Freed Estate Vineyards

Bud Swell 2011

2011-04-06T11:51:00.001-07:00

Here Bryan points at a bud as it begins to swell in anticipation for bud break.

Pam and Pua help finish up some dormant prunning.

Jim, Vance, and Dean make sure the 2009 and 2010 wines come along nicely.

2010-04-25T22:23:00.000-07:00

Tarzan thinks he's boss!
Jim Beam pours his favorite Freed Estate wine at the bar he is building in the soon to be tasting room.

April 2010

2010-04-25T21:52:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to Freed Estate Vineyard. It's now April 2010 and time to start a new growing season. We are working on completing the tasting room, and you can see the start of the bar from this shot.
We have a few new members to the crew this year including Jane and Tarzan.
As well as Kimo.

Here we have some pictures of bud swell as well as bud break. The plants are out of dormancy and starting to grow. Lets hope for another good year.

2009-06-01T21:41:00.000-07:00

Summer is here. The grape vines are growing, the fish are jumping, and the ducks are dunking in the south Umpqua river. This is our view while eating a delicious home cooked meal prepared by Pam every week day for her devoted and hard working crew. She also swims in the river almost every day during the summer months. Mike likes to fish for bass.

2009-06-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

This is Bryan our youngest son who is attending viticulture classes at Oregon State. He comes down to visit most weekends, and passes on current vineyard management techniques. He is in the hot house in this picture and is telling me I need to water more!

2009-06-01T20:36:00.000-07:00

It is June 1, 2009. We have been busy thinning the grape plants, but found time to sample last year's Sarah. Chuck Vaughn retired owner of Safari Vineyard is on the left. Jim Beam on the right is a retired contractor, and presently the builder of the barn and wine tasting room which we hope to open this fall.

2009-04-19T16:57:00.000-07:00

This is part of the early spring pruning crew. From the left is Juan Silva, John Bock, Pam Freed and Richard Cedillo.

2009-04-19T16:48:00.000-07:00

Here is Mike at his Oregon office. You can see the South Umpqua River to his right. The water is still too cold for swimming, but good for catching steelhead and salmon.

Spring 2008

2008-06-01T15:45:00.000-07:00

We had a very productive Spring here at Freed Estate Vineyards! A lot of progress was made on the barn, and we got started on removing trailers from the property and building our Lodge.

We also found out some great news! Our son, Bryan, has been accepted to Oregon State University (go Beavs!) and will enter the Horticulture program this Fall term. We hope that he will bring what he learns back to Freed Estate Vineyards and help us in our continuing goal of producing a superior crop!

Here are some photos of the season:

Spring's first flowers, daffodils, blooming under the Freed Estate sign.

Putting the wall up where the tasting area of the barn will be.

Getting the measurements just right. Math is hard!

I can assure you, this is perfectly safe.

Our granddaughter, Talula loves chickens! Unfortunately, the chickens met a weasel, and they are in Heaven now, but stay tuned to see summer photos of the new flock!

Plum blossoms...Pam made an excellent plum wine last year, and hopes to do so again this year. A winemaker suggested that she enter her plum wine into a contest, because it is really extraordinary!

More building...putting in the insulation.

In this shot, you can see where the Lab will be, and you can see the Loft up above.

Here, you can see little Talula stepping out of the Tasting Room door onto where the Patio will be.

This is what the vineyard looks like on a sunny April day.

And this is what it looks like on a gorgeous day in May. You can see that there are little buds and leaves on the vines, and the wildflowers make it all look so beautiful.

More progress on the Patio. You see Joey and Talula in the background. You can also see how they built the "eyebrow" of the Patio so that there are half wine barrels around the beams. We've planted grape vines in the barrels that we hope will grow up and wrap around the beams.

This is an area where we ripped out grape vines. This year, we have our vegetable garden here.

What you see here is a trailer being pulled out. This was formerly known as the "Cook Shack." There's a deck built around it, and this is where everyone gathers for meals. Well, with the Tasting Room opening soon, we wanted to have a classier place to let customers and friends sip wine and gaze at the beautiful Umpqua River, so stay tuned for photos of the new Lodge!

And it looks like the little sweetheart chickens (may they rest in peace) left a little nest under the trailer!

