Welcome BERSERKERS!
So many thanks to Todd + the WineBerserkers Crew for including me in BD15…I appreciate the support of this community and am totally fired up to introduce you to my projects!!!
So…we were pretty heavy into rum drinks in Cuba in 2015 when veteran winemaker Joel Peterson advised me to never EVER buy a vineyard…but you know how it is: good advice is rarely taken.
So now my very, very understanding husband, two Australian Shepherds and I have been blissfully crushed into a small building on our 40-acre family farm (Bracken Vineyard) in the Eola Hills since 2018, livin’ the dream. At Bracken we farm 15 acres of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Aligote and Pinot Meunier amidst grasslands dotted with…bracken ferns. Minding a vineyard can be daunting, challenging at times - but frickin’ love this beautiful place and absolutely believe in its ability to produce epic wines.
*“Her wines…gained immediate recognition as a cult favorite when restaurants such as Momofuku Ko poured them by the glass and gobbled up every bottle they could get their hands on. She produces only 700-800 cases of wine each year from her own estate, which she mindfully farms utilizing both organic and biodynamic methodologies. Quite frankly, I think Shelby Perkins is the most exciting winemaker in Oregon.” - Ben Niedelman, Tribeca Wine Merchants
These wines are a means to show the uniqueness of place - not a particular winemaking technique. I farm with organic and biodynamic methods to support natural fermentation…making these wines in the vineyard as much as possible. I have also worked with the fruit from Sojeau Vineyard (aka the vineyard next door) and a few other sites in the Willamette Valley - but am now solely focused on my own site and my two wine labels: Perkins Harter (old-school, classic stylings) and Spaghetti Western (experimental sparkling wines).
As a seriously small, one-person wine operation, I am incredibly grateful to be championed on this journey by some amazing people - especially my DTC tribe, my distributors Delicious Wines in Portland, Vom Boden in NY/NJ, and the restaurants who pour my wines (Momofuku Ko, Koloman, Okta, Painted Lady). I am also grateful to my current grape buyers - Twill, Violin, Walter Scott, and David Paige Wines (formerly, Adelsheim) for our amazing collaboration/data crunches and their epic support. Finally - to all the wine buyers who support small family farms doing the good work…THANK YOU!
I’m just going to keep crushing it out here at Bracken - and I invite you to kick these tires and join this mad ride!!!
Shelby Perkins,
Winegrower
ORDERING:
Going Berserk over here with FREE GROUND SHIPPING!
Vinoshipper cannot ship to AL, AR, CT, DE, MS, RI, SD, UT and some products cannot be shipped to MI, MT, NJ. Just email me (shelby@perkinsharter.com) if we need to find an alternative shipping solution or want to build out a custom package! Shipping is weather-dependent via UPS, and you can choose a specific date at checkout. No stress - we can usually figure it all out!
RAFFLE ALERT!!! Every offer ordered + response in the comments below = an entry to win a 3-Liter 2015 Old Vine Zinfandel. That’s a lot of BBQ waiting to happen this summer!
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EARLY OFFER: EPIC SPARKLING!!! The 2020 Bracken Blanc de Noirs (3-Pack)
SOLD OUT!!!
Miss this wine? If you buy yourself some Dick’s you’ll be entered in their raffle to win a bottle!
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BONUS OFFER!!! SOLERA BLANC DE NOIRS (3-Pack)
Let’s just cut to the chase if you dig bubs with bright acidity. I haven’t technically released this wine yet…but I’m trusting you wine veterans can handle these appropriately.
ORDER HERE
*“Now and then something comes along that is so good and so distinctive, so compelling and seductive, I just can’t get it off my mind…it is without question the best American sparkling wine I’ve ever had." - Steve Ventura, Dirty Bacchus Wines
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OFFER 1 - BRACKEN: A SITE FOR THE ACID FREAKS (3-Pack)
Bracken’s elevation and head-on Van Duzer winds keep grapes cool - and the reason why acid is the main show in the Eola Hills. Two sparkling wines - both Pinot Noir - and a still Chard - all for the love of tension. (11-5%-12.7% abv.)
- 1 x Solera Blanc de Noirs | brut nature, under cork
- 1 x Spaghetti Western Tractor Beam Pinot Noir Sparkling | brut nature, crown cap
- 1 x Bracken Chardonnay
ORDER HERE
“Every so often I taste a wine that truly tells a story like this Chardonnay from Perkins Harter.” - Michelle DeWyngaert, Chambers Street Wines
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OFFER 2: PINOTS OF THE EOLA BENCH: BRACKEN + SOJEAU (3-Pack)
Wines from two neighboring vineyards on a single volcanic landslide that faces west: Sojeau sits at 550-650 ft - and Bracken is just above it from 650-750 ft. Between these two properties is a grove of old Oregon Oaks where we all meet, BBQ, raise a glass, and watch the sunset! (12.4-13.3% abv.)
