Trust Cellars

Steve Brooks has the best address in the valley — 1050 Merlot Drive — yet he doesn’t make that particular varietal. How Steve, owner and one-man-band winemaker for Trust Cellars happened upon this address would make a Hollywood hit. Working in Atlanta for 19 years at CNN as a TV producer brought Steve little joy. At the age of 40, he had proven to himself and others that he had mastered his job, but the gloom of the news business and the constant travel were taking a toll. He sought a career that would allow him to spend more time with his two young girls and give him and his wife Lori, a television director also working at CNN, an opportunity to exercise their passion for food and wine. After all, this couple would plan tummy-tantalizing vacation itineraries focusing on the restaurants and foods they wanted to experience.

Steve knew he wanted to make wine, and by announcing to his coworkers and friends that he was quitting his executive job to become a winemaker, he was forced to make good on his promise. So in late 2001, spurred by a review of the American wine scene that included a New York Times article highlighting the winemaking virtues of Walla Walla, Steve and family packed their Volvo and headed west.

A visit to his Merlot Drive tasting room and winery finds a very relaxed Steve Brooks. Atlanta is now clearly in his rearview mirror, and he is happy with his decision to switch careers. Upon arrival, he discovered a community of winemakers willing to help by lending advice and equipment. He enrolled in the local Walla Walla Community College Institute for Enology and Viticulture and learned from the best. Not having the deep pockets to buy his own vineyards, Steve developed collaborative relationships with the region’s premium grape growers. He notes that in exchange for him picking up the lunch tab, a local winemaker he admires told him the secrets of making rosé. Today, the only problem with Trust Cellars’ cabernet franc rosé is that it sells out too quickly!

Uprooting your family from Atlanta, moving them to Walla Walla, and launching a new career takes a lot of guts. To do it, Steve had to place his trust in his family, his friends, and, ultimately, the one person he knows best — himself.