Coming this summer:

1. We will begin selling our 2003 Merlot! Stay tuned for info on how to order, or email Mike at mfreed@tpm-hawaii.com or call at (808) 497-3861 if you want to reserve a case!

2. We will soon have a new website (but our blog will still be here!) that will give you all the details on how to order wine and when our Tasting Room will be open.

3. We will post photos of the progress on all of our projects, including the Barn, the Tasting Room, and the Lodge.

Have a great summer!

Winter 2007-2008

2008-03-01T17:21:00.000-08:00

Not much goes on around the vineyard in the winter time. The most exciting thing that happened was snow! It made the vineyard look so beautiful.

Grapes 2007

2007-12-27T10:10:00.001-08:00

Fall 2007

2007-12-09T16:29:00.001-08:00

Freed Estate Vineyards had a wonderful harvest season this year! Here are some photos:

The grapes are looking beautiful and ready to go.

HARVEST!

Mike clipping bunches of Cabernet Sauvignon

Bryan's girlfriend, Nathalie, and her mom helped

Juan and Maria

David and Richard

Loading buckets

Joey and Bryan transferring buckets to bins

Bryan pouring grapes into a bin

Mike gives cribbage advice in the middle of the harvest!

Tania and Joey gather full buckets and hand out empty ones

Joey and Tania bring full buckets to pour in the bins

Joey and Tania pour grapes in the bins

Beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon grapes

Lunch break!

Pam and Mike taking their lunch break

HARVEST PARTY!

Pam and Mike decided to have a Harvest Party to celebrate such a great year. It was held in the new (unfinished) barn, and we all wore costumes. It was a blast!

The grandkids, Tania and Talula, dressed up as the cutest kitties ever

Candice and Talula

We had a hobo-can fire outside the barn

Cindy and Bobby

Wild Bill, Jim Beam, and Mike gathered around the hobo-can fire

They were quite a motley crew

Some trouble-makers

Wayne and Joey looking better than ever

John James showed everyone how to do the Two-Step

More Two-Step

John and Kathy James

Mary Beam and John James

Jim Beam and Pam

Mike and Cindy

Then the dancing got wild

People got really into it

Even Talula and Tutu did some dancing

Other fun things to do during fall in the area:

Picking apples at the James Orchard

Visiting the Kruse Farms pumpkin patch

Summer 2007

2007-09-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

It was a great summer! Pam and Mike came out to the vineyard at the end of May. Candice and Joey came out at the end of June with their family. Bryan came out in July. Read on to hear the details about summertime at Freed Estate Vineyards.

June

Joey's family came all the way to the vineyard from Phoenix, Arizona to meet Talula for the first time and celebrate her first birthday. Here are some candids from June.

The summer vineyard

The summer river

Joey's family, sister Devon, mom Gloria, and brother Quinn picking raspberries

The family took Talula to pick cherries

Mike showed the family how to fish for bass

Mike with Joey and the family

Tania couldn't wait to go swimming

Pam, Talula, and friends at Talula's birthday party

Devon and Talula

Joey's family before leaving

Fourth of July

Fourth of July was spent at the vineyard this year. We had a bonfire down by the river and could see the fireworks from up by the patio. Here are some candids.

Talula

Mike with Jim, Mary, and family

Pam with one of her little buddies

Pam's sister Cindy, with husband Bobby

Joey gathering wood for the bonfire

A deer across the river

Laying cement in the new barn

This summer, we laid the cement in our new barn. It was hard work! We had Jim, Bryan and Joey doing most of the difficult work. Here are some of the photos.

At the very end

Mike making frames for cement tiles

Pam decorating a tile

Pam and Mike enjoying a beer

Tania decorating a tile

Mike writing his name in the cement

Tania playing with cement

July Fun!

We had a lot of fun this July, and especially at the Oregon Country Fair. It's a truly unique event.

Bryan and Joey at the fair

Joey pulling Tania

Talula in the wagon

Man on stilts

Drum circle

Random crowd shots

Tree people

Back at the vineyard, Tania and Talula on the tractor

Candice and Talula

Joey thinning the Syrah

Chickens!

We got chickens this summer. They are so funny, and it's great to have farm-fresh eggs.

