Business Community

Olalla Winery celebrates 10 years under owner Mary Ellen Houston

It’s said that the best laid plans often go asunder. And sometimes the result is much better than the original idea.

That’s the case with Mary Ellen Houston and the Olalla Winery and Vineyard.

On June 6, Houston marked the 10th anniversary of her ownership of the winery with food, music, lots of smiles — and, of course, plenty of wine.

Mary Ellen Houston celebrated the 10th anniversary of owning Olalla Winery and Vineyward in June. Photo by Charlee Glock-Jackson

How it happened

Ten years ago, after a successful career in banking and finance, Houston was looking for something new. She planned to go into law enforcement and had completed all the training, passed all the tests and was ready to take the final exam to be a Washington State Police trooper.

That’s when she heard about a winery for sale in an out-of-the-way place called Olalla.

She had no experience growing grapes, making wine or running a winery. But something in her wanted to check it out.

“As soon as I set foot on the (winery) property, I knew this was to be my place. And so did Konnie Serka,” Houston said.

Konnie and Joe Serka founded the winery in 2008, growing grapes and making wine in keeping with their Croatian background.

By 2016, the Serkas were ready to retire. They sold the six-acre winery, including about three acres of vineyard, to Houston and her then-husband, Stuart Chisholm. Joe Serka spent the next year mentoring the new owners in viniculture and winemaking.

Ripe grapes at Olalla Winery. Photo courtesy of Olalla Winery and Vineyards

Unusual winemaking

After learning the basics from the Serkas, Houston and Chisholm enlisted the services of Matthew Loso to oversee the vineyards and winemaking tasks. Loso, owner and head winemaker of Matthews Winery in Woodinville, crafted estate wines from grapes grown on site: Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Viognier, Madeleine Angevine and Olalla’s flagship wine, Golubok, a deep purple varietal.

Olalla Winery makes its product using an unusual and very old process. Instead of aging wines in oak barrels, Olalla ferments its grapes’ juices in amphorae — clay vessels similar to those used in European since ancient times. In homage to the unique process, the Olalla winery’s labels feature a sketch of an amphora.

Olalla Winery ages its wines in amphorae, a process used for centuries in Europe. Photo by Charlee Glock-Jackson.

Other grape varieties are grown in eastern Washington and sent to Loso’s wine-making facility in Woodinville for bottling under the Olalla label.

How it continues

Houston and Chisholm divorced several years ago, with Houston keeping the winery.

“Long ago, my mother used to say, “Your car’s rear-view mirror is small for a reason. And your front windshield is much bigger – so you can look forward into all the possibilities of the future, instead of focusing on the past,” Houston said.

She relates to that philosophy almost every day.

“After going through the divorce, it was a big change to handle the wine business by myself, but now I finally feel like I’m running on all cylinders again,” she said.

This month’s 10th anniversary celebration was testament to that.

Olalla Winery staff members prepare offerings for the institutions 10th aniversary under Mary Ellen Houston. Photo by Charlee Glock Jackson

Community service

The wine industry has more than its share of challenges. Houston supplements the winery business by hosting Friday night concerts in the winery’s tasting room loft and outdoors in the vineyards during warm weather months.

She books mostly local musicians for the weekly shows, because “I really like supporting local artists and introducing them to our community.” She also sponsors catered dinners and other events throughout the year.

Over the past decade, Houston has become known not just as owner of the winery, but also for her philanthropy and community involvement. At every concert, she sets out two big buckets: One is for tips for the band, the other is for cash donations that support a different nonprofit organization every month.

Plein aire painters sketch scenes of Olalla Winery’s anniversary party. Photo by Charlee Glock-Jackson

“They’re organizations that are near and dear to my heart — like supporting pets or kids and other local things happening on the Kitsap Peninsula,” Houston said.

Recipients have included Olalla nonprofits like Collars of Hope dog rescue and Pony Up horse rescue, as well as Kitsap Mental Health Services and others.

She estimates that the cash donations add up to about $10,000 every year.

“So I think we’ve donated about $100,000 over the past 10 years,” she said. “I have a big drawer full of thank-you letters from all kinds of different groups that we’ve supported. There’s so much good going on here, and I just feel so blessed to be able to help.”

Clothing donations

Earlier this year, Houston held a clothing drive that brought strong community response.

She hatched the idea when she looked into her closet one day “and I just realized that I had way too many sweaters and other things, so I decided to give them away,” she recalled. She posted a note on social media, asking for more donations.

The response was so generous that Houston set up a little boutique in her house “where women who needed nice clothing could come and try on clothes in the privacy of my home, and then take whatever they needed.”

One woman picked out some things for her daughter to wear for a job interview, Houston recalled. “And the girl actually got the job.”

Everything that was left over from the boutique — shoes, purses, hats, shawls, suits — Houston took to the Washington Corrections Center for Women in Gig Harbor. She hopes to do another clothing drive later this year.

Ten year anniversary

On June 6 several hundred guests gathered to celebrate the winery’s 10th anniversary with laughs, stories, food, two kinds of cake and many expressions of gratitude.

An anniversary cake celebrated Mary Ellen Houston’s 10 years owning the Olalla Winery. Photo by Mary Ellen Houston

A seven-year Olalla resident who calls himself “Johnny Olalla” said he’s a regular helper at the winery. “Mary Ellen lives every day to help people,” he said. “She is such a giving spirit. I feel so blessed to know her and to be able to help her with stuff.”

Houston acknowledged that all the unexpected accolades “made me weepy. This community really has so many wonderful people and so many good things going on – plays, live music, festivals, all kinds of things,” she said.

Her goal is to “keep doing what I’m doing as long as I’m able,” and she credits her “fabulous winery staff” with helping make it possible.

She has plenty of ideas for new events — like cooking classes taught by local chefs and caterers that pair foods with appropriate wines; “Wine101” classes that talk about what wines go with different foods, like different cheeses; agritourism events that demonstrate the ins and outs of winemaking, and other educational opportunities.

“It’s not about what I know, even though I have a passion and a vision. I just want to create a welcoming environment for people to get together and enjoy each other’s company. … I really love Olalla and I think the Lord likes what I’m doing. So I want to just keep doing it as long as I can,” Houston said.

Gig Harbor artist Chris Bronstad recorded the scene at the Olalla Winery celebration. Photo courtesy of Chris Bronstad