Our Story

Mary Ann and Mike McNally became Oregonians in the fall of 2008. Nebraskans by birth and education, they raised their family in Texas. They have three children: Pat and his wife Stephanie live in Missouri, Meara and her husband Gus live in Oregon, and Kevin currently attends college in California.

Mary Ann's passion for gardening and Mike's love of project development led them to the wine-growing business. They purchased the two adjacent properties that make up Fairsing Vineyard in the summer of 2005. The parcels of land had been timberland that was harvested prior to acquisition. With the assistance of vineyard manager, Bob Bailey - owner of Northwest Vineyard Services Inc., they jumped headfirst into Oregon's wine industry.

The vineyard land was cleared during the winter of 2005-2006. Infrastructure was put in place during the summer of 2006: a road was built; an equipment barn constructed; a well drilled, electrical conduit installed anda deer fence was put in place around 115 acres. At the same time, the vineyard land was prepared, drain tile installed, blocks laid out and trellis erected. In October of 2006 the first delivery arrived from Duarte Trees & Vines, and 41,000 vines were planted on 18 acres. Progress in 2007 consisted of watching growth, developing another 10 acres of vineyard land, and the planting of 21,700 vines. In 2008 an additional 4 acres of vineyard land was developed and 9,400 vines were planted.

In addition to vineyard activities, cleared land adjacent to the vineyard was reforested. About 24000 native trees and shrubs were planted in four major draws. This included 15,500 conifers, 2,800 deciduous trees and 5,700 shrubs. One ofthe greatest challenges has been learning to control scotch broom, thisle and blackberries utilizing sustainable practices. The early years were challenging but observing the development of the vines and the production of fruit makes all the hard work and investment worthwhile. We look forward to future harvests, and perhaps the additional challenge of someday turning our grapes into wine.