Farm-fresh eggs

The flock

The head honcho

August fun

We had a lot of fun in August. Here are some candids.

Tania and Talula at the Douglas County Fair

Candice, Talula, Tania, and friend Christine

Pam and Mike with their dear friend, Vann

Bryan with friends Christine and Sindy

Pam bonding with Talula

Bryan dancing with Talula at a concert at Stewart Park

Tania and Talula dancing at the concert

Bryan holding giant zucchini that he harvested from our garden

Henry Does Wine!

Henry Estate Vineyards puts on an event called Henry Does Wine, each year. They have a bunch of different bands playing, food, and of course...wine!

Talula enjoys her corn

Tania hula-hoops

Pam dances with Tania and Talula

Mike takes a break from the dance floor

Lorna and Pam

Making Beer!

This summer, Bryan, Candice, and Joey embarked on a beer-making experiment. The first batch turned out well!

The ingredients

The wort

Draining the wort

Poured into a carboy

The yeast doing its job - The foam indicates activity!

Camping!

In August, we went camping at Lake Marie, in Winchester Bay. Mike chartered a fishing boat and he, Pam, Bryan, and Joey went fishing for salmon on one of the days. The family also fished in the lake and hiked.

Tania and Talula in their tent

Setting up tents

The cozy campsite

Lake Marie

Bryan and Joey at the Umpqua Lighthouse

Bryan chopping wood

Tania and Pam bonding

Bryan paddling the boat in the lake

Talula playing at the beach and eating sand

Packing up camp

Spring 2007

2007-06-01T11:19:00.000-07:00

Pam and Mike on the patio in front of the river

Spring 2007 was a busy and enjoyable time for the Freeds. They got a lot accomplished and got to spend time with family and friends.

Vineyard Views

Tania, the Freeds' granddaughter, in front of the river

More views of the springtime river

The vineyard on a sunny day

Joey, the Freeds' son-in-law, in front of the vineyard, with the new barn in the background

Pam and Tania in front of the Freed Estate Vineyards sign, designed by Pam

Spring Accomplishments

This spring, several things were accomplished. There was the usual spring pruning. In addition, Mike built a greenhouse and prepared Syrah cuttings to be planted after the fall harvest, and the family planted herbs and vegetables. A new road was built and new posts were put along it. Best of all, construction of the new barn began!

Tania planted squash down by the river

Mike built this greenhouse

Inside the greenhouse

Syrah cuttings to be planted after the fall harvest

Container herbs and vegetables were planted

New posts were put in by Mike, Joey, and Jim

Fun!

Tania and Pam ride the ATV (new barn in background)

Enjoying wine and cribbage by the fire

Family dinner on the patio

Freed Estate Vineyards

2006-05-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

Freed Estate Vineyards is the dream of Michael and Pamela Freed. Mike and Pam bought 36 acres of unplanted land in Umpqua Valley's Winston, Oregon, on the Umpqua River in 2000, with hopes of planting grape vines to harvest and use to make wine for a business during his retirement years.

Freed Estate Vineyards planted its first grapes in 2000, experiencing its first harvest in 2002. The varieties that we grow are Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Semillon, and Viognier.

In 2005, our Freed Estate Vineyards 2002 Merlot won the Bronze medal at the Oregon State Fair.

From the beginning, Freed Estate has truly been a family business. Pam manages a crew seven months out of each year to prune, irrigate, and harvest the grapes for production. Mike has started spending four to five months each year assisting with production. Each summer, Bryan, the Freeds' youngest son, has run a pruning and irrigation crew. Fall 2006 was the first time Bryan spent harvest at the vineyard and helped to reap the rewards of all his hard work. Chris, the Freeds' oldest son, has helped with pruning and harvesting at the vineyard.

In 2007, Bryan came to live in Oregon and take on more of the vineyard responsibilities. In Fall 2008, he plans to begin Oregon State University's Viticulture program.

Also in 2007, the Freeds' daughter Candice, and her husband, Joey, and daughters, Tania and Talula, came to live in Winston. Joey is a carpenter and has been working with Mike's right-hand man, Jim, to build the new barn and tasting room!

The plan for this blog is to update quarterly with photos and the latest in Freed Estate Vineyards news.