Stony Hill | Our Annual Sheep Parade
February 4, 2023
Press

Last week brought the excitement of our annual sheep parade as we welcomed 450 sheep to our historic vineyards. These friendly ewes will be here at Stony Hill for the next month, grazing through an acre a day on the fresh cover crop between the vines.

This is a natural way to reduce the vegetation and also add in organic fertilizer so the carbon cycle is increased, adding to the quality of our vineyard and our wines.

The sheep are a wool breed called Rambouillet and due to the owners’ high-quality standards of animal welfare, their wool is highly-sought out across the US. Ralph Lauren even used their wool (Imperial Stock Ranch/Shaniko Wool Company) for the last four Winter Olympics Team USA uniforms.

While the sheep are helping out our vineyards by managing the cover crop, they’re protected by their trusted Livestock Guardian, Popeye, a five-year-old Great Pyrenees.
Having our friendly helpers here brings our team so much joy. And as the entire herd belongs to Talbott Sheep Company, a family run sheep business for over 103 years, it really is history meeting history.

This particular herd is new to our vines and will venture to the national forest later this year to graze as part of fire protection. The Talbott sheep that maintained our vineyards last year recently gave birth and are currently caring for their young. We can’t wait to welcome them in the future.

Enjoy these photos and feel free to reach out to continue the conversation! Learn more about Stony Hill.