Shawnee Hill Farm
Made on Vashon Island
On our small, family-run farm we produce distinctive wines, ciders, cordials and brandies that feature locally grown fruit, berries and nuts.
Who We Are
Shawnee Hill Farm was started by Stephen and Jenna Buffington over 20 years ago. After the birth of our first child, we moved to Vashon Island where we aspired to grow a garden, orchards, vineyards and a family. Like many that move to the country and start a business we were quite naive about the amount of money and work it would take to realize these aspirations. But by going slow we gained experience, made connections and have learned what we could do well.
Over the last two decades we have been so busy working on the farm, including building a house, a carriage house (where the winery is), a barn, retaining walls, patios and landscaping. We have also planted hundreds of nut and fruit trees, 2 small vineyards, gardens, berries and flowers, and tried our hand tending sheep, pigs, turkeys and chickens. We have experimented and honed our fermentation skills as long time amateurs. We are now so excited to share all of the things we have learned and made along the way.
Our Passion
Why We Do It
After over 25 years of growing, fermenting and traveling, there are very few fruit products Stephen is not excited to try to make and plants he doesn’t want to grow. Working with plants really is Stephen’s first love in starting this business. They have taught us it is easy to get focused on controlling variables, outcomes and timelines. Our days are spent knowing, and being constantly reminded, that we actually control very little.
We try to steer and help out as we can with some water here, a little compost there and judicious pruning. Also the seasonality of the necessary tasks gives us an internal clock and purpose and reminds us that we are a part of the land and it is a part of us.
And of course there is the fun and challenge of harvesting and processing of all the fruit, which goes from the heat of summer to the freezing holiday season. Once it is all picked and hauled everything goes into the winery and things get a little out of control. We do almost a 100 ferments a year and process around 15 tons of fruit, between the cider, wine and spirits, all without a forklift! It’s crowded but really not that bad; the yeasts do most of the work and we do have a pump, bottler, corker and a nice insulated space. We then clean up, have about a month off and start the whole process over again with pruning.
Just in the last few years we have started selling our products directly to customers and it has been so much fun. We have met people from all over the world and literally just right down the street! We have found great community at the Farmers Market and made lasting connections with tasting room visitors. As our plants and production abilities have become more mature this is where we are spending much of our time and it is very rewarding.
What We Do
Wines
Wine has been a part of my life for a long time now, as an enthusiast, amateur maker, traveler and now as a sales distributor, my day job. It is the perfect complement to my favorite things: food, farming, culture and travel. There is nothing like the smell and color of red wine fermenting in a tank as you punch it down or white wine squeezing through the press slats.I love trying new varieties and thinking about where they came from and how our wine is similar and different from its country of origin. Because of wines incredible diversity and my love of blending we make many more varieties and blends then any winery of this size should.
Ciders
Learning about cider is a more recent passion, getting caught up in the cider revival of the last few decades. Way before knowing that I could make a delicious alcoholic drink out of apples, I knew that I loved working with apple trees. This new (to me) knowledge made me dig into apple trees even more and seek out like-minded folks in the US and England to learn more about cider. I was fortunate enough to meet and become good friends with both of the cideries on Vashon Island, Nashi Orchards and Dragon’s Head cider, and worked at Dragon’s Head for 5 years as they were ramping up. These experiences have laid the foundation for what we are offering today.
Spirits
Spirits are our newest fermentation endeavor that evolved from our desire to use all of the fruit we grow and explore new products. This is a logical practice worldwide for orchardists, to sell fruit, wine/cider and distilled products as part of a diversified farm. With that goal in mind we try to make all of our brandies and cordials from our fruit on the farm, though I will never pass up some good Island pears or plums, especially if free! We have also seen how much making and using our own brandy for the winery has improved our Port, Pommeau and Vermouth