Our Winery History and philosophy

Our winemaking philosophy

Here at RAM Cellars, it’s our pleasure and honor to bring hand crafted wines to you and yours. We make small batch lots of 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 wines, zero fining or filtration, minimal sulfite levels, and meticulous treatment of our wines throughout their lifecycle in the cellar.

We work with some of the under-hyped Bordeaux varietals, like Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot, as well as Tempranillo, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Counoise, Roussanne, and Grüner Veltliner. Utilizing neutral french oak or stainless steel aging to accentuate the true varietal characteristics of the grapes, we work to develop balanced, approachable wines that exhibit good acidity and aromatics. We pick fruit earlier than some other wineries in order to ensure that our wines err on the side of acid-forward for maximum food pairing potential, and we typically produce dryer whites, rosés, and red wines that are authentic and straightforward!

RAM Cellars: What’s in a name?

So, why the name RAM Cellars? The idea started as a combination of the honoring of family initials and the search for a meaningful brand icon for the winery. Our winemaker Vivianne’s late grandfather, one of her biggest supporters, had the initials R A M. Simply put, our name pays homage to family and those who came before us.

From Viv:

”When I had the epiphany back in 2008 that I had uncovered a burning desire to know more about the confluence of art and science behind wine production, my granddad Roger - whose full name was Roger Allen Marks - was incredibly supportive of my decision to pursue my interest in winemaking further and as I embarked on bending the arc of my life around wine, he continued to be outspokenly supportive of me in that journey. In 2014, after years of studies, volunteer work, and then several rounds of paid work for Pacific Northwest Wineries, I was able to launch RAM Cellars and it was my honor and pleasure to name it after my granddad Roger to honor and pay homage to his contribution to my wine journey.”

Our founder Viv’s winemaking origin story

The launch of RAM Cellars was the culmination of years of studies and work by winemaker Vivianne Kennedy. An interest in wine turned into a love of wine, which turned into an intense curiosity about everything that goes into the production of premium wines. After the ‘aha’ moment at a barrel tasting at Washington State’s Kiona winery many years ago, Vivianne took up studies through Washington State University’s extension campus in Prosser, WA on both viticulture and enology, the science of wine winemaking.

Volunteer time at Davenlore Winery (Prosser, WA) through the Wazzu programs spread out over several years, as well as a short stint at Montinore Estate (Forest Grove, OR) during the 2012 harvest season were precursors to a harvest internship at Enso Winery (Portland, Oregon) in 2013. That harvest internship turned into a position as cellars master and assistant winemaker that lasted through the end of 2018. Learning from excellent winemakers along the way has made a major contribution to Vivianne’s winemaking philosophy.

RAM Cellars: The early years and our (and Viv’s) evolution

From 2014 to 2019, RAM Cellars was just Vivianne (she / her), with occasional spot help for a few bigger events and a spare set of hands here and there during harvests. Viv launched the winery in 2014 and released the first RAM Cellars wines in early 2016. Pouring the wine somewhere nearly weekly, Viv created a market for the wines, bottle by bottle, at wine shops, New Seasons and other natural grocers, and restaurants in Oregon and Washington.

In 2018, Vivianne made the decision that saved her life and came out as a transgender woman. In the spring of 2019, she launched the first wines under a new label, dubbed “VIV.” VIV label wines raise money for organizations that provide support to queer and transgender people through a $3 donation for the sale of every bottle.

Although the name of this label is the shorthand of our winemaker’s full first name, it was actually chosen because “viv” is the French root word that means “to live, to be alive.” As Viv will tell you, making the choice to come into the light and live fully as herself meant that she, too, gets to live, and be alive, for a long time to come. With that extra life comes extra responsibility to do good, meaningful things for members of communities she is a part of, which led to the birth of the new label. Partners whom the Viv label has raised money for include the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (in support of their Name Change Project), Portland’s Q Center, and most recently the Trans Lifeline!

