I have visited Walla Walla on two previous occasions, and both times I was impressed with the very friendly and laid-back wine town in the far southeast corner of Washington State. But now they are growing so fast, with new wineries popping up all of the time, and top scores from wine critics. After interviewing Doug Frost, MW/MS about his new winery there called, Echolands, I can’t wait to visit again!
I should mention that I’ve known Doug for over 15 years. He was one of my instructors in the Masters of Wine program before I became an MW in 2011. In the wine world, he is held in high-esteem because he has accomplished the nearly impossible by passing the two most rigorous wine exams in the world – the MW and the MS. In real life, Doug is down to earth, very helpful, a lot of fun, and has a wicked sense of humor.
About Doug Frost and Echolands Winery
Doug Frost is one of only three people in the world to hold the titles of both Master of Wine (MW) and Master Sommelier (MS). For years he has managed a successful consulting business, traveling the globe to advise on wine lists for international hotel chains, airlines, and restaurants, as well as teaching thousands of wine staff professionals, managing wine competitions, and authoring three wine books.
But now he has abruptly changed directions to start a winery called Echolands in the far southeast corner of Washington State, outside the town of Walla Walla.
“It was inevitable,” reported Doug in a recent Zoom interview. “Even though my wife and I are at retirement age, I don’t ever want to stop doing the things that I love.”
But planting a vineyard and launching a new winery is not an easy task – requiring millions of dollars in capital investment up front, and at least a three year timeline before the grapes are ready for their first harvest. Then there is the even more difficult challenge of marketing and selling the wine, with the hope of eventually recovering the substantial investment.
Fortunately Doug has a partner, Brad Bergman, CEO of Midwest Trust in Overland Park, Kansas (where Doug also lives), who is equally enamored with wine. So together the two pooled their resources and expertise to begin building Echolands in 2017, and by the end of 2023 they managed to achieve their first million in revenues.
Why Start a New Winery in Walla Walla, Washington?
With Doug’s vast knowledge of wine, he could have selected any location in the world to start his winery, but he selected Walla Walla, Washington. Why?
“Well, I’m from Oregon, so if I started a winery, it would have to be some place in the Pacific Northwest,” said Doug. “And Brad was not a pinot noir man. He loves cabernet sauvignon and other red blends, so Washington was the place.”
Indeed, Washington State is famous for its big reds – such as cabernet sauvignon, Bordeaux blends, syrah, and Rhone blends. Plus, Doug’s choice of the Walla Walla AVA (appellation) is also home to some of Washington State’s most prestigious wine brands, including Cayuse, Pepper Bridge, Leonetti Cellar, L’Ecole #41, Long Shadows, Canvas Back and others.
“The Walla Walla wine region is also a very welcoming and collaborative place to start a winery,” added Doug. “There is a community of people there that I can reach out to for help, and we’ve been able to hire some great people to manage the vineyard, and operate the winery and tasting room.”
Launching the Echolands Wine Brand During Covid
In the beginning, Doug and Brad purchased grapes from local vineyards so they could produce some wine while waiting for their vineyards to come online. But their timing and sales strategy was a little off.
“We were all set to start selling our first wines in March of 2020, and Covid hit. It was a wee bit of a nightmare, because we were going to focus on selling to on-premise restaurants and bars,” Doug recalled. “I became very familiar with the word ‘pivot.’”
With the majority of restaurants and bars shut down, and many not replenishing their wine stocks immediately when they re-opened, Doug and Brad opened a tasting room in downtown Walla Walla. Their pivot strategy included selling direct to consumers and the many off-premise retailers who were doing a brisk job of selling wine online during the pandemic.
This was a good move while they waited for their new winery and tasting room to be built in the Mill Creek area – about a 10-minute drive from Walla Walla. The new modern-style winery, scheduled to open Spring of 2024, is a 27,000 foot facility designed by Soderstrom Architects, with an initial production capacity of 10,000 cases.
In the meantime, some of the 27 acres of vineyards they planted started to produce grapes in 2022. “We have planted cab, cab franc, merlot, petit verdot, semillon, grenache and assyrtiko vines so far,” reported Doug.
The vineyards are in a hilly area with a higher elevation and the unique basalt soil that makes the area ideal for crafting complex wines. They were also certified ‘sustainable’ in 2022, by passing all of the requirements outlined in the Sustainable WA certification process, which takes three years to achieve.
Echolands Specializes in ‘Elegant, Fresh, and Nervy Wines’
So what do the wines of Echolands taste like? With Doug’s exquisite palate and sommelier background, it is not surprising that they are quite elegant, balanced with lower alcohol levels, and crafted in a lighter style with fresh acidity to compliment food. At the same time, they are also quite complex, with a distinctive vein of minerality racing through the wines to highlight the distinctive terroir of the region.
I was able to taste two wines – the Echolands Grenache and the Echolands Cab Franc. The grenache was my favorite, brimming with black plum, black cherry, earthy notes and a hint of oregano and tarragon. It was crafted in a lighter style with juicy acidity, and excellent intensity, complexity and length. The cab franc was also tasty, but more fruit-forward in style with dried blue berry and red cherry notes, along with a hint of earth, herbs, and lavender.
When asked which wines were selling the best, Doug replied: “Our sauvignon blanc and semillon blend, sparkling pet nat, grenache, and cab franc all blew out the door. We have to say ‘no’ now, because we ran out of those wines, and will have to wait for the next vintage to be ready to release.”
He mentioned that their single vineyard syrah, Seven Hills cabernet sauvignon, and Bordeaux Blend called Rubrum are also selling well. Currently they are producing around 5,000 cases, and selling 70% direct to consumer and 30% to retail. The wines range from $26 to $46 in price.
To make sure the new winery operates effectively, Doug and Brad hired a young and diverse team of employees. These include Brian Rudin as Winemaker, Sadie Drury and Nick MacKay as Vineyard Managers, Jenna Bicknell as Director of Hospitality, and a team of well-trained tasting room and wine club professionals.
In the meantime, Doug still maintains many of his consulting clients. As a global wine expert, he is well-aware of how challenging making money in the wine industry can be.
“We are the shiny new toy for the next two years, because we have a brand-new modern winery and tasting room opening up, which will bring many visitors….., but after that we will have to work our asses off.”
NOTE: This article was original published in Forbes.com. Republished here with permission.