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- Alumni-Owned Businesses Spotlight: Anchored Roots Vineyard & Winery
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Supporting and celebrating ÀÏ°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼ alumni who are business owners and entrepreneurs.
Alumni-Owned Businesses Spotlight: Anchored Roots Vineyard & Winery
Amy ’11 and Eric ’12 Gale
Major: Amy – Communication & Media Studies; Eric – Biology
Business: Anchored Roots Vineyard & Winery
“The story of Anchored Roots Vineyard & Winery is the story of us. It’s a story about our journey as individuals, as partners, and as a family. We met at ÀÏ°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼ through our roommates mere months before graduation. We got married in 2015 in Door County and headed west to ignite a passion for wine.
“After graduating in 2012, Eric earned his master’s in viticulture from Washington State University and found success in his profession in vineyard management and consultation with Washington’s largest winery. I grew up working on a dairy farm in Luxemburg, so science and agriculture were an integral part of me. I was strongly influenced by many of the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼ biology faculty members, so much so that I initially pursued graduate programs with the intent to research and teach biology at the collegiate level. After struggling to find graduate funding opportunities in biology, and after many chats with my long-time advisor Anindo Choudhury, I found a pathway back to my true calling in life, agriculture.
“I graduated in 2011 and entered the hospitality field, working in Programs, Membership, and Events at The Harley-Davidson Museum, and later as the director of tasting room operations for a multi-location family winery in Washington. When Eric brought up the idea of moving to the west coast to study viticulture, we could see our future falling into place. We’d continue our education, gain hands-on experience in the industry, and return home to start our own vineyard and winery. It was a natural fit with my background.
“Despite our successful careers, our goal was always to come home to Wisconsin. In 2020 after our first son Henry was born, we felt the time was right to make the move. We purchased 38 acres in Egg Harbor and started our vineyard. We planted three acres that first year, and then last spring, we planted three more.
“Our name, Anchored Roots, ties together the “roots” of our home with the vines at the heart of our business. Looking to the future, we anticipate the completion of our winemaking facility and tasting room by May 2022.
“We are grateful for our family, friends, mentors and our alma mater, who have all made our story possible.”
“After graduating in 2012, Eric earned his master’s in viticulture from Washington State University and found success in his profession in vineyard management and consultation with Washington’s largest winery. I grew up working on a dairy farm in Luxemburg, so science and agriculture were an integral part of me. I was strongly influenced by many of the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼ biology faculty members, so much so that I initially pursued graduate programs with the intent to research and teach biology at the collegiate level. After struggling to find graduate funding opportunities in biology, and after many chats with my long-time advisor Anindo Choudhury, I found a pathway back to my true calling in life, agriculture.
“I graduated in 2011 and entered the hospitality field, working in Programs, Membership, and Events at The Harley-Davidson Museum, and later as the director of tasting room operations for a multi-location family winery in Washington. When Eric brought up the idea of moving to the west coast to study viticulture, we could see our future falling into place. We’d continue our education, gain hands-on experience in the industry, and return home to start our own vineyard and winery. It was a natural fit with my background.
“Despite our successful careers, our goal was always to come home to Wisconsin. In 2020 after our first son Henry was born, we felt the time was right to make the move. We purchased 38 acres in Egg Harbor and started our vineyard. We planted three acres that first year, and then last spring, we planted three more.
“Our name, Anchored Roots, ties together the “roots” of our home with the vines at the heart of our business. Looking to the future, we anticipate the completion of our winemaking facility and tasting room by May 2022.
“We are grateful for our family, friends, mentors and our alma mater, who have all made our story possible.”
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