Washington is the largest Riesling producing state in the United States. And, Washington State’s own Chateau Ste. Michelle is the largest Riesling producer in the world. Since Riesling has become known as Washington State’s signature white variety, I have been looking forward to having a wine tasting dinner featuring Washington Riesling for some time. Fortunately, […]

As I reflect on meals that I have enjoyed in the past, baked ham has always been a favorite. It is a popular holiday or special occasion menu item and is usually one that many people enjoy. As I think about ham menus, I am reminded of the menu my mother-in-law used many times for […]

Washington State, in general, makes outstanding Merlot. Washington Merlot is bigger, more complex, and has higher acidity that most Merlot produced elsewhere. Recently, we had what turned out to be a Washington Merlot showdown in one of our double blind private tasting dinners featuring two wines from the 2006 vintage, the 2006 Fielding Hills Merlot […]

This week’s Wine Word of the Week is canopy. Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine: Canopy is the part of the vine above the ground, formed by the leaf and shoot system. It includes the trunk, cordon or canes, shoots, leaves, and fruit. Layman’s terms from Kori: Canopy is the part […]

First, the bad news. When the stock market leaped forward last year after horrific declines, many thought that the economy would quickly follow suit. So far, that has not been the case. In fact, yesterday, we learned that retail sales unexpectedly fell in December, leaving 2009 with the biggest yearly drop on record, indicating that […]

If you haven’t already, we hope that you will take a few minutes of your time between now and Saturday night to answer our short reader survey: Click here to take the 2010 Wine Peeps Survey As an added incentive, if you answer the survey and provide us with your name and email address in […]

Would you like a quick suggestion for a good wine to drink tonight (or this weekend) that won’t break your budget and is widely available? Many of our readers have said this is something they would like, so here is this week’s selection, the 2007 Michele Chiarlo Nivole Moscato d’Asti (semi-sparkling wine) from the Piedmont […]

New World wines have dominated our tastings recently so I was really excited when we had what turned out to be a showdown between two red Bordeaux wines in one of our double blind private tasting dinners featuring two wines from the famed 2005 vintage, the 2005 Chateau Lanessan and the 2005 Chateau de la […]

In 2005, we took the trip of a lifetime to Australia. We fell in love with the country, the people, and the wine. We especially enjoyed the time we spent in Sydney and in the Barossa Valley. While we were there, we visited Penfolds and really liked their entire lineup of wines. However, we did […]

While Columbia Crest, Washington State’s largest winery, has recently received national attention for its 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon which was rated as the #1 wine of 2009 by Wine Spectator, they are best known for their everyday value lines, Two Vines and Grand Estates, which are widely available nationwide. Rounding out their portfolio is the […]