Our evolution from a one-woman-show to a winemaking team

In August of 2019, Rebecca ‘Bex’ Fry (she / they) joined team RAM Cellars as our assistant winemaker. The 2019 harvest was a collaboration between Viv and Bex that yielded some truly beautiful wines in our VIV label Pinot Noir Blanc and Pinot Noir Rosé. Rebecca then took the lead on our beautiful 2020 Le Belier Orange and was an instrumental part of increased production during our 2021 harvest. In early 2022, Bex moved on from team RAM Cellars to focus fully on her work as street outreach coordinator for a Portland area nonprofit whose work focuses on providing a pathway from houselessness to permanent housing through wrap-around, supportive services. Bex will always be a part of the RAM Cellars team and we consider them to be one of our “winemakers in absentia.”

Gizmo the dog joined the winery team around the same time as Bex, in early August of 2019. He has no winemaking skills to speak of but is very cuddly and fluffy. He can do the circus dance and does the best Pom stare this side of the galaxy.

Then, in May of 2020, our communications and social media director, Aidan Kennedy (they / them), joined the team. Aidan also joined Viv and Bex as part of the winemaking team during the harvest of 2020, taking the lead on the Rosé of Tempranillo! Aidan has continued to help support the winery in a variety of ways, both through helping to manage our social media and communications and through production and event support since 2020!

Viv had this to say about our 2020 harvest with Bex and Aidan:

”I love making wine. With every fiber of my being. And I want to see more queer and trans people doing it, having access to making wine and being able to successfully learn how to do it and be a part of our industry. To that end, for harvest 2020, I was overjoyed to see wine through a new perspective and support Aidan and Rebecca through the process of being the lead winemaker on their chosen projects, doing what I can to empower other queer folks to craft beautiful wines, starting with the queer folks closest to me. I hope that I’m able to continue to do this - and am thankful for the time that I have, doing what I love: making wine, and imparting that knowledge to others while I’m at it.”

Our team’s continued evolution in 2022

In 2022, our largest harvest to date at 19 tons, our winery team included some new faces, with Keagan Cross (they / them) and Allison Riley (she / her) joining Viv and Aidan as our harvest interns that October. 2022 was the realization of our goal to continue to open our doors and team to other transgender folks interested in wine production, and Keagan and Allison were incredible additions to our team. They were part of our “all transgender winemaking team” in 2022!

Keagan’s time with the winery ended in January of 2023 when they relocated to Virginia with their partner, but their impact on the 2022 wines (they managed to talk Viv into making our first Pet Nat at RAM Cellars, a monumental feat in it’s own right) was a big one. Like Bex, although they are no longer here, they’ll always be a part of our winery team and we consider them another “winemaker in absentia.”

Allison stayed on as our assistant winemaker through our 2023 harvest and was an integral part of our efforts in 2022 and 2023.

Viv had this to say about Keagan and Allison’s contributions to our 2022 harvest, and our realization of our goals to create well-paid harvest internship opportunities for other trans folks in wine:

“2022 was an incredibly special vintage for us here at RAM Cellars for so many reasons. We increased our production to more than 1,000 cases per year in order to meet growing demand, both in the Pacific Northwest and beyond, but more importantly, we finally realized our goal to create and offer well paid harvest internship roles for other transgender folks looking to get their start in wine production. Allison and Keagan were both integral parts of our 2022 harvest and their hard work and ability to learn on the fly are reflected in the 2022 wines as they reach the marketplace. I am forever grateful for their help and consider it an honor to have been able to impart some of my wine knowledge to them and make wine side by side with them in 2022!”

Our team’s continued evolution in 2023 and 2024

In the spring of 2023, Viv’s dear friends and fellow transgender women Kyra Cruce and Beatrice Barrar joined our winemaking team, helping with bottling and cellar projects over the course of that spring and then staying on as part of our harvest crew in 2023.

