{History of Cedarville}

We named our vineyard "Cedarville" in honor of a nearby ghost town, founded in 1852 just a mile from our location here in Fair Play.

Vineyard
Our life and work revolve around our estate vineyard, so in 2010, we transitioned to organic
farming. We stopped using synthetic products and now manage weeds with weed-eaters, tillers, mowers, and manual labor. To control molds, mildews, and insects, we use natural products like plant extracts, sulfur, bacillus, soaps, and oils. We enrich the soil with an organic cover crop of peas, legumes, and grasses. To manage ground-dwelling pests, we’ve installed four owl boxes to attract Barn Owls as natural predators. While these methods are more costly than conventional alternatives, they ensure our vineyard stays green and healthy—naturally.

Winery and Caves
At Cedarville Vineyard, our winemaking philosophy is simple: let the distinct character of our estate vineyard shine. Every aspect of our winery is tailored to ensure that our wines reflect the essence of our unique terroir. We take a hands-on approach, crafting our wines with meticulous care. Our grapes are hand-harvested at peak ripeness and swiftly brought to the winery, where they undergo a rigorous sorting process before being gently destemmed and crushed. By preserving a high percentage of whole berries, we retain the purest flavors, which are then fermented in small, thoughtfully managed lots.

In a nod to tradition, many of our grapes are foot-tread daily before fermentation, evoking the
timeless charm of winemaking (à la Lucille Ball!). Once fermentation is complete—or even just before—the wines are delicately pressed and transferred to small French oak barrels. There, in the tranquility of our underground caves, they embark on their maturation journey, evolving in a naturally cool, humid environment.

Our winery itself is a model of energy efficiency and sustainability. Nestled into an east-facing hillside, much of our production space lies partially underground, while our barrel caves are fully subterranean, blanketed by two meters of soil. This not only ensures optimal conditions for aging but also reduces the need for energy-intensive climate control. Our caves remain cool and stable year-round, requiring no artificial heating or cooling, while evaporative coolers provide gentle supplemental cooling to the rest of the winery when necessary.

LABEL ART
Our label art was created by noted woodcut illustrator, Jim Meyer, of Hopkins, Minnesota. The
artwork depicts three scenes around Cedarville Vineyard.  Visit us and see for yourself!  Our
package was designed by the creative genius of Flint Design Company of Portland, Oregon
(formerly Anstey Healy Design).  You've probably seen their work on other wine labels and food products, ours is one of their most creative.

CHARITY / PanCAN & Susan Marie Wines
Each year, we honor Susan Marie’s memory by fundraising for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) through the sale of our exclusive Susan Marie memorial wines, available only to our mailing list. Thanks to the generosity of our friends, family, and customers, along with our direct contributions, we have proudly raised over $80,000 to date, with the goal of surpassing $90,000 in support of critical pancreatic cancer research.

ABOUT JONATHAN LACHS ≫

ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY AT CEDARVILLE ≫