Amos Rome
Owner – Travis Clark
What is your/your family’s story around your winery?
In 2013 Tom and Teddi Pettigrew (my mother- and father-in-law) purchased land in Lake Chelan with the dream of this being their retirement home. They ended up planting grapes vines that following year to sell to area winemakers in the hopes of elevating the area’s crop and reputation. Within a few years they had become one of the largest wine growers in the Lake Chelan AVA, selling to numerous wineries in the region. It was around this time that I decided to pivot from an originally planned law career to winemaking. I began attending Northwest Wine Academy in 2015 and in 2017 I made my first wine from Chelan fruit.
How did you first become involved in the wine industry and what has your trajectory looked like?
As I was nearing the end of my completion at Northwest Wine Academy, I began interning at JM Cellars. That was my first experience working in the wine industry and I learned a tremendous amount from John Bigelow. In 2017, Amos Rome was founded.
How long have you been making wine in Washington state?
My first “unofficial” vintage was 2016 when I used 1000 lbs of Cabernet Franc from Amos Rome’s Block 98 Vineyard to make one barrel of wine for personal use. My first official commercial vintage was 2017 when I made a total of nine barrels of wine.
How did you first begin working with the grower?
I met Charles Smasne entirely by accident in 2020 when we were purchasing used winery equipment from a neighboring winemaker. Charles was in the Lake Chelan area to do consulting work for some other winegrowers. In that first conversation we had, we asked him to consult for us, as it was clear he was incredibly knowledgeable. After about a year, him took over operations of Chelan Vineyard Management LLC, our vineyard management company which manages our estate vineyards and about twenty other vineyards in the Chelan Valley and nearby Columbia River Valley.
What excites you the most about the wines you’re making?
For me the most exciting thing is being able to grow grapes to our specific viticultural standards. Because we are entirely an estate winery, I get to be in the vineyard every day – it’s literally my backyard. That allows me to directly observe the nuances each season to help make the best decisions about how to grow the grapes based on the styles of wine we want to make. I’m extremely excited about the white wines we created in 2022 – they are by far the best whites we have made to date. The Chenin Blanc and Riesling both have incredible amounts of acidity, which is exactly what we were striving for in our white wines. I’m also excited to be adding Albariño to our white wine portfolio. We also recently invested in more machinery to support our methode champenoise bubble program.
What is your favorite part about the Washington state wine community?
The best thing about the Washington wine community is how truly supportive everyone is. Every winemaker I meet and talk to is incredibly encouraging and supportive in sharing their knowledge and experiences. This has helped me rapidly accelerate my own winemaking skills and I am so grateful for that.
What excites you the most about what the future holds for Washington state wine?
There are second and third generations of winemakers looking at Washington in new and exciting ways. They are constantly experimenting and finding new winemaking techniques, which will greatly enhance our industry’s capability for future vintages.
Where are we headed or what trends are you seeing?
The state is continually pushing the envelope of what varietals we can successfully grow. The diversity of growing climates/regions are enabling us to continue exploring new and different varietals which further differentiates and accentuates Washington’s place in the wine world.
What is your favorite wine and food pairing?
Bubbles with oysters.
President of Chelan Vineyard Management – Charles Smasne
What is your/your family’s story around wine grape growing?
My father started growing wine grapes in 1980. I was training grape plants by age 10 or 11 and working in the family vineyards.
How did you first become involved in the wine industry and what has your trajectory looked like?
I first got involved with winemaking through my mom who was the tasting room manager at Kestrel Vintners in Prosser. That’s where I met Ray Sandidge, who was their winemaker at the time. I was also taking UC Davis extension courses and ultimately became the cellar master at Kestrel. I worked on a couple of vintages there and since then have worked with twenty-five or more wineries in a consulting or employee role.
How long have you been growing grapes in Washington state?
It’s been about forty years now.
How did you first begin working with this winery?
In 2020 I was up in the Lake Chelan AVA on some consulting engagements and had stopped by a friend’s winery while he was in the process of shutting down and selling off his equipment. The owner of Amos Rome Vineyards came in to look at some of the equipment when I was there. After I discovered that he had a winery, vineyards, and a vineyard management company (Chelan Vineyard Management LLC) and he subsequently learned I was a vineyard consultant, he asked me to come look at his vines. I ended up heading over there that afternoon and ultimately became the president of their vineyard management company.
What excites you the most about the grapes you’re growing or the techniques/equipment you’re using?
Chelan Valley is truly vintage wine growing, where every vintage matters and what you do in each vintage makes an enormous impact. We have to manipulate vines every year to optimize quality based on the ever-changing growing conditions. It’s that variation and challenge that truly excites me the most.
What is your favorite part of being a part of the Washington state wine community?
I love that the state is at such a young place compared to the rest of the world. There are still so many things to learn about matching grapes with sites and adjusting to varying growing conditions. It’s continually evolving year after year and I find that tremendously exciting to navigate.
What do you think the future holds for Washington state wine? Where are we headed or what trends are you seeing?
In the Lake Chelan AVA, we already have great diversity, and this area is only just getting started. The glacial moraines and clay and pumice deposits make this area an extremely interesting wine growing region in Washington State, and it has the potential to get even better, as long as the growers and winemakers continue to invest in the area.
What is your favorite wine and food pairing?
I love to explore wine and food so much that my favorite is honestly the next great pairing I encounter!
Crew Lead, Chelan Vineyard Management – Alejandro Cortes
What is your background, how did you come to work at the vineyard?
I originally came to this area to pick cherries, but the gentleman who hired me also happened to care for grape vines. Based on the immediate interest I took to vineyard work, he quickly transitioned me to working in the vineyard.
How long have you been working in this capacity?
Eight years
What excites you the most about working in the vineyards?
I enjoy that there are always a wide variety of tasks that differ from day to day. I also really enjoy working with the grape vines and seeing their entire lifecycle; from planting to taking care of the vines and ultimately harvest.
What is your favorite aspect of your job?
My favorite aspect is working on the various irrigation systems and keeping them running throughout the year. Not to mention vineyard life outdoors is a great lifestyle!
What do you think the future holds for Washington state wine? Where are we headed or what trends are you seeing?
I enjoy constantly learning what variety grows best here. It seems that Washington state is a new grape growing area compared to the rest of the world and people are planting a lot of different varieties and learning the best ways to grow them.
What fact can you share about your job that wine-drinkers might not know?
I think it’d be great for wine drinkers to know that growing grapes is more than just about grapes and wine. It’s also about the people behind the job; empowering each and every one to become better at what they do so that the end product is the best it can be.
