Washington Syrah compares favorably with the best in the world. Washington Syrah generally falls somewhere in between the jammy Shiraz of Australia and the more austere Syrah of the northern Rhone. It generally has good acidity and tannins. Last Friday, we featured Washington Syrah from the 2009 vintage in our wine tasting dinner. All six [...]

It’s always fun planning a challenging wine pairing dinner. I especially enjoy the “challenge” of determining a good wine pairing for a meal in which wine would probably not be the first beverage that comes to mind. This time, I decided to make Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, a Wine Peeps’ family favorite. Along with the sandwiches, [...]

Red Willow Vineyard is one of the top vineyards in Washington State. Located in the northwest corner of the Yakima Valley near Wapato, Washington, Red Willow is a fourth-generation family farm, owned and operated by Mike Sauer and his family. Red Willow has one of the oldest Cabernet Sauvignon blocks in the state, planted in [...]

Sweet and sour pork is a popular dish and one that easily lends itself to a challenging wine pairing given both its sweetness and tartness. The main dish included the pork, green bell peppers, celery, and onion in the sweet and sour sauce that included pineapple, apple cider vinegar, and sugar, as well as other [...]

Fajitas are a popular Mexican dish and a Wine Peeps’ favorite. Years ago in Texas, we stumbled upon a delicious fajita preparation at a local restaurant that we absolutely love. Fajitas a la Baya (or berry) is fajitas that have been marinated in wine along with other typical Mexican spices. The flavor it gives the [...]

Port comes from the Douro Valley in northern Portugal. While there are port-style wines made around the world, strict use of the term Port is reserved for fortified wines produced in Portugal. Most Port producers in Portugal now label their wines as “Porto” and the bottles bear a neck label with the Instituto do Vinho [...]

Pecan pie is one of the Wine Peeps’ favorite desserts. In fact, it is John’s absolute favorite! Kori is actually the pecan pie maker in the family; although, I made the one for this challenging wine pairing. Each year, Kori makes pecan pie for her dad’s birthday in November as well as for Thanksgiving and [...]

Founded in 1995, Planeta Winery encompasses six distinct wine estates throughout Sicily. The Planeta philosophy is, “For each terroir, its own winery.” Planeta has tried to identify the area within Sicily where certain varieties grow best and then has established a boutique winery with its own surrounding vineyard in that respective area. Planeta’s boutique wineries [...]

Washington State Cabernet Sauvignons are among the best in the world, and they are much better values (higher QPR) than most Cabs in other wine regions of the world. Last Friday evening, we tasted six Cabernet Sauvignons from the 2008 vintage from Washington State in our wine tasting dinner. It was another fabulous evening of [...]

“What is gluten, and why do I keep seeing Gluten Free options on restaurant menus and grocery store shelves?” These are just some of the questions you may be asking if you are not among the growing number of people who have been diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. Gluten is the generic name [...]