Vivianne Kennedy, RAM Cellars
Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla, Stl’pulmsh (Cowlitz), Clackamas, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, and Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians land – Portland, Oregon
http://www.ramcellars.com, @ramcellars
At RAM Cellars, we make small batch lots of low-intervention wines that are reflective of both the season they were grown and the varietal characteristics of the grapes they contain. We do this through native yeast ferments on all our wines, zero fining or filtration, limiting our inputs to the minimum sulfite levels necessary to protect each wine based on its individual chemistry, and the use of neutral oak or stainless-steel vessels for aging to accentuate the true varietal characteristics of the grapes from whence our wines came. The resulting wines are balanced, approachable wines that exhibit good acidity and aromatics.
It's our goal to showcase underrepresented varietals and winemaking styles as part of the diverse array of wines we produce and we strongly believe that natural winemaking starts in the vineyard, not just with the choices made around vine management regimens but in a total bigger picture sense that centers the vineyard stewards and provides them with living wages and safe working conditions.
From our signature orange Riesling to Counoise, Cinsault, Roussanne, Malbec, Tempranillo and Cabernet Franc – and many more varietals and stylistic takes on them – our offerings are a diverse representation of the growing regions we have access to here in the Pacific Northwest. We make our wines in Portland, Oregon, working with trusted vineyard partners in Oregon and Washington, sourcing grapes from a variety of climates and soil profiles, placing an emphasis on working with vineyard sites who care as much about their vineyard crews as their vine management practices.
RAM Cellars is the project of Vivianne Kennedy, a winemaker and lifelong student of wine living in Portland, Oregon. Vivianne’s wine career has spanned a number of wineries across the Pacific Northwest prior to (and overlapping with) the launch of RAM Cellars in 2014. She studied enology and viticulture through programs at Washington State University while interning at wineries across the northwest. She’s also a proud transgender woman and LGBTQIA+ advocate who is passionate about making wine accessible for everyone and centering it as the social elixir it is. Her namesake VIV label (Actually named as such due to ‘viv’ being a French root word that means ‘to live / to be alive’) raises funds for partner nonprofit organizations providing direct support to other queer and transgender people both in the Pacific Northwest and across the US. Current VIV label partner organizations include the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Trans Lifeline, and Portland, Oregon’s Q Center.
Social Justice and Environmental Restoration Statement:
1) Supporting organizations that promote social, environmental, food, and economic justice – examples include: AHIVOY Oregon, an Oregon nonprofit that provides educational and advancement opportunities for vineyard stewards to advance to other portions of the industry including wine production; Fundraising for social justice minded organizations such as Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC); And supporting the nonprofit organizations who we partner with through our VIV label to raise funds to support other LGBTQIA+ folks.
2) Employing communities marginalized in wine production while centering opportunities for LGBTQIA+ individuals seeking opportunities in wine
3) Providing a living wage of $25 per hour to our annual harvest interns and providing similar compensation for contract labor for other year-round production-cycle projects in an effort to fairly compensate those involved for their labor as part of our project
4) Mentoring and advocacy work across a variety of organizations in and outside of wine including: Serving in a leadership role in the Portland Urban Winery Association in an effort to advance social justice and DEI initiative within the organization; Mentoring and providing support to other LGBTQIA+ individuals in wine through a variety of channels both formal and informal; Serving on the International Pinot Noir Celebration DEI committee to help reshape the IPNC’s DEI goals; and Participating in women’s small business mentorship in Portland, OR, among others.