Jacksonville, Southern Oregon · Applegate Valley, Southern Oregon AVA
Cowhorn Vineyard & Garden
About the winery
Cowhorn Vineyard & Garden is a certified Organic and Biodynamic® vineyard and winery located in the Applegate Valley appellation of southern Oregon. Our 117-acre property is just a few miles north of the California border, alongside the Upper Applegate River. About 25 acres are planted to wine grapes. Our tasting room is certified Living Building Challenge, the first in the world to achieve the progressive and creative set of requirements for the built environment. Our estate is different from most others, in important ways. To start with, we chose grape varieties that are historically associated with the Rhône River wine region of France: Syrah and Grenache for red wine, and Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne for white wine. While our latitude is a bit lower than the Rhône, and our growing season is shorter, other qualities are similar, especially to Châteauneuf-du-Pape: river-side bench-land with little rain, hot summers, and rocky soils that don’t hold much water. The folks in the Châteauneuf region obviously figured out which grape varieties excel under these conditions, because their wine has been famous (and fabulous) for a long time. So even though these varieties are not widely planted in America, they’re right at home in our estate vineyard. Cowhorn offerings: Ambassador Tasting of our four core wines for $15, no reservation required during normal business hours. Inspirational Seated Tasting featuring six of Cowhorn’s exemplary wines for $25, reservations strongly recommended. Local Cheese and Charcuterie board for $35, serves up to 4, reservation required.
What makes it different
- Cowhorn Vineyard & Garden is the only winery in Jacksonville with biodynamic wines.
- Cowhorn farms its estate vineyard biodynamically and pours Demeter-certified Biodynamic wines.(from the winery)
- Cowhorn's tasting room is certified under the Living Building Challenge and located within the vineyard.(from the winery)
Recent news
- NewsHarvest 2026. A different one for me this year.
BY MINI BYERS For the first time in quite a few years, I spent most of harvest away from the vineyards. I missed the early mornings, the picking decisions, the fruit arriving at the winery, the long days that somehow turn into even longer evenings, and the feeling of being physically present for something we spend an entire year working toward.
- NewsThe Calm Before the Crush
BY VINCE VIDRINE It is quiet, and a peaceful energy moves through all of the living and non-living things in the vineyard. I can’t think of a better day to start harvest.
- NewsThe Most Glorious Time of Year
BY VINCE VIDRINE July might be the most glorious time of year for a grape grower, when mid-summer arrives and the vine canopies grow full and lush with a palpable joy and pride.
- NewsBloom is in the Air
BY VINCE VIDRINE Bloom in the vineyard is one of the most important phenological milestones for every winegrower. Once the tiny white flowers explode from their little buds, you can pretty much set your timer for when you’re going to pick the grapes those flowers evolve into.
- NewsBud Break, Held in Balance
BY VINCE VIDRINE We have finally reached bud break! Sort of… The earlier blocks of Viognier and Syrah broke bud in earnest early last week, followed by the warmer blocks of Grenache later in the week. However, with the cooler temperatures and rain that rolled in, the progression of the season has virtually come to a standstill.
- NewsBudbreak & Blending Trials
FROM MINI BYERS AND VINCE VIDRINE Even with the warmth over the past week, budbreak doesn’t feel quite imminent. The buds are a bit larger, a little softer, but still holding. Not quite ready to push. That said, with this stretch of beautiful weather continuing, it feels close. The season will be here before we know it.
- NewsLate Winter at the Vineyard and in the Cellar
FROM MINI BYERS AND VINCE VIDRINE There is a particular quiet this time of year. Not silence exactly, but a softer rhythm. The vineyard breathes differently in late winter. So do we.
- NewsThe Quiet Turn of the Season
FROM MINI BYERS AND VINCE VIDRINE There is a subtle shift in the vineyard this time of year—a slowing, a softening of pace that feels almost like a held breath. The air carries the crispness of approaching winter. The leaves, once a vibrant chorus of green and gold, have drifted entirely to the ground, leaving the vines bare and honest. In these quiet moments, the vineyard seems to speak in whispers, offering us time to prepare, to observe, to tune ourselves to its rhythms.
