About 
AxeBridge

Aaron and Ashley Schram began their wine journey in 2008 when they took a leap of faith and bought a small farm in Waconia, MN to start a vineyard. Leaving their Minneapolis abodes, they settled into the country life, growing cold-hardy grapes, starting a family, and eventually opening their first winery, Schram Vineyards, at their Waconia location in 2013. Aaron’s passion for making quality wine with local grapes and providing a guest experience that is both educational, fun, and memorable made their winery a success. With a desire to continue to grow and develop the local wine industry, it was a natural fit to bring this wine experience back to the city to showcase locally made artisan wine using both locally grown cold-hardy grapes as well as grapes from the west coast.  

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The story of AxeBridge is threefold.

1. A family name as it is a combination of the Schram children, Axel and Bridget.

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2. An “axe” and a “bridge” are nice visual representations of the North Loop area where the winery resides. Being located next to a steel bridge as well as the many famous bridges throughout the city.  The North Loop was also home to lumberyards back in the day.

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3. A metaphorical meaning. Making wine in Minnesota and having an urban setting winery are two things that may still be met with skepticism. Axing any preconceived notions of what a winery “should be” and bridging the gap from agriculture to city by making locally produced wine and the experience of a winery more accessible. The name became a serendipitous union of a Minnesota urban winery story, a piece of local character, and a personal family connection.