Seriously old-school winemaking

Unlike a certain global beer brand, Illahe’s horses aren’t just for show. A team of Percheron draft horses mow and deliver handpicked grapes from the vineyard to the winery. They even have one wine, their 1899 Pinot Noir, that is made entirely in a 19th century style – no electricity, pressed and bottled by hand, and delivered to Portland by a fleet of canoes and bicycles.

At Illahee, the Ford family is seriously committed to making wine as naturally as possible. No enzymes, no additives, no chemicals, and above all, they dry farm their 80-acre vineyard.

Lowell Ford planted his first grapes back in 1983 and for years sold most of it grapes to surrounding wineries. Lowell was a founding force behind the enology program at Chemeketa Community College and remains an integral part of the Oregon wine community.

His son, Brad, helped with his first harvest back in high school – and now, years later, is the head winemaker. He and his wife Bethany have overseen rapid growth at Illahe and worked hard to bring their old-fashioned, classic-style wines to the public.