Ryan Raber

WINEMAKER

Ryan Raber is a self described hedonist, always thinking about his next meal.  He was born and raised in Washington State with a family history rich in the culinary arts. Logically with great food on the table you will find a few choice bottles of wine.  Ryan’s first experience with wine was in his early teens, making wine at home with his family.  Later as his interest in wine grew he decided to pursue a career path that would eventually lead him to become the winemaker for Tertulia Cellars.

In the spring of 2005, Ryan graduated with a degree in Enology and Viticulture. Following graduation, he accepted the position as winemaker with Tertulia Cellars.  After a brief absence Ryan has returned to Tertulia with the same passion and dedication to making world class wines. 

Ryan’s winemaking philosophy is to treat wine as art. “It is an intuitive process from the vine to the bottle each step determines the next.  Science and winemaking technology are great tools but nothing can replace experience and your palate.  The best wines have a sense of place or exhibit terrior.  Terrior is the summation of the geology, geography, climate, and to a large extent the culture of the people who work the land and influence the wines.”

Ryan lives in Walla Walla with his family.  He couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.  He loves the slow pace of life that wine country has to offer.  Ryan especially enjoys well planned meals and a choice bottle of wine or two shared with family and friends.

Stevie Johnson

SALES & MARKETING DIRECTOR

Stevie joins Tertulia Cellars with over 15 years experience in many aspects of the wine business. She first fell in love with the vine in Paso Robles California. She lived in the hills of the San Lucia range, where she would often take long walks in the vineyards. She volunteered for several harvests and loved to watch the grapes grow. Stevie came to Seattle in 1995 and began her journey as a Wine Buyer. Stevie was a wine director & manager for hotels and restaurants in Seattle and Hawaii. She migrated to wine sales while living in Hawaii. There she discovered her love of representing wines from all over the world. She became especially fond of the old world style. France, Italy and Spain became her main focuses.

After returning to Seattle in 2002 she continued her Sales experience in Western Washington and holds strong relationships throughout the 1-5 corridor. As the Washington wine industry grew, she discovered more and more the world class wines the state was producing. So she set her sites to focus locally. That’s how she discovered Tertulia Cellars. Stevie is looking forward to the growth and positioning Tertulia Cellars is about to embark on. She is fun-loving, high energy and well organized. We are thrilled she joined our team and we know you will be too.

Stevie resides in Walla Walla with her husband Brett and two boys, Jackson 6 and Graham 4. As a family they enjoy ice hockey, swimming, hiking, riding bikes and general goofing around.

Ryan Driver

VINEYARD MANAGER

Ryan Driver has lived the majority of his life in the Walla Walla Valley. Born in Iowa, Ryan moved with his family to Walla Walla at the age of two. He has always had a love for the outdoors and has worked with the land from a very young age. This passion came from his grandfather whose farm in Iowa has been in the family for over 100 years. Ryan started working for Klicker Strawberry farms at age 12. Over the next twelve years he dedicated his time to learning many aspects of the operation - from picking and delivering, to maintaining and operating equipment.

Ryan studied Mechanical Engineering at Eastern Washington University. In 2005 he began work as a Trial Manager for Bejo Seed Company where he maintained seed trials for many different crops on approximately 1,200 acres and worked closely with many farmers throughout the Columbia Basin and the Pacific Northwest. While Ryan loved his work with Bejo, he had a growing interest in the escalating wine business in Walla Walla. He decided to pursue his passion for agriculture in a different field. Enrolling in the Enology and Viticulture program at Walla Walla Community College was the obvious first step for his career. Shortly after beginning the program, Ryan accepted the position of Vineyard Manager at Tertulia Cellars.

Ryan resides in Walla Walla with his wife Maria, and their daughter Sofia.

Michelle Garton

TASTING ROOM MANAGER

Michelle Garton is joining Tertulia Cellars with over 4 years experience working within the Walla Walla wine industry. She grew up in Lake Stevens, Washington and returned to Walla Walla in high school. Her love for wine sprang from her families involvement in the industry and that is where she first became directly involved in wine sales. She worked in the industry while pursuing her Bachelor’s in Education from WSU. Now as a graduate she is excited to expand her experience with Tertulia Cellars as tasting room manager while also substitute teaching in the Walla Walla and College Place districts.

Michelle currently resides in Walla Walla with her boyfriend Zach and black lab, Lizzie. “I enjoy the ambience and beautiful scenery of the Walla WallaValley and love living in what I consider to be one of the most beautiful places in the entire Pacific Northwest.” She enjoys many outdoor activities such as fishing, snowmobiling, camping and hiking.

Trista Flores & Emma Ferraro

TASTING ROOM ASSOCIATES