OUR Story

Arbutus Menziesii, the Pacific Madrone. A symbol of the Pacific Northwest and the islands we call home.

The BEGINNINGs

How it all started…

With over 15 years in the industry, Shaun is one of the youngest winemakers in Washington State. After studying viticulture and enology at Oregon State University, his winemaking career officially began as Assistant Winemaker at San Juan Island Vineyards in 2011. This is when he fell in love with the San Juan Islands, and fell in love with Washington Wine.

Amy has always been an island girl, and when she and Shaun met in 2014, she knew her future was always going to lead back to San Juan Island. Together, Shaun and Amy lived in Lake Chelan from 2014-2017, while Shaun was Assistant Winemaker at Hard Row to Hoe Vineyards and Head Winemaker at Mellisoni Vineyards.

In 2017, they decided together to make the islands their forever home, and moved back to start Madrone Cellars.

Terroir & natural

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Terroir, which is a sense of place reflected through taste, textures, and aromas, is the inspiration for our wines and ciders. We want to tell a story in every glass. We chose to focus on natural winemaking styles, which include wild fermentations, zero filtrations, minimal interventions, and much more.

Natural, to us, means crafting wine and cider the way it was made for years. We do not manipulate our products but allow them to reflect the terroir and purity of fruit. An important distinction for us is that our products contain zero residual sugar. Biologically unstable, residual sugar requires chemicals or sterilization to prevent refermentation in the bottle. Natural wine ferments all the way dry and achieves balance through rest and age. Read more about our process in our blog.

Sustainability Ethos

Sustainability is something that we strive for in all facets of Madrone. At the farming level, we operate as zero chemical farmers, choosing to weed by hand and embodying circular economy farming. This style of farming mimics the natural systems, minimizing waste and outputs by creating a circular loop. Outputs (leftover apple and grape pomace, manure, pruning wood) become inputs.

Every spring, we make our own ramial wood mulch using pruning wood from the orchard and vineyard at Saltwater Farm. Ramial wood mulch feeds and builds the population of healthy fungi (mycorrhizae) and bacteria in the soil. By fostering a healthy biological soil, we are increasing its capacity to sequester carbon from the atmosphere. Creating a healthy soil microbiome environment confers microbiome health to the plants, and the fruit we are growing. This is a key element for healthy wild fermentations. The apple and grape pomace that is leftover after pressing in the fall is mixed with manure from the Island Haven Animal Sanctuary, and is later spread as compost throughout our estate orchard and vineyard. This loop feeds the soil nutrients and energy for many years to come. In production, we only use biodegradable and salmon safe products. We are very aware of run off hazards, and keeping our oceans safe for all living organisms.

Our ComMitment

Shipping a pallet of glass bottles from the production plant in France can emit approximately 19,000lbs of C02 into the atmosphere. Recycling is great. Reusing goes so much farther! In 2022, we began our Bottle Reuse Program.

Bottle reuse program

✦ Every pour bottle is saved at the Madrone Bar + Kitchen.

✦ We remove the labels by hand, wash, sanitize and store the bottles for the next bottle run.

✦ Since 2022, we have reused approximately 539 cases of glass bottles!

Who We Are

Shaun and Amy Salamida

The San Juan Islands are our home. It’s where we met, where Amy’s family lives, and where we want to raise our own family.

Shaun is from Carbondale, Colorado. He grew up snowboarding, hiking, and learning how to cook with his dad, John. A family with a deep love of food and wine, the Salamidas took Shaun to his first vineyard experience in Grand Junction when he was 19. Although it wasn’t legal for Shaun to drink, the vineyards he visited with his family sparked an interest in viticulture. This is what caused the curiosity and eventual decision to study Viticulture and Enology at Oregon State University. His passion for wine and sustainability is the driving force behind Madrone.

Throughout Madrone’s evolution, Amy has been the creative force behind the brand and the Madrone Bar + Kitchen. Hospitality has always been Amy’s passion, and after working years in the service industry, she runs the Bar + Kitchen as if it is an extension of herself.

Giving Back

✦ 5% of all sales from our Plum Perry, Local Blend, and The Isles Cider are donated to the following local nonprofits:

Joyce Sobel Family Resource Center: The Joyce L. Sobel Family Resource Center provides resources, advocacy, help, and education for all islanders to be healthy, safe, and productive.

Island Haven Animal Sanctuary : Island Haven Animal Sanctuary provides lifetime care for equines and farmed animals who, while still able to lead a quality life, are unable to find homes due to disabilities.

Seadoc Society: The mission of the SeaDoc Society is to ensure the health of marine wildlife and their ecosystems through science and education.

Great question! The Arbutus Menziesii, or Pacific Madrone, is a species of broadleaf evergreen tree that is native to the PNW coast. We wanted a name that represented our home and the San Juan Islands. After much deliberation, we picked the name Madrone in 2016 before we started the winery and cidery!
We are really passionate about soil health, microbiomes and personal health! Natural wines and ciders are the pure expression of fruit, farming and terroir, with no added chemicals, synthetic fertilizers, or added sugar.
There is such a thing as clean, natural wine. And we are here to prove it.
Come visit us on San Juan Island! We have two locations. Our Madrone Bar + Kitchen is in downtown Friday Harbor. No reservation required, and only two blocks from the Friday Harbor ferry terminal. Madrone Cellars offers a more in depth tasting experience in the San Juan Valley during the summer season. Reservation required.