DUFUR — Tucked into the arid, rolling hills east of Mt. Hood, ShadowBuck Winery recognizes responsible stewardship, sustainability and family as keys to a fruitful future in Oregon’s agritourism scene.
Owned and operated by Tom Peters, ShadowBuck’s boutique, family-run estate and winery is located four miles northeast of Dufur, encompassing 500 acres of vineyards, pastures and solar-powered facilities. Although trips to the winery are by appointment only, its quaint tasting room, which debuted within the Dufur Market last year, treats guests to the ShadowBuck experience a little less off the beaten path.
Growing up farming in the Columbia Basin, Peters was surrounded by the region’s agricultural environment, where grape production and winemaking have taken a firm hold. Despite a lack of formal training, his homegrown winemaking experience inspired a jump into the industry. Now, after years of experimenting with his craft, Peters works alongside his eldest grandchild, Russell, who studied viticulture at Santa Rosa Community College and is working towards a chemistry degree at Oregon State University — a testament to ShadowBuck’s family-oriented mission. “The family is all involved at different times and to different extents,” Peters said. “My grandson and I are joint winemakers.”
Uniquely, there are no power lines intersecting its valley; ShadowBuck is the Northwest’s first 100% off-grid vineyard and winery. “The power company wanted $200,000 — way too much money to bring power two miles,” Peters said. “I already knew a lot about solar power, and calculated that we could actually run the whole thing that way.”
Peters went on to develop an all-solar irrigation system, where the farm’s three backup generators are only used when 3-phase power is needed — a rare prospect considering the frequency of sunny days east of the rain shadow.
Such conditions directly influence ShadowBucks’s variety output, many of which are conditioned to grow well with a lower volume of water. “We control how the plant grows,” Peters said. “It’s less controlled in the Willamette Valley because it rains so much. They just grow and grow, sometimes too fast, which affects the quality of the wine.”
Complementing its wine output, ShadowBuck’s working farm is also an animal sanctuary — a haven for deer, turkey and other native species. Its grass-fed cattle, sheep and pigs will soon have access to year-round grazing. “We started experimenting with irrigation where the sagebrush is, and started getting a lot of grass,” Peters said. “In the summer, when the hills normally turn brown, ours will be green.”
Moving forward, ShadowBuck hopes to expand into a destination winery, where top-notch vinos are only a share of a bigger experience. “We’re trying to build agritourism,” Peters said, referencing livestock as an additional draw. “There are times of year we have a bunch of baby goats and sheep running around.”
Meanwhile, the granddad-grandson duo will add three varieties to a growing list, and ShadowBuck will expand its facilities, including a new farm-based tasting room and an energy-efficient, underground wine processing area.
The Dufur tasting room is located at 121 Main Street. For more information, visit shadowbuckwinery.com.
Commented
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.