Walla Walla well worth it: TERO Estates Tasting Room

Any wine enthusiast who visits wineries and tasting rooms in Washington State's Walla Walla Valley AVA will soon discover that this wine region is a rising star in the wine world. Prior to visiting Walla Walla Wine Country we consulted sources, such as Walla Walla Wineries and Tasting Rooms and Walla Walla winery guide. If you are planning a trip to Walla Walla you might also like to view some of the videos on Walla Walla Wine Country. Spaswinefood was excited to gain insights into what makes this wine region so special. After tasting at a number of Walla Walla wineries we decided to visit one of the local tasting rooms. In Walla Walla we visited the TERO Estates, Flying Trout  and Walters Tasting Room at the historic Marcus Whitman Hotel.

Let's taste some wine © Spaswinefood

Walla Walla Wine Country
The first wine making in the Walla Walla dates back to 1840's. Like many areas of the US wine making disappeared in this region during Prohibition. Fortunately the area experienced a rebirth in 1970's with the establishment of Leonetti Cellars. This was followed by the arrival of Woodward Canyon Winery in 1981 and  L' Ecole N° 41 in 1983. The appellation AVA was granted in 1984. Today the Walla Walla Valley AVA is home to over 125 wineries, tasting rooms and wine bars. The Walla Walla Wine Region along with Douro Valley, Paso Robles, Rias Baixas and Stellenbosch made the Wine Enthusiast's list of nominations for top wine regions for 2013. It was exciting to explore this wine region and taste some of its best wines.

Tasting TERO Estates, Flying Trout and Walters Wines

Tasting TERO Estate, Flying Trout and Walters Wines © Spaswinefood

Marcus Whitman Hotel, Walla Walla © Spaswinefood

Whether you are a newbie or life-long #winelover an inviting tasting room experience is indeed a treat. Many wineries provide a tasting room, or satellite tasting room, which are located away from the actual winery. Washington State have over 60 satellite tasting rooms. The majority of Washington State's satellite tasting rooms are located in Woodinville and Leavenworth however, Walla Walla also has a significant number. While in Walla Walla we decided to check out the wines at TERO Estates Tasting Room located in the historic Marcus Whitman Hotel.

TERO Estates Tasting Room offers an excellent selection of wines for tasting. TERO Estates produces estate wines at its Walla Walla's historic vineyard, Windrow Vineyards. Flying Trout Wines was added to TERO Estates in 2010 and Walters was added in 2013. See the Washington Wine Report description of a visit to the Windrow Vineyards and TERO Estates.

During our tasting room visit we sampled the following wines:

1. Flying Trout, 2011 Torrontes

Flying Trout, Torrontes 2011 © Spaswinefood

2. Walters, Washington State, Capella 2011 (blend of Cabernet Franc 57% and Merlot 43%)

Walters, Washington State, Capella 2011 © Spaswinefood

Walters, Washington State, Capella 2011 © Spaswinefood

3. Flying Trout, Columbia Valley, Brook Blend 2010

 Flying Trout, Columbia Valley, Brook Blend 2010 © Spaswinefood

Flying Trout, Columbia Valley, Brook Blend 2010 © Spaswinefood

 4. TERO Estates, Columbia Valley, TERO Red 2010

TERO Estates, TERO Red 2010 © Spaswinefood

5. TERO Estates, "Plateau Block" Windrow Vineyards Walla Walla Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 

TERO Estates, Plateau Block, Walla Walla Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon 2008© Spaswinefood

 TERO Estates, Walla Walla Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 © Spaswinefood

The above tasting was a great introduction to Flying Trout, Walters and TERO Estates wines. We experienced first hand why these wines get good reviews. We especially liked the TERO Estates, Cabernet Sauvignon 2008. You will find reviews of TERO Estates wines by Cellar Tracker, Randy Sealey's Reviews of Washington Wine, Snooth, Wine Enthusiast and Winey Women. For reviews on TERO's tasting room experience by visitors see Tripadvisor and Yelp.

The TERO Estates Tasting Room location in the historic Marcus Whitman Hotel means it is easily accessible to those visiting or staying at the hotel. The Marc Restaurant one the top restaurants in town is also at the Marcus Whitman Hotel.

Marc Restaurant, Marcus Whitman Hotel © Spaswinefood

While in Walla Walla we also checked out Walla Walla's dining scene.  For suggestions on best accommodations in Walla Walla see Tripadvisor; see also Bed and Breakfast recommendations. For a list of Walla Walla Spas see Yahoo and Yelp.

It was so much fun to check out wineries and tasting rooms in Washington State's Walla Walla Wine Valley. I look forward to exploring more of Washington State wines. You can also check out my travels in Washington Sate and elsewhere at Spaswinefood, or visit my travel column at the Examiner.

Sharon

October 2013

Walla Walla, Washington State

© Spaswinefood

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