Kelsey Albro Itameri of ita wines
After graduating from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service in 2009, Kelsey Albro Itämeri held a wide variety of jobs before enrolling in Walla Walla Community College’s Viticulture and Enology Program in 2017. A family farm in the foothills of the Blue Mountains lured her and her husband to Walla Walla the year before, where they tended to crops such as alfalfa, as well as to a test bloc of vines. The area will eventually be home to their estate vineyard for itä wines. Kelsey founded itä wines in 2019 after graduating from the community college program, and doing several internships in Walla Walla and Burgundy. She sources fruit from vineyards not too far from the family farm, including Les Collines and Breezy Slope.
Itä wines is located in a winery incubator facility in the airport area of Walla Walla. The wines are unique when it comes to grape varieties, as well as to viticultural and winemaking techniques. Instead of a Rosé of Grenache, Syrah or Sangiovese, for example, you will find one at itä made with Primitivo. Sémillon is not a commonly found grape in Walla Walla, but Kelsey does two Sémillon wines. The grapes come from the same vineyard, are picked on the same day, and pressed together, but then are made into wine using very different techniques. Pinot Noir is almost unheard of in Walla Walla, but Kelsey makes a light-bodied style that is perfect for summer sipping and pairing with food. The itä Nouveau Zinfandel is so unique and delicious that it’s sold out, as is the Syrah. With itä wines, Kelsey is really pushing boundaries on behalf of lighter-bodied wines with minimal oak, filtering and fining.
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