When the infamous Willie Sutton was asked why he robbed banks, his answer was, “That’s where the money is.” When I’ve asked winery owners from Eastern Washington why they’ve opened a tasting room in Woodinville, the answer has most often been, “That’s where the people are.” Makes sense, doesn’t it? In fact, I wrote a […]

More than a few times I’ve had someone ask me, which is the ideal setting in which to review a wine, with food or without food? My standard reply is: when do you normally drink wine, with food or without it? For most people, the answer is with food. So the best evaluations of wine […]

According to the latest list published by the Washington State Liquor Control Board, there are more wineries licensed with a Woodinville address than with a Yakima, Prosser, Benton City (Red Mountain), Spokane, or Tri-Cities address, more than anywhere in Washington State other than Walla Walla. This is especially noteworthy because almost none of these wineries […]

Almost all of us have changed our spending habits to some degree during the economic storm of the past few years. The big unknown for all businesses is how we will respond once we feel comfortable about the economy again. Will we race right back after luxury goods of all kinds, including wine, or will […]

President Obama and the wine blogging community have a lot in common. We’ve both come to the forefront in the last few years with a flourish of hope, excitement, and promise of great things to come. Unfortunately, just as with Obama, most bloggers have proven more adept at spending than generating income. Just as most […]

LaGayle is the love of my life and my best friend. She and I have been married 42 years, which is almost 99% of the time we have known each other. Wine has been an increasingly important part of our lives as the years have gone on. How else could she have put up with […]

We all have special people in our lives who have influenced us and introduced us to new things. When it comes to fine wine, those special people for me are my Dad’s cousin Marie Morris and her husband Dink. Dink and Marie live in northern California and have been wine lovers for over 40 years. […]

First of all, let’s get right to the obvious. If a wine costs less than $10, has a screwcap closure, or comes in a box, it is ready to drink now. Today, the overwhelming majority of wines, even at higher price points, are made to be drunk young. So enjoy! Many more wines are drunk […]

According to Ask.com, the following are the 10 most commonly asked questions about wine. What follows are our answers. Actually, we have already answered most of these in various posts over time, but I thought it would be helpful to put them all together here: 1. How many calories are in a glass of wine? […]

Some people think I’m just a “fruit” guy when it comes to wine. That’s not true, but a grape is a fruit, so a wine that doesn’t exhibit any fruit aromas and flavors just doesn’t seem right to me. Most tastings of wine focus solely on aromas and flavors, because they are a wine’s most […]