Franchere Wine Company carries a piece of Oregon history in its name. Mike Hinds named it for his great-great-great grandfather Gabriel Franchere, a Montreal native who sailed to Oregon in 1811 aboard the Tonquin and helped establish Fort Astoria.
Backstory
Hinds discovered wine while working in shops in Chicago. In 2012 he returned to Oregon, took viticulture classes at Chemeketa Community College and worked at Illahe Vineyards to learn growing and winemaking. He made his first wines in 2013 and formally launched Franchere in 2014.
The Region
The wines are rooted in Oregon's Willamette Valley, the state's cool-climate heartland. Hinds draws on vineyards across the valley, working with growers he trusts alongside fruit he farms himself.
Vineyards and Farming
Hinds hand-farms roughly 15 percent of his production and sources the rest from Willamette Valley growers farming organically, biodynamically or sustainably, without irrigation or systemic herbicides. The emphasis is on dry-farmed, responsibly tended sites.
Winemaking
The cellar is deliberately minimal. Hinds ferments exclusively with native yeasts, uses no temperature-controlled tanks, never reaches for new oak barrels, and avoids filtration and conventional enological products. The result is adventurous yet balanced wine made with as little intervention as possible.
The Wines
The lineup includes characterful cuvees such as Cascadia, Fast Hearts and the wryly named For Heaven's Sake, Don't Move Here, reflecting Hinds's playful, exploratory approach to Oregon's grapes.