Our 2023 harvest was our largest to date at 35 tons, and our 4 person winery team worked many long days to bring those wines to life. Allison, Beatrice, and Kyra, along with spot help from Aidan, were huge contributors to our largest vintage and made a major impact on the 2023 wines.

Allison’s time with the winery ended in November of 2023 when they relocated to Virginia with their partner, but their impact on the 2022 and 2023 wines was a big one. Like Bex and Keagan, although they are no longer part of our winery crew, they’ll always be a part of our winery team and we consider them another “winemaker in absentia.”

Beatrice stayed on as our assistant winemaker after the end of our 2023 harvest has been a huge support to Viv in our winemaking efforts since. And Kyra has continued as our Cellar Lead and been an integral support to our year round winemaking efforts since she joined us in early 2023.

In 2024, after an extremely busy start to the year, with Viv holding it down at a shared tasting room space we opened in the fall of 2023 with our friends at Gonzales Wine Company AND spending considerable time on the road doing market work in Oregon, Washington, and California, Viv was in a major car accident in July of 2024. During her nearly 6 month-long recovery from a broken hip among other injuries, Beatrice, Kyra, and Aidan, with help from our winery landlords at Hip Chicks Do Wine, did an incredible job of leading the rest of the 2023 wines to completion and were the primary folks managing the physical workload during the first half of the 2024 harvest, with support from a walker-bound Viv.

The bottom line is that without each of their contributions, RAM Cellars would not have been able to continue. Beatrice, Kyra, Aidan, and Laurie and Renee from HCDW did so much to keep the wheels on the bus of our little winery and Viv has so much gratitude for their hard work and support.

“2024 was the hardest year of RAM Cellars’ now-decade long history and without the incredible work done by Aidan, Kyra, and Beatrice, with support from Laurie and Renee, I don’t think we’d have been able to harvest grapes and produce wine in 2024. Aidan showed up for me in so many ways, helping with my care and support and covering my shifts at Community Wine Bar, all while pitching in where they could with the 2024 harvest as well. Kyra helped both with winery operations and with logistical support when Aidan and I needed to install a wheelchair ramp at our home for the 3 months that I was wheelchair and walker bound and was a great, supportive friend during that time. And Beatrice stepped up as a winemaker in a way that I will forever be proud of and deeply grateful for. I cannot say enough good things about our little winery team - and Laurie and Renee - and I am so grateful for everything that they did to help us navigate the 2024 vintage.”

2025 and beyond for your friends at RAM Cellars…

As we head into the summer of 2025, we are so grateful to still be here 11 years after Viv started this project and are so excited to continue to share the wines with you. Although Community Wine Bar has closed as of the end of April 2025, Viv is back on the road across the west coast, sharing the wines with our friends and supporters.

Kyra, Beatrice, and Aidan continue to be vibrant parts of our winery team and the work that they do is integral to our operations.

Beatrice’s first wine, her ‘Just a Vessel’ dry Riesling, will be released later this year and we have so many new, exciting wines to share with you all. We’ll continue to keep you updated and have high hopes for our 11th year in business.

RAM Cellars: More about our production in SE Portland, and where our friends and supporters can find our wines!

Our wines are produced in SE Portland, utilizing production space rented from our friends at Hip Chicks Do Wine.  While our combined tasting room space with Gonzales Wine Company, Community Wine Bar, closed in April of 2025, we’re working on a regular pop-up somewhere in Portland where we can share the wines directly with y’all again a few days a month. We’ll be sure to let you know when we have that sorted and in the meantime, we’re back to pouring our wines at accounts who carry our wines multiple times per month.

Our wines are available and distributed across Oregon, California, and Vermont, and are distributed in the greater Seattle area in Washington State as well as southwest Washington, where Aidan and Viv reside.

If you'd like to see our wines in your area or at your establishment, please reach out to vivianne@ramcellars.com to let us know!