WINE & OUR STORY
Arbutus Menziesii,
The Pacific Madrone.
A Symbol Of The Pacific Northwest & The Islands We Call Home.

San Juan Island natives at heart, Shaun and Amy Salamida started Madrone Cellars & Cider in 2017.
With over a decade in the industry, Shaun is one of the youngest winemakers in Washington State. After working as Assistant Winemaker for three other wineries, we both felt that it was time for a change. Madrone Cellars & Cider was a dream born in 2016, as we started talking about the reality of what owning our own winery would look like. We wanted the freedom to create our own experience based on our own personal ideals. The Madrone tree came about soon after, as we discussed where home was for us, and how we wanted whatever we did to always come back to San Juan Island. This is where we met, and where we want to start and raise a family together. It just made sense.

Our wines and ciders reflect our travels, and the memories correlated with the taste, smells and textures of destinations. French inspired wines are at the forefront of the portfolio, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Cinsault, Marsanne and Viognier to name a few. Single varietals are the most prevalent for us, but our Croissance, the Red Wine Blend, is by far our most popular wine. Our ciders rely heavily on the local San Juan Island farmers, and our largest production is our Island Perry, made with organic asian pears.
For those who have experienced our wines and ciders, you already know that one of the most important aspects of our product is the fact that they are dry. Make a wine that you want to drink right? Well for us, that means dry. Luckily, we have realized that the vast amount of wine and cider drinkers feel the same!


In 2018, we traveled Western Europe for two months, taking the time to study and learn from the sustainable farming and winemaking that is currently at the forefront of the European wine scene. This time changed us, and made us re-evaluate how we were trained to produce wine. The conventional idea with winemaking is “How can I change this into a particular style?”. While traveling, we realized that we appreciate wine that reflects where it came from and how it was farmed. The essence of wine should not be altered by conventional methods, but rather rely on quality and purity in tastes, textures and aromas.
This translates to our ciders as well. We are very blessed by the sustainable agriculture moment happening on San Juan Island right now. With the vast amount of farmers who pride themselves in organic practices, we have an incredible source of heritage and hard-cider apples, perry pears and asian pears, and more to choose from.
our mission
Madrone’s mission is to produce quality wines and ciders that reflect our long term goal of preserving the integrity of the ecosystem. It is our responsibility to our community, industry and environment to be aware of how our actions impact the world around us.
We accomplish this by working with Salmon Safe and LIVE certified vineyards, local farmers that practice organic principals, only using biodegradable solutions at our winery, and much more.
we work with salmon safe and live certified
vineyard partners

strand vineyard
Naches Heights AVA
malbec, pinot gris, cinsault

Sagemoor Vineyards
Columbia Valley AVA
Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet franc, Merlot, riesling

Double D Vineyard
Lake Chelan AVA
malbec
Estate Vineyard at Saltwater Farms
One of the most exciting partnerships we have made in the last few years is with Saltwater Farms, a beautiful organic farm and wedding destination on San Juan Island. In June of 2021, in collaboration with Saltwater’s owners Andrew Fleming and Merriss Waters, we planted our first estate vineyard. With these vines, we will produce Pinot Noir, Albariño and Siegerrebe for sparkling wines. We are excited to implement biodynamic and organic farming at Saltwater. We accomplish this by dry farming, zero till and only spraying organic and biodynamic preparations.
With the rocky soil and southern facing slope, this vineyard is going to produce incredibly unique and vibrant sparkling wines, and we cannot wait to share them with you!

madrone cellars & cider | san juan islands
COME VISIT US AT MADRONE
We hope that you visit us, and in turn experience the truly unexplainable yet undeniable draw of the San Juan Islands. Our products are best enjoyed with friends and family, sitting around a bonfire at South Beach or a picnic on the westside. We hope to share laughter and libations with you soon, and share our story of where we came from and what we plan to do next.
ABOUT US
MEET THE
MADRONE TEAM

SHAUN SALAMIDA
Co-Owner, Winemaker, Cidermaker, Vineyard Manager
Shaun Salamida studied Viticulture and Enology at Oregon State University. His studies focused on disciplines of the biology, chemistry and physics of wine, as well as environmental and sustainable vineyard care and production. After his studies, Shaun visited San Juan Island and decided to make it his home, which led him to apply for the Assistant Winemaker position at San Juan Island Vineyard. He worked here for four years, and in 2014, an opportunity arose for Shaun to move to Lake Chelan AVA, and dive deeper into the world of wine.
While in Chelan, Shaun worked as the Assistant Winemaker for Hard Row to Hoe, before moving to Mellisoni Vineyards as Head Winemaker and Vineyard Manager. During this time, Shaun continued to learn about wine production and vineyard management through his leadership position, while also learning the balance of running the show.
AMY SALAMIDA
Co-Owner, Assistant Winemaker & Cidermaker, Event Coordinator, Marketing
Amy Salamida is Madrone’s official Social Media and Marketing Manager, as well as Assistant Winemaker & Cidermaker. After meeting Shaun in 2014, Amy moved to Lake Chelan to be closer to him. During this time, she worked as a Tasting Room Associate at Mellisoni Vineyards. She remembers this time fondly, as it was where she fell in love with the wine industry, and grew a passion for winemaking alongside Shaun. Also during her time in Lake Chelan she worked for Blue Spirits Distillery, where she focused her energy on learning the production side of the business, honing in on the time efficiency of bottling and labeling.
You won’t see Amy at the tasting room very often, because her passion is in ‘behind the scenes’ work like social media, marketing and event planning.


LINDA DUNAWAY
Tasting Room Manager & Bookkeeper
Linda Dunaway joined the Madrone Team in September 2020. As the first official team member, Linda stepped into her role as Tasting Room Manager with delight and an excitement to learn and grow her knowledge of Wine and Cider. One of the most joyful people you will have the pleasure of meeting - your tasting experience will be full of laughter and a good time.
Amy is slightly biased, as Linda is her mom!
CYRUS GUBELMAN
Brand Ambassador & Tasting Room Associate
Cyrus Gubelman joined the Madrone Team in May 2021, during one of our busiest springs yet! He jumped in and helped Shaun and Amy build the Outdoor Wine Garden, plant the vineyard at Saltwater Farms, and stepped into his Tasting Room Associate role with ease. With an extensive background in the industry, Cyrus has expanded his role at Madrone by becoming the official Brand Ambassador for the San Juan Islands. If you are a wholesale account, he is your man!
Cyrus loves being a part of and seeing the whole process of Madrone, from harvest to bottle.
