Sip Northwest, Summer 2014
ANAM CARA CELLARS EXPERIENCE OVER INSTITUTION When Sheila Nichols and her husband Nick lived in Napa Valley running pizza parlors they bartered wine for pizza We ended up with a bunch of cult Cabernets that cost us a few large pepperoni pies she says After many years in the pizza business and then public relations for wine Nichols and her husband wanted to try something new We both wanted to grow something she says in reference to grapes SIPNORTHWEST COM Although very few high school counselors suggest it Nichols and her husband alternated weekends in Oregon eventually discovering a century old nut and plum orchard gone rogue The couple moved from Napa to Newberg with their two teenagers living in a 120 year old tumbledown farmhouse for one year They built a new farmhouse on their 68 acre property and planted the rst 10 acres of their now 35 acre vineyard creating ANAM CARA CELLARS When initially weighing their options Nichols and her husband chose to invest in the vineyard and lease winery space Then we would always have our own fruit source she says Plus at the end of the day they like to sit on their porch and watch the grapes grow Neither Nichols nor her husband had any formal grape growing or winemaking training You have to roll your sleeves up break a few ngernails hit your head a few times and scratch yourself up on berries she says when asked what leads to success Youve got to actually live it A life lesson came to Nichols from ROCO Winery winemaker Rollin Soles formally of Argyle It started to rain at our rst harvest and I called him up asking what to do says Nichols In Napa wed get helicopters out In his signature Texas drawl Soles said Girl dont you dare pick yet Nichols says she remembers thinking he had courage And thats one thing you need in this business TOP PHOTO BY ANDREA JOHNSON
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