Sean Reeves
Winemaker
Cidermaker
As head wine and cider maker at Everly Farms, Sean Reeves has brought his career full circle, landing what he calls “his dream job.” Reeves is now fulfilling the vision of vineyard owners, Frank and Esther Weigel, to create an assortment of libations made from the best Minnesota has to offer mixed with fruit from around the U.S., a vision Reeves shares.
The 27-year-old native of Plymouth, Minn., earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Iowa State University, embarking on engineering internships that left him professionally unfulfilled. He finally decided engineering wasn’t his path forward.
Reeves landed in Santa Rosa, California, the heart of Sonoma County, when his wife took on a company project that required temporary relocation. That opened Reeves to the art and science of winemaking as it unfolds across California’s wine country, and allowed him to transform his nascent interest in fermentation into an artful practice focused on the types of wines that appealed to him the most: Semi-dry wines that allow the fruit to speak.
Reeves worked and studied at the famed Kendall Jackson Estate, which produces a vast array of wines under different labels. He worked most closely with the Murphy Goode label. “I was in the right county to dive into what had, up to this time, been a hobby,” Reeves said.
In California, Reeves dug into the balance between the “science and art” required to make high-quality beverages.
Upon his return to Minnesota, Reeves earned his associate’s degree in Enology (winemaking) through VESTA, an alliance of colleges, universities, vineyards and wineries across the country. Reeves also worked and studied under master winemakers in Minnesota producing award-winning wines.
Reeves has refined the art of making craft ciders and seltzers by collaborating with numerous professionals active around the Twin Cities. His favorite Minnesota apples are the Honeycrisp and the SweeTango.
At Everly Farms, Reeves has access to vitis vinifera — the classic french varietals such as Cabernet, Merlot and Pinot Noir — as well as vitis riparia, the cold-climate hybrids developed by the University of Minnesota such as Marquette, Itasca and (his favorite) LaCrescent.
“For cider, I like to use a combination of apples to create complexity and balances of acids and tannins,” he said. “This creates a well-rounded cider.”
