Hard Row to Hoe Vineyards earns USDA Organic certification

Hard Row to Hoe Vineyards earned a seal of approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Hard Row to Hoe, a family-owned estate winery in Manson, announced in a late April news release that its estate vineyards is USDA Organic certified. The new certification applies to about 20 acres of wine grape vineyards in Manson, including Glacial Gravels, Gary's and Poverty Hill, where the winery farms.

The USDA website says the "organic" labeling term is used for food or other agricultural products produced according to several standards set by the department.

For crops, standards include no prohibited substances applied for at least three years before the harvest of an organic crop and pests, weeds, and diseases be "controlled primarily through management practices including physical, mechanical, and biological controls."

The USDA release said the certification process included an application to an accredited certifying agent and on-site inspection, where a certifier visited and assessed organic practices.

"This certification didn't change our farming," Judy Phelps, owner and founding winemaker of Hard Row to Hoe Vineyards, said in the release. "It just made it official. We've been organic since day one because we make wine that we actually like to drink ourselves, and we don't want glyphosates or synthetic chemicals in what we consume."

The winery said its first vineyard on Ivan Morse Road was recognized as the first LIVE and Salmon-Safe certified vineyard in North Central Washington. To earn a Salmon-Safe certification as a winegrower, the focus is "on reducing vineyard runoff, water quality protection, and enhancement of native biodiversity on vineyard sites," according to the organization's website.

"What goes on the soils in the vineyard doesn't stay there," Don Phelps, owner and vineyard manager of Hard Row to Hoe Vineyards, said in the release. "Protecting the watershed of Lake Chelan is non-negotiable for us. Healthy soils, living ecosystems, and clean water make better grapes and better wine in your glass."

The winery's 2026 vintage will be its first with the official certification. Interested visitors can sip wine at Hard Row to Hoe's Lake Chelan tasting room on Ivan Morse Road or at the tasting parlor in downtown Leavenworth.

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