tap as another option for guests.

Fun story, Maddie took a clipping and root stock of a vintage hops plant from a neighboring family farm, so she could replant it in her own garden. Now, it is rumored that there have been hops growing on nearby farms property since the early 20th century. She is currently working with professors at Oregon State University to identify the hops vintage hops that she transplanted. Once she has completed this, she is thinking about using them in her own beers. While I find this all very interesting, I think I'll be sticking to their delicious wines!! [as evidenced below LOL]

In just a little more than a year, The Farm Shed has grown from a farm to a wine-tasting room to include an estate brewery. Maddie was quoted in a wine magazine article as saying “We’re completely estate-grown hops right now, which is really cool to say.” You go Maddie!! I would be fun to stop back just to see how it has grown and changed.

Next week Wine with Wixy will be accompanying Steele [as on so many other winery visits] for her very first ferry ride to visit her very first island winery!! Fletcher Bay on Bainbridge Island to be exact!! I can't wait to revisit!!

Cheers to you my wine loving friends, and TTFN!!