A Taste of the Country in the City
Drs. Stephen and Susan Williams focus on growing high-quality grapes that lead to award-winning wines.
After moving from a temporary location in downtown Roseburg to a larger space two doors down, Drs. Stephen and Susan Williams see their dream of an urban tasting room for Trella Vineyards fully realized.
Story by Dick Baltus Photos by Thomas Boyd
When the Trella Vineyards tasting room opened in downtown Roseburg in February, it brought to life a vision Drs. Stephen and Susan Williams had from the day their first grapes were hand-planted in the rich Umpqua Valley soil.
“We started planting in 2012 and from Day One we were thinking it would be really cool to have an urban tasting room,” Stephen says from his seat at a bistro table in a comfortable, secluded room behind the shop’s main tasting area.
Williams’ dad, Michael, has just delivered a glass of gruner veltliner to his son, then taken a seat on the small couch where he provides the occasional color commentary to Stephen’s telling of the Trella story. The retired educator and his wife, Marian, relocated to Roseburg several years ago, and both physicians have availed themselves of his skills. He first worked with Susan, an orthopedic surgeon, and now helps staff the tasting room, where he holds the title of “do- everything guy,” Stephen says.
The Williams’ were wine neophytes when they planted the first 3.5 acres on their Melrose-area vineyard. But they learned fast, and the next year doubled the size of their plantings. By 2015 they were ready to make wine. They just weren’t ready to do it themselves.
For that, they turned to renowned Umpqua Valley winemaker Terry Brandborg.
“As doctors, we’re well-trained in chemistry, and that served us well in growing grapes. But making wine is trickier,” says Stephen, a medical oncologist.
“Winemaking is about a lot more than solving chemistry problems.”
So the Williamses focus on producing the highest- quality grapes possible then letting Brandborg “work his magic,” as Stephen says.
“We’re proud to give Terry fruit that we think is as close to perfect as it can get,” he says.
It’s a formula that’s clearly working. Trella has won multiple awards for its five centerpiece varietals, pinot noir, pinot gris, tempranillo, gruner veltliner and malbec. The focus is on quality over quantity.
“We’re only producing about 1,000 cases a year, which is tiny,” Stephen says. “So Susan and I aren’t quitting our day jobs any time soon. Our goal is to just grow enough to ensure we have a going concern when we do retire.”
Taste the wine of Trella Vineyards yourself at 646 S.E. Jackson St., Roseburg. Check @trellavineyards on Facebook for current hours.
