Three Brothers Vineyard Review
Address: 812 Lincoln St. Farnam,Nebraska 69029.
Phone Number: 308-569-2501
Tasting Hours: See website for wine tasting details.
Region: Nebraska
Reviewer: Mark and Sonja
Review Date: 6/2/2014
Reviewer: Mark and Sonja
Rating: 4
The Review
We had a sinking feeling as we pulled into the parking lot of 3 Brothers Vineyard and Winery. There were no other cars in the parking lot, and the sign in the small window next to the door read Closed. We had driven an hour from North Platte to the rural town of Farnam, Nebraska, and were over three hours from our home in Omaha. Not being able to visit the 3 Brothers tasting room would have been a disappointment to say the least. We hopped out of the car and approached the front door of the tasting room to read the notice that was taped on the inside of the window. It listed some contact phone numbers, so, ever hopeful, we started dialing. After calling the second number listed, someone answered. Gary Wach, the owner and winemaker at 3 Brothers answered. He was out on the tractor, he said, but graciously offered to come open the tasting room for us if we would hang on a couple of minutes. Good ol Midwestern hospitality at its finest! Soon we heard the roar of the tractor as Gary pulled up and then hopped down to greet us.
The tasting room at 3 Brothers is small but clean and orderly. Attached is a fenced patio furnished with wrought iron tables and chairs, and the white fence is adorned with thriving grape vines. The bar inside is small but the room also has a number of tables and chairs for additional seating. On the far wall, three ancient-looking portraits hang of three couples. The men in the pictures are Wach brothers, from whom Gary is descended. They were pioneers who settled in this part of Nebraska in the late nineteenth century and the women in the pictures, their wives, were three sisters. If not overly fancy, the tasting room at 3 Brothers is functional, clean, and adorned with interesting little touches such as the three portraits.
Tasting at 3 Brothers proved to be a little tricky as half of his wines were sold out. Gary informed us that much of his wine sells out prior to even being bottled. While this definitely says something about the popularity of 3 Brothers wines, it also makes them harder to review. We enjoyed the wines we did taste, though in candor we were not blown away by any of them. The reds run a spectrum of dry to sweet; the dry red Landot Noir was smoky and smooth, but lacked body and complexity, though the sweet red Tradition, made of Marechal Foch grapes, was fruity and light without being overly sweet. The whites also represented a spectrum, made primarily from LaCrosse, Frontenac Gris, Seyval and Brianna grapes that grow well in this region, though we found we favored the red offerings overall.
To our disappointment, we learned on Tuesday afternoon that on Fridays and Saturdays there are free appetizers to be enjoyed from 5-7pm in the evening. Further, Gary takes great pride in his monthly dinners. For a modest fee a locally-sourced cut of prime rib or BBQ pork loin will be accompanied by a flight of wine for any with a reservation. We wish we could have partaken in this event, though we supposed thats what we get for showing up unannounced.
3 Brothers Vineyard and Winery is a quaint, little stop amongst those few wineries south of I-80 in Nebraska. It is not the largest nor the fanciest of Nebraskas many wineries, but it was an enjoyable place for us to spend the afternoon. We were thankful that Gary seemed so willing to set his work aside to share his craft with us, and were certain that hell do the same for you, though again, wed recommend a reservation. That smooth, smoky red would go pretty well with a thick cut of grass-fed prime rib.