Jason Tosch: Winegrower

Usually when one visits a winery, the tour focuses on technology; the tanks, barrels and other man-made things, but it’s the grapes, a product of nature, and the vineyards from which they are born that really defines the quality of a wine. You cannot put in what Mother Nature has not. While you can make average wines from great grapes, you can never make great wines from average ones. In the face of this reality, I decided to bring in a true expert in vineyards.  Someone whose passion and obsession to grow the perfect fruit required to make truly profound wines would give us the potential to create the astounding pinot noir we are driven to make. I believe that Anne Amie Vineyards was exceptionally lucky to have Jason Tosch join our team as Vineyard Manager as he shares our mission to achieve nothing but the best.

Growing up in the Oregon countryside near the small town of Banks gave Jason a taste for what has since become Oregon agriculture’s prized product: Oregon wine.  After receiving a degree in Horticulture from Oregon State University in 1994, Jason began his career first as the head grower and eventually vice president of production for a cut-flower greenhouse operation. Prior to joining Anne Amie, Jason spent the last two years as Vineyard Manager at Ponzi Vineyards.  Remembering fondly the harvest crush he worked during his last year at the university and amazed by the progressive development of the Oregon wine industry, he made the decision to step into what has become his current career and passion: growing Oregon’s finest Pinot Noirs.   As a general philosophy Jason states, “As a wine grower recognizing and respecting the complicated relationship between site, soil and vine is paramount.  Encouraging the vines using balanced and sustainable practices in the vineyards creates the stage for what Pinot Noir in Oregon soils is meant to do: perform beautifully.”

To achieve these goals, Jason will be transforming all of our estate vineyards over to the sustainable vineyard practices as laid out by L.I.V.E. (Low Input Viticulture & Enology - http://www.liveinc.org/). While our goal is always to be a good friend to the environment, the L.I.V.E program is also Salmon Safe, it is our paramount goal to produce exceptional wine grapes and sustainable agriculture will help us attain both. If you have questions about our vineyards email jason@anneamie.com.