Anaïs Mera of AniChe Cellars: Crafting Wines with Passion and Purpose
Nestled in the breathtaking Columbia Gorge AVA, AniChe Cellars is a winery where innovation, tradition, and heart converge. Under the stewardship of winemaker Anaïs Mera, AniChe Cellars is creating wines that honor the land, celebrate the craft, and reflect the deep-rooted values of this family-owned operation. For Anaïs, winemaking is more than a business; it’s a calling shaped by the natural world and the people who cultivate it.
“The Columbia Gorge AVA is an invigorating place to make wine,” Anaïs says. “I love the challenge of the landscape, the climate, and the relentless reminder that my tasks as a grower and winemaker are just a blip in time in Mother Earth’s plan to keep going, going, going.” This humility and connection to nature are central to Anaïs’s philosophy, shaping every step of her winemaking journey.
A Landscape Like No Other
The Columbia Gorge AVA is renowned for its dramatic landscapes and diverse microclimates, making it a unique canvas for winemakers like Anaïs. The region’s varied terroir allows for the cultivation of a wide array of grape varieties, each thriving in specific conditions.
For Anaïs, this diversity is both a challenge and an opportunity. “Farming and making wine here is a constant reminder,” she reflects. “There is no mastery of nature; we are nature, we are part of our earth and the cycles she has.”
AniChe Cellars embraces this diversity by working with a range of grape varieties, from high-acid whites like Grüner Veltliner to bold reds like Syrah. “This year, I’m very excited about bringing back our typrich of Grüner Veltliners in the Wachau style,” Anaïs shares. “Total nerd stuff.” It’s this dedication to craft and experimentation that sets AniChe Cellars apart in the Gorge.
The Future of the Columbia Gorge AVA
As one of the region’s passionate advocates, Anaïs is optimistic about the future of the Columbia Gorge AVA. “I hope to see the AVA receiving more accolades nationally and internationally,” she says. “All the folks here are practically all local and family-owned, making wine in such a beautiful place.”
The small scale of production in the Gorge is part of its charm, though it also presents challenges. “We just are all usually too busy to look up from the cellar and vineyard to toot our own horn,” Anaïs explains. “I hope the early adopters continue to sing our praises as an AVA so we can continue making wine, holding our businesses together, and paying our mortgages. No joke.”
This grassroots ethos is a hallmark of the Gorge, where winemakers focus on the craft rather than marketing hype. Anaïs envisions a future where the region’s distinctiveness is recognized and celebrated on a broader stage.
Women in Winemaking
As a second-generation winemaker, Anaïs has a unique perspective on being a woman in the wine industry. Following in the footsteps of her mother, Rachael, she has witnessed both the progress and the challenges women face in winemaking.
“My mom Rachael had far bigger challenges because of her sex than I did,” Anaïs acknowledges. “My experience has been blessed with an introverted high focus on my own work and our family business.”
However, the broader wine industry has not been without its difficulties. “Have my wines been less received by the top marketing people in Washington and other influencers because of my sex? Absolutely,” Anaïs admits. “But being a woman winemaker in the Gorge, and for my own family business, has been my superpower!”
Anaïs also emphasizes the natural advantages women bring to winemaking. “Womxn have better sensory connections to our memory via our olfactory system, and it is a total superpower,” she says. “We’re able to sense and create a product with more nuance and complexity purely by the sensorial insight we naturally possess!”
A Passion for Techniques and Styles
Anaïs’s winemaking philosophy is rooted in a respect for the natural world and a commitment to innovation. “I’m loving to see lighter styles of wines being embraced,” she says. “Whole cluster! Carbonic! I like the embrace of winemaking practices that showcase a sense of place, with minimal manipulation.”
At AniChe Cellars, Anaïs is also excited about alternative fermentation vessels. “Clay, terracotta, concrete! The Gorge will also be known for our sparklings in a decade, just you wait,” she predicts. These techniques allow Anaïs to craft wines that are not only expressive of their terroir but also vibrant and fresh.
The Columbia Gorge Experience
For Anaïs, the Columbia Gorge AVA is more than just a wine region—it’s a community of passionate, independent winemakers who pour their hearts into every bottle. “I hope that when people come to the Gorge, they feel that pressure, that excitement, of these wines,” she says.
AniChe Cellars embodies this spirit, offering wines that are both innovative and deeply rooted in the land. Visitors to the winery can expect a welcoming and inclusive experience, where the winemakers themselves are often pouring the wines.
“No other place in the PNW can you come and experience the kind of fitness, grace, and uniqueness of wine with this kind of welcoming vibe,” Anaïs says.
A Legacy of Passion and Purpose
Under Anaïs Mera’s guidance, AniChe Cellars is crafting wines that honor the past while looking boldly to the future. With a focus on sustainability, creativity, and connection, Anaïs is helping to shape the Columbia Gorge AVA into a region known for its unique wines and passionate winemakers.
For those looking to explore the Gorge, AniChe Cellars offers a chance to experience the beauty and diversity of this remarkable region—one glass at a time. “Something different, but familiar and open,” Anaïs says. That’s the magic of the Columbia Gorge AVA, and the wines of AniChe Cellars.
