Anam Cara Cellars Closes Retail Tasting Room

On October 31, Anam Cara closed the doors to its tasting room at 306 N Main Street in Newberg for the last time as the owners look forward to retirement. Anam Cara will continue producing wine and hosting tastings by appointment at its vineyard in the hills above Newberg.

“Over the years, we had discussed scaling back our business,” said Co-Owner Sheila Nicholas. “Nick is in his 80s, and I am not far behind, and age is starting to slow us down. But a vineyard has a strong pull, and with every harvest, we immersed ourselves again and again, knowing that the crop would take years to come full circle. This year, the decision was made for us when significant health issues provoked difficult questions.”

Sheila and Nick planted grapes on their property above Rex Hill Winery in 2001, producing their first vintage in 2003. They opened the tasting room on Main Street in 2008. At their peak, Anam Cara managed 35 organically farmed acres of grapes producing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pommard, Dijon clones, Gewurztraminer, and Riesling. In 2014, the Nicholases downsized their ownership to five acres, according to their website.

The Anam Cara tasting room has been a fixture on Main Street, with a large tasting room inside and some patio seating in the summer. Grape vines grow outside on the street, with brightly colored landscaping from spring through autumn. The warehouse was climate-controlled and provided the space to package and send out club shipments. They worked with a small but dedicated group of employees that helped keep operations running smoothly.

“We’ve been blessed with a small but amazing staff over the years,” she said, “many of whom have been with us for over eight years and have their own fans. It’s a great location, and we shall miss it.”

Retirement had been a point of conversation for the past several years, Sheila said. But the industry was moving fast, and each year brought new excitement.

For example, Anam Cara’s 2020 vintage. The year 2020 is notorious for many things, but in the Willamette Valley wine industry, it’s at least partially known for historic wildfires all around the state and the smoke that followed, right around harvest.

The Anam Cara team harvested the best grapes on their vines and created a double-gold-award-winning Pinot Noir vintage from a year when many others had a distinct smokiness.

“We had casually talked about retiring for years, but with each new vintage, we were energized into creating new wines, always intrigued by the ability of the vineyard to create miracles despite nature’s curveballs,” Sheila said.

The couple hopes to continue managing their vineyard while using the extra time to rest, relax, and retire.

“At this time, we are just focusing on the vineyard, but you may see us volunteering for some of our incredible local wine-focused events,” Sheila said. “Some travel would be nice, but we can’t seem to agree on where, and we have a place in Newport we are remodeling. It’s certainly a change of scenery.”

While the tasting room is closed, Anam Cara will continue producing wines under its label (which is Celtic for “Soul Friend”). Wines are available for purchase on the website, with an option for local delivery as long as the recipient donates either food or money to a local food bank.

“Newberg has been good to us,” Sheila said. “And yet, even after 15 years, local folks would say they’ve driven by us for years and finally made the decision to stop. If we could send a message, it would be to encourage people to take the time to stop, support, and visit their local merchants. It’s a great community.”

Learn more about Anam Cara Cellars on their website.