- 1 x 2022 Bracken Pinot Noir
- 1 x 2022 Sojeau Pinot Noir
- 1 x 2021 Sojeau Pinot Noir
ORDER HERE
“They are polished but they don’t run away from the Willamette’s cooler-climate, showcasing high-toned acidity and a vivid precision that make these so exciting to drink. For me, a lover of not just Burgundy but also wines from Oregon and the Mosel, these really hit the spot when it comes to satisfying my penchant for elegant tension and nuanced layers.” - Jonathan Kemp, Vanderbilt Wine Merchants.
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OFFER 3: WINDY SITE, STILL WINES (3-Pack)
Three age-worthy still wines to show off Bracken’s stuff. Pinot rosés often suffer infanticide: age it, drink it and we can have an educated conversation about this beauty later. The Pinot is just beginning to show the spicy typicity of our slope. The 2022 Chardonnay has already been poured BTG at Okta in McMinnville. I paired it with some extra-sharp cheddar last night…oh baby! (11.3-13.3% abv.)
- 1 x 2022 Bracken Pinot Noir
- 1 x 2022 Bracken Chardonnay
- 1 x 2022 Bracken Rosé of Pinot Noir | ageable
ORDER HERE
“More traditional wines caught my eye as well, with standouts including any Chardonnay from Perkins Harter Wines….” - Michael Alberty, The Oregonian
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OFFER 4: RELEASE THE BRACKEN!!! (6-Pack)
This is an amazing intro to the range of wines I grow and make from Bracken vineyard. Three still, three sparklers (11.5-13.3% abv.)
- 1 x NV Bracken Solera Blanc de Noirs | brut nature, under cork
- 1 x 2022 Bracken Pinot Noir
- 1 x 2022 Bracken Chardonnay
- 1 x 2022 Bracken Rosé of Pinot Noir | ageable
- 1 x 2022 Spaghetti Western “Tractor Beam” Sparkling | brut nature, crown cap
- 1 x 2022 Spaghetti Western “Weather Balloon” Red Sparkling | crown cap
ORDER HERE
“The results are lifted, uncommonly precise and alive. They feel cooler and more ethereal than nearly any other wines I’ve had from Oregon. But this is just the beginning…I can’t wait for more – hopefully with a big pot of melted cheese somewhere on hand.” - Stephen Bitterolf, Vom Boden Imports
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OFFER 5: ANNALS OF A FORMER LIFE: LIBRARY ZIN OF SONOMA (6-Pack)
A blend of OVZ planted in 1889 from R. Teldeschi (80%), Teldeschi Petite Sirah (15%), and Syrah from Pasterick (5%) from the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma. These library wines are just coming into their own right now per my OVZ fanatics. Made in CA before I moved to OR. Think hearty winter stews or wood fired pizza and you’re halfway there. (14.8% abv. to keep you warm.)
- 3 x 2014 “The Weight” Old Vine Zinfandel
- 3 x 2015 “The Weight” Old Vine Zinfandel
ORDER HERE
"Quite possibly the most intelligent winemaker I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with…” - Collin Wagner, Vom Boden Imports
ON FARMING:
Bracken is perched on the western benchlands of the Eola Hills, with elevations of 630-750 feet and views that stretch up and down the Willamette Valley. Here, the soils are predominantly of volcanic origin, but with varying depths. I have selected a diversity of vine material to ensure that the wines made from Bracken tell a story about the uniqueness of a place - not just a specific clonal material. People who say terroir doesn’t include the farmer’s input should remember that thousands upon thousands of decisions are made by farmers with a sense of purpose…and my purpose is to make great wines. You can read more about Bracken and other sites I have worked with [HERE.] For the full wine + farming philosophy…just click HERE.
ABOUT ME:
I came to winemaking in 2009 after living a much different life in DC. There’s a lot to unpack there that requires a strong drink or four - but what you really need to know is that city living wasn’t for me. Especially after working for the government on some complicated nuclear issues and then on other matters involving synthetic biology, climate, elections, geoengineering and SpaceX - not necessarily in that order or mutually-exclusive of one another. It took a very private conversation with a penguin and an elephant seal sitting alone on an island off Antarctica in 2006 to make some life changes – and now I grow wine. You can find a little more about my story HERE. And for some other amusing impressions by Stephen Bitterolf of Vom Boden, see HERE and Tribeca Wine Merchant’s recent offer of my wines with some kind words HERE.
“Shelby Perkins is one of the best and most conscientious winemakers on the planet and her wines will remind me, for weeks to come, and despite all else, that life can be, should be and is good.” - Steve Ventura, Dirty Bacchus Wine Shop
right back. OK - I full-out newbie-ing my way through this but I think I finally have these offers all set!