Tero Estates

Unedited

A visit with Doug and Jan Roskelley at their winery/vineyard outside Milton-Freewater gives you a sense that they have always lived there. But such is not the case. In 2007, they made the big leap from the Woodinville, WA home trading a successful home modeling business for a farm. However, lest you think this is a ramshackle farmhouse on a dusty plot of land, think again. No, their new life involved the purchase of the renowned 25-acre Windrow Vineyards and plenty of space to build a production facility and a new home. It seems that Doug’s background as a remodeler has came in handy.

Of course, you have to come up with a memorable name when you launch a winery and Doug worked and reworked various names, he came to a dead-end. At the end of his rope, feeling frustrated, Doug nearly gave up but then the idea hit him to combine letters from his last name, ROskelley, with letters from his winery partner and friend, Mike TEmbreull, and he came up with Tero Estates. The fact that “Tero” plays on the word terroir is an added bonus.

At the Tero Estates tasting room located at street level inside the Marcus Whitman Hotel, you can sample the wines of Tero Estates and Flying Trout. When Doug and Jan were getting started with their winery, they developed a strong friendship with Ashley Trout (winemaker for Flying Trout). Ashley is one of those bi-hemispherical winemakers who practices her art 3 months in Argentina and 9 months in Walla Walla. Wanting to focus on winemaking and not be shackled with the business-side of owning a winery, she’s relinquished the winery to Doug and Jan.

WineTrail Tip: Don’t miss out on Tero Estate’s S.T. (Super Tuscan); a blend of cabernet with a sangiovese backbone. One swirl and sip will have you asking the pourer for another sample. It’s pure Walla Walla heaven.