Winemaker: Anaïs Mera

Locations: 45th Parallel Wine shop in St. Johns, Cooper's Wine Shop in Welches, OR

Instagram: @anichecellars

Website: https://anichecellars.com

Although our wines sometimes are made with lesser known varietals, or have fanciful names (Moth Love is one!), our wines have a sense of life and verve to them, with softer tannins, and great food pairing potentials.

We honor the life and death cycles in the vineyard, and in the cellar, constantly. In our offering to the vineyard, and reverence for the life cycles of the plants, our wine, and ourselves, we do little changes or manipulation to the wines in honor of vintage and that growing season. Diversity is key! Working with and as nature is a big element in our growing practices as well as winemaking.

We strive to let the wine speak for the vintage and guide it to be the most truthful expression of the place it's grown and the season it saw. Vineyard practices are mirroring this honoring. Since acquiring the vineyard in Fall of 2021, we have seen wildlife return to the area, native ground covers reclaim their spots between and under the vines, and overall health of the plants for long term success improve.

The AniChe family have been working together processing fruit and making wine under the leadership of my mother, Rachael since 2009. Since coming on board in 2013, my wine experience was little and I was fresh out of WSU's Viticulture program. Throughout the next 15 years, I made wine with my mom and my role in the winery became more serious and more responsible for our wine program. It developed slowly with trial and error, tasting so much wine, and having to deal with challenges forced upon us; mostly in terms of wildfire and smoke affect.

Being a woman in this industry is met with lots of adversity and working with (read dealing with!) the Old Guard of white patriarchy controlling the narrative and the opportunities. Instead of working with or under someone else in a more traditional or corporate setting, my mom didn't ask for permission and had the privilege to do it on her own. My winemaking experience has been under this freedom of being my own boss, learning quick and making mistakes. I took the WSU Oenology program, and have my WSET 3; all to have more letters behind my name. Education and continued learning was a major role in my winemaking journey.

Now our company is in the transition of me being the official winemaker after years of mentorship and teamwork by my mom and I. 2023 was officially my first vintage under creative direction.