OneRepublic guitarist Zach Filkins is embarking on a business venture outside of the music industry: running a recently acquired winery.
Filkins and his wife Lindsay purchased Karma Vista Winery earlier this year and renamed it Filkins Vineyards.
The vineyard and winery serve guests on-site and boast beautiful countryside views less than an hour from Kalamazoo.
“We have dreamed of owning our own property and making our own estate-grown wines,” Filkins wrote on Instagram. video description.
‘Southwest Michigan inspired us and gave us the incredible opportunity to take over Karma Vista Vineyards and make it our own.’
OneRepublic guitarist Zach Filkins and his wife Lindsay purchased Karma Vista Winery earlier this year and renamed it Filkins Vineyards.
The couple first visited Karma Vista Winery in 2019 after a OneRepublic show in Grand Rapids. They enjoyed their wine and conversations with its then-owners.
OneRepublic achieved success in the early 2000s with songs like “Apologize.”
Filkins and his wife had years of experience working in the restaurant industry before the guitarist’s music career took off.
However, it only took one visit to a vineyard for this couple to want to buy a winery.
‘Since our first visit to a winery during our honeymoon in California, we have dreamed of owning a winery where family and friends could gather,’ the Fikins wrote on the vineyard. website.
After years of visiting vineyards, the couple stopped by Karma Vista Winery in 2019 after a OneRepublic show in Grand Rapids.
“We recall trying almost all of the wines offered except for the sweet options,” the website reads.
The couple had dreamed of opening their own winery ever since they had a “vineyard experience” during their honeymoon in California.
‘As we moved from whites to reds, I remember thinking how wonderful each wine was.’
The couple was also drawn to the winery after chatting with then-owners Joe and Sue Herman during their visit.
The vineyard and winery serve guests on-site and boast beautiful countryside views less than an hour from Kalamazoo.
The Hermans established their business in 2002 and made the decision to stop using herbicides in the vineyard seven years later.
According to the Filkins, the Hermans used “cover crops, compost and other regenerative practices” to care for the land’s soil.
The former owners used these practices until they confirmed their retirement and sale of land on a Facebook post in 2022. mail St. Patrick’s Day weekend.
“Everything has its time, and it’s time for us to pass on this good vibe to a new generation,” the Hermans wrote.
‘Zach, Lindsay and their family are the perfect people to continue discovering all that this truly talented site has to offer the world of wine.’
They added that the Filkins share the same passion and enthusiasm they had for changing the world “one crop at a time.”
Previous owners Joe and Sue Herman stopped using herbicides on the vineyard in 2009 and instead use a variety of regenerative practices to protect their soil.
The Filkins insisted that visitors to the vineyard would not see bare soil, but rather grasses and vegetation that protect it from damage caused by monocultures.
Filkins and his wife, to whom he has been married for nearly 20 years, have worked to maintain the Herman legacy and their farming practices.
The couple insisted that visitors to the vineyard would not see bare soil, but would see various grasses and vegetation.
These features are intended to prevent potential damage caused by monocultures, leading to regeneration and carbon sequestration.
“By promoting biodiversity both above and below ground, the Hermans have been a shining light pointing us towards a better way of working the land, and this can inspire not only modern viticulture but all types of agriculture around the world,” Filkins wrote.
‘As Lindsay and I move forward with Filkins Vineyards, our hope is to always keep the Hermans’ legacy and example in mind, and to take our practices and principles in the direction that most closely resembles how this land was originally intended to thrive.’
Lindsay’s sister, Melissa Feris, is the general manager of the vineyard. She has received hundreds of positive reviews on social media since taking over ownership.
Since the Filkins opened the doors to their vineyard last May, business appears to be booming and guests have been leaving positive reviews on various social media platforms.
The Filkins hired experienced winemaker Jason Johnson to head up wine production, and Lindsay’s sister, Melissa Feris, is their general manager.