Assistant Winemaker

Mari Rossi

A love for math and science initially drew Assistant Winemaker Mari Rossi to enology and viticulture while attending Cornell University. The summer before her senior year, Mari had the opportunity to work at a winery in Walla Walla, which deepened her passion to explore a career in winemaking. In 2011, Mari graduated with a BS in Enology and Viticulture and set off on an adventure chasing harvest in Sonora, Napa, and New Zealand. Ending up back in her hometown Seattle, she worked her fourth harvest internship at DeLille Cellars and joined the full-time team shortly after. Mari started as our Enologist, and in 2019 became our Assistant Winemaker.

“My love for math and science initially drew me to enology & viticulture while attending Cornell University. The summer before my senior year, I had the opportunity to work at a winery in Walla Walla, which deepened my passion to explore a career in winemaking. In 2011, I graduated with a BS in Enology and Viticulture and set off on the adventure of chasing harvest. I was able to explore harvests in Sonoma, Napa, and New Zealand, which were stunning, to say the least. Even still, I knew I wanted to end up back in the Seattle area (where I grew up) and in the Washington wine industry. The 2013 vintage took me back home, and I was able to work my fourth harvest internship in Woodinville, WA. Just one year later, I found myself at the right place at the right time (as most wine industry jobs go), and I joined the full-time DeLille team as the Enologist.

I consider myself incredibly lucky to be a part of this amazing team at DeLille as we grow and adapt, and I want to continue to strive to be a part of the change we hope to see in the industry as a whole. Through my time at DeLille, I have learned that this is an ever-growing and evolving industry, and if you work hard, learn from the experiences of those around you, and keep a positive attitude, you can absolutely thrive. It is important to honor and acknowledge many of the traditions set before us; however, there is always room to improve, and as an industry, we need to evolve and start uplifting and including more voices in the wine conversation.

My passions outside of the winery include spending time with my friends and family, trying new restaurants, listening to live music, and traveling to new places!” – Mari Rossi