Recently, I’ve read posts from wine writers whose opinions I respect (Paul Gregutt and 1WineDude) discussing and mostly panning the importance of “vintage” in today’s wine world. Those posts got me thinking more about the issue and whether or not I find “vintage” as important as I used to. What causes vintage variation? I believe […]

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 Spice Route Chakalaka from the Swartland region of South Africa. […]

Oftentimes, wineries in the United States produce blends from their leftovers. They put their best grapes into their varietal wines and then produce a blend from the grapes that don’t quite make the cut. There are some wineries, however, who strive to produce Bordeaux-style blends using the very best grapes that they can get. Over […]

While my family and I do not eat much pork, we do enjoy it on occasion. As I started planning another challenging wine pairing meal, I remembered the garlic seasoned broiled pork chops that my aunt used to make. I cannot remember the last time that I had a pork chop, but the more I […]

One of the Walla Walla, Washington, incubator wineries, Trio Vintners is located in one of the five almost identical buildings built by the Port of Walla Walla near the regional airport. The incubator concept was developed with the entrepreneurial spirit in mind. Each incubator winery must be brand new to lease space and at the […]

This week’s Wine Word of the Week is old vines. Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine: Old vines are reputed to produce grapes which make better quality wine. The concept that older vines make better wine is much used in marketing wine in the Old World and has more recently been […]

When we talk about “toast” as it relates to wine, it’s not what you serve alongside bacon and eggs. “Toast” is the result of heating the inside of oak staves for wine barrels. The degree of charring is the amount of “toast,” from light to heavy. Most white wines see no oak at all, Chardonnay […]

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 2008 Nobilo Regional Collection Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region of […]

While we enjoy Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, too often we find them to be priced way out of our budgets. Recently, we discovered two Napa Cabs that, while not inexpensive, deliver good bang-for-your-buck. And on top of that, they recognize philanthropic efforts which are a great thing in my book. We had the opportunity […]

Taste Washington in Seattle is rapidly approaching. Over 200 wineries and 75 restaurants will be pouring wines and serving bites at the Grand Tasting on Sunday, March 28th, at the Qwest Field Event Center. If you are not familiar with this fabulous event, check out my Taste Washington 2010 Preview post for further information